piperboy84
23rd Sep 2014, 14:04
So I'm working on the plane today and the rat catcher (or pest control technician to be more PC ) stopped by to check his bait traps and we ended up haveing an interesting conversation about how best to protect the plane especially now that the cold weather has arrived and the mice tend to start moving indoors for warmth.
This guy is an RC enthusiast and he jokingly said he dreaded reading the paper one day and learning that my plane had crashed due to wires and cables being eaten thru, especially as I sometimes store hay and straw in the excess space in the hangar which is a magnet for the little bastards. He noted that even small bags of grass seed that I use for patching airstrip should be kept elsewhere as mice needing very little moisture to survive will be attracted to the seed bag and can live and breed in there.
I asked him that if I intended to store the plane for a few months at a time would it be an idea to get 3 flat pans that I can fill with an inch of water and jack the plane up and lower the wheels down onto the pans to create a moat around the wheels would this prevent them from getting up and into the plane, he thought that was a bit extreme and that even with the pans the rats would be able to jump up onto the belly antennas and get in. I have the Tundra tyres on and thought it may be difficult due to size and circumference for a mouse to climb up and round them onto the axle , he noted that tractor and combine harvester tyres are 3 or 4 times larger and they manage to get into them just fine.
He suggested two steps in addition to the hangar perimeter bait traps.
1. A strong peppermint spray that's designed specifically for pest deterrent, sprayed on the ground round the wheels and over the tyres and axles and any low hanging antennas and not leaving the tow bar on the wheel.
2. Buying one of those ultrasonic things that emit a high pitched tone that drive the mice nuts forcing them to leave, however he said the only worthwhile units are the ones that change frequencies every so often otherwise they get immune to it after a few weeks, kind of like the guy that buys a house under a busy approach path and eventually does not hear the noise.
He said he sprays the fuel lines on the belly of his car as they get chewed out when he runs biofuel which is a major draw for the mice, this is not a problem for aircraft but shows what the little devils are capable of.
So there you have it wise words from the rat catcher for winterization/pest repellent for aircraft, especially on farm strips.
This guy is an RC enthusiast and he jokingly said he dreaded reading the paper one day and learning that my plane had crashed due to wires and cables being eaten thru, especially as I sometimes store hay and straw in the excess space in the hangar which is a magnet for the little bastards. He noted that even small bags of grass seed that I use for patching airstrip should be kept elsewhere as mice needing very little moisture to survive will be attracted to the seed bag and can live and breed in there.
I asked him that if I intended to store the plane for a few months at a time would it be an idea to get 3 flat pans that I can fill with an inch of water and jack the plane up and lower the wheels down onto the pans to create a moat around the wheels would this prevent them from getting up and into the plane, he thought that was a bit extreme and that even with the pans the rats would be able to jump up onto the belly antennas and get in. I have the Tundra tyres on and thought it may be difficult due to size and circumference for a mouse to climb up and round them onto the axle , he noted that tractor and combine harvester tyres are 3 or 4 times larger and they manage to get into them just fine.
He suggested two steps in addition to the hangar perimeter bait traps.
1. A strong peppermint spray that's designed specifically for pest deterrent, sprayed on the ground round the wheels and over the tyres and axles and any low hanging antennas and not leaving the tow bar on the wheel.
2. Buying one of those ultrasonic things that emit a high pitched tone that drive the mice nuts forcing them to leave, however he said the only worthwhile units are the ones that change frequencies every so often otherwise they get immune to it after a few weeks, kind of like the guy that buys a house under a busy approach path and eventually does not hear the noise.
He said he sprays the fuel lines on the belly of his car as they get chewed out when he runs biofuel which is a major draw for the mice, this is not a problem for aircraft but shows what the little devils are capable of.
So there you have it wise words from the rat catcher for winterization/pest repellent for aircraft, especially on farm strips.