In other news, I spotted this guy a while back:
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Yes, it's hard to see because it's almost gone. If you look in the very center of the photo, that's what's left of our coneflowers. I'd like to blame it on the deer, but I have a feeling that guy up there is responsible.Over the holiday weekend, we were doing a lot of yard work and had the garage doors open. In no time at all, a cardinal managed to build a nest . . . on top of our garage door opener! We practically live in a forest, but that's what she chose as a nesting spot. My husband knocked the nest down on Saturday night, but she started right up again on Sunday when we had the garage open again. This was his solution:
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(It's a push broom head) So far, so good! |
Wow, attack of the critters haha birthing, marching and chewing away there at your bay. Plus playing a tune in the walls lol I think you have the start of a zoo.
ReplyDeleteOh, it's a zoo here alright! And that's not even taking into consideration the stink bug issue!
DeleteWe once had a family of robins nesting in our bathroom fan duct. And I'm familiar with those rodentine scratching sounds in the wall. The glue traps have worked reasonably well for us, but they can be a little, uh, disturbing to dispose of. . .
ReplyDeleteIt literally sounds like a metal ball rolling in the wall. Creepy! I guess we need to do some traps in the basement under the wall I hear the noise coming from.
DeleteOMG, sounds like a Steven King movie in which you're being taken over by CRITTERS!!! HA!
ReplyDeleteI am blown away about the cardinal building her a nest in your garage, and so quickly! I like your solution. Way to go!
The bunny is soooooooooooooo cute!
And speaking of ants, when I lived in Florida, ants were a HUGE problem; especially having two cats and leaving their dry cat food in a dish out all the time. I would walk into my apartment some nights and see an army of ants all over their food. I had to keep certain foods (such as potato chips, crackers, cereal, etc.) in the fridge because that was the only place the ants couldn't get to them.
LOVE the picture of the Mickey Mouse pinball machine! I had one very similar when I was a kid.
Ok, that would drive me INSANE if I had to keep dry goods in the fridge! Good grief!!!! Luckily, the ants in the kitchen are the teeny, tiny ones. We do get big ones in other areas of the house, but they are always on the floor. I think they come in through the air duct registers.
DeleteThe noise in your wall definitely sounds like either a mouse or rat, rats can do a lot of damage chewing up stuff, traps and bait to get rid of the ones there and block all access points from the outside to prevent them.
ReplyDeleteLol, as far as I know, there are no rats in the suburbs here, but I guess there's always a first!
DeleteI would've bet that there were no rats in our neighborhood, either, until I found one frozen to death on top of our compost pile. . .
DeleteI may be a bit naive, but if the mouse is in the wall, does it get itself out to find something to eat and then make its way back in? I haven't dealt with mice in the walls, just in the attic or coming in through small open holes in doors, etc. Knock on wood no mice for a bit or rats. I guess roof rats are big here. They like pigeons so if you don't see a lot of pigeons around, chances are there are lots of roof rats around. I don't like pigeons, but I'm glad to see them.
ReplyDeleteThat is so interesting with the cardinal and her attempt at building a nest. Wonder what attracted her with your garage door opener. We had 2 pigeons I think eyeing a ledge we have here by the front part of the house. They would frequent it a lot and scare me to death because when they left it seemed like they would fly into the window (never did but I would see their shadows). We got spiky things from Home Depot to put on the ledge to deter them, but thankfully they decided it was not worth it and moved their nest to the neighbors next door under one of their eaves.
Another knock on wood, but no ants here. Probably too hot for them (doubt it, they just probably haven't figured out a way in yet).
betty
Betty, I wonder myself where the mouse is getting its food source? I have never heard of roof rats. I do wonder if you've ever had lizards get into the house?
DeleteWe had squirrels in our attic once; they got in thru a crack between the roof and the siding. . .
DeleteLong ago, I had a Blogger friend who was constantly battling squirrels in his attic. He lived in Charlotte, NC.
DeleteWe had 2 baby lizards in the house last summer. I'm not sure if we brought them in with our shoes or what since they didn't move when we discovered them. They were less than 2 inches long. We have a big feral cat "issue" so I wonder if that's why there aren't too many lizards around. I've only seen one that was "average" size in the back yard last year. Haven't seen any yet this year.
Deletebetty
So I know how to stop the ants....caulking. I had ants in my bathroom every year until I started caulking up the cracks and crevices. I went caulk crazy but I haven't had any ants since then.
ReplyDeleteIt could be a mouse, rat, lizard or other animal in the walls. I would like to deter you away from the glue traps since I find them very cruel. There are cruelty free traps that you can get. They catch the critter and then you can let it go somewhere else. I would buy some strong metal mesh to cover any holes you find on the outside of your home to stop the critters from getting back in after you get rid of the one you have.
The first winter we lived here, I think my husband caught 50 mice in our basement, plus 1 snake! We got a new deck the next spring and noticed that there was a space between the wall and where the utility wires entered the house. We got that covered up and now only get about 1 or 2 mice per winter. It's weird that something is in there during the summer. No lizards here and I'd be shocked if there was a rat. I've never seen one in my life and my son said he saw his first one in Europe last year - LOL!
Delete50 mice?
DeleteYes, disturbing!
DeleteAww mice. lol Ken found a little family of mice living in the maintenance shop in a box of tissues where mommy mouse had given birth. He came to get me to see them and set up a little feeding a water station. I fed them and put water out and they stayed there for about a month before moving on. The next winter