Good to be back
 

We started to open up the camp this weekend and it’s good to be back. We didn’t have any damage from the winter and even the mice stayed away. I’d say it was a success. Only problem is that the boat isn’t running right and that may be a problem scheduling the repair. Fortunately we have great neighbors and they don’t mind the occasional taxi ride. The weather for next weekend looks good so far and that will make it feel more like camp time. Looks like the Shep Browns lot is being paved this week and it’s supposed to be done by Friday. The lot will be closed Tuesday through Thursday.

After spending the last week and a half in South Carolina, we finally made it out Saturday afternoon to open camp...no damage or rodent issue as well ( the hours spent stuffing steel wool into the little openings under the house has really paid off). One thing I've noticed...haven't seen one mouse, chipmunk or squirrel in 2 days. I think the eagles must be hunting here...my neighbor thinks they sense all the cats will be out here soon and they're in hiding![emoji6]Attachment 14860

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Welcome back! We just got a new park model installed last fall. The new ones come with an aluminum underbelly to keep out the critters, so I'm hoping no more varmints for us!

Now, to get some good weather! Saturday was awesome, but it's mostly been Scotland this spring.

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I know, the mice issue was much better this winter. I wondered what was different?

Water buckets & sunflower seeds
 

So many water buckets with sunflower seeds floating in them, so few mice! 😁

I had a lot of mice last year which made me go around my house and close up every small opening I could find. That spray foam is a god send. No sign of any mice yet this spring.:)

Or maybe they are living in fear from Chinny returning to the island?

Regarding the lack of mice...

Last year we had squirrel-mageddon which as I understand it, was an overpopulation of first year squirrels.

This was the result of an unusually large crop of what they eat.

By the onset of winter they were still foraging to fill their stores to make it through until spring.

There was not enough feed for them so they were seen traveling in unusual places, like I-93 and the Everett Turnpike , looking for food.

I see very few squirrels this spring.

Could this natural cycle of feast and famine have affected the mouse population this year?

It's about time the parking lot gets a re-do it has been in terrible shape for a while. It looks like the entire road is getting done out to Meredith Neck Rd and right down to the boat ramp.

Hey, Hey, the Gang's All Here!
 

Opened our place on East Bear Island yesterday. Most severe mice infestation ever! Did they come from other islands? They must know a good thing! 🐀

We also dropped our boat in on Saturday -- have to admit, I thought the Lake was a LOT higher than the sign seems to indicate.

I'm so jealous. I'm actually submitting my PhD thesis in two weeks, after which we are moving to the area for summer, and it's so close I can feel it. I keep loading the Weirs Webcam and watching the time lapse when the corrections get too much to chill out a minute.

Before I left the island last November, I constructed a bunch of miniature rafts with maps to East Bear, along with the words " this way to good eats"....must have worked!

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It's high on my side...Attachment 14864

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You must be down hill. :D

Nope...I'm closer to the moon...gravitational pull and all!

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Whew!! I was afraid my breakwater had sunk a foot.

BTW, I use JP Pest at a mainland location. Very satisfied, but they won't do islands. They do recommend using brass wool instead of steel wool to fill cracks/holes. No rust, so it has a much better life expectancy.

Why not just use spray foam to fill areas where the mice are getting in?

That's what I used at my place and it worked great. I found the holes where they were getting in. You'd be surprised at how small of a hole they can get through. :eek: So far so good.
I probably just jinxed myself!

I crawled under the house three years ago and foamed all the gaps. Haven’t seen any mice since. Next project is to rodent proof the shed. Lots of squirrel activity. I’d probably need a 50 gal barrel and 50 pounds of seeds to get them all.

I like the " sentry cat" method...I find that they are more aggressive when they have a little wine buzz going!Attachment 14865

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Ya, I have to do my shed now also. I put all the life vests in my shed and they are all chewed up. :(

One year we had mice get into all of our bedding and eveything had to be replaced. There were jimmies everywhere so we knew there was a big party. It was also a mild fall and late winter which may have added to the mouse population. The next year everything went into tote boxes. And with the foamed gaps the last two years were pretty good at our place. Sorry to hear they only moved to the other side of the island.

Mice do not have bones, therefore, they can flatten and get through the smallest of cracks. I have ultrasonic emitters. No mice. Got these after some thirsty mouse chewed a hole in the dishwasher water supply. Still have the same ones I got in the late ninety's. Apparently still working. Think it is time to obtain some new ones though. Be aware, not all of them work. First ones I got from a company in Norwood, MA did nothing to deter the little creatures. These I got from California, San Francisco but I think they have now moved to a new location in California.

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I am a retired workaholic and continuing aquaholic

Mice, as Mammals, Have "The Works"
 

https://i.servimg.com/u/f91/18/11/38/95/fullsc61.jpg

More on rodents...:

https://www.modernpest.com/blog/do-mice-have-bones/

Also, no mice this winter/year
 

The prior winter (2017-2018) we had a complete invasion of mice in the off-season. I made a trip up to our house about once a month to check on things, empty traps, etc. Was bringing up a new package of mouse traps each time. Sometimes bagging 5-7 mice per trip. All told, probably 30+ mice over the course of the fall/winter/early spring.

Fast forward to 2018-2019. NOT ONE MOUSE ANYWHERE! Why? Who knows?

We did plug up some cracks and crevices around pipes with spray foam in the crawlspace and I also stapled up some screen around where the pipes enter underneath the bathroom. We also did put some D-Con bait stations in the crawlspace, which I kept filled all winter long. So, not sure if it was one of these things or a combination of all of them -- or, that there just aren't as many mice this year. Would love to know why, but happy in either case.

D-CON is awesome just have to put that stuff into the bait stations that don't allow other critters and pets to get at the poison blocks.

The problem I had with D-Con is they die in the walls and smell. :rolleye1:
I made 2 peanut butter coke bottle water torcher traps and they worked like a charm. No mess, no smell and I caught at least a dozen last year. And I don't have to worry about the dog getting poisoned.
So far this season I haven't seen any mice. That could be because there are less mice, which is not likely, or because I plugged all their entry holes last fall.
The best defense it to plug up all the holes in your house with spray foam. I know some of the old summer camps are difficult to do because there are holes everywhere.

Old and Gray
 

Our place on East Bear Island was built in 1906, and has settled somewhat. There are many locations available for mice to come seeking a flavorable repast. They have, possibly, passed this information down through many generations. In fact, we saw one mouse scurry away, wearing a long white beard. 🐻

Still no sign of any squirrels, mice or chipmunks out here. The cats are bored out of their minds...

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We finished opening up on Saturday and didn’t find one mouse dropping. That was a first!

No Pine Cones or EggCorns
 

Fall a year ago both were a bumper crop. Pinecones on the white pines hung like bunches of bananas. All rodents thrived with a large food supply. Remember all the dead squirrels by the side of the Interstates? Fast forward to last fall and there were almost no pine cones or eggcorns. Winter was also cold and snowy. Rodents of all kinds died off and did not reproduce this fall and winter. Population all depends on food supply.

Rodent update...middle of July and still not one mouse, squirrel or chipmunk spotted. The cats have resorted to hunting frogs and fireflies....

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No rodents of any kind....also,no bees on our flowers.
Last year, at least we had the larger bumblebees but even they are gone now.

On our morning Long Island walk, we have seen chipmunks and squirrels but much reduced in numbers.

I realize it's "apples and oranges" / "cats and dogs," but last week I saw a dog eat a spider.

Did you put warm water on it to make gravy?

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My dog won't touch spiders, however...Attachment 15104

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I know it was just a question of time, but I spotted the first squirrel of the year this morning. The cats did too...they're energized!

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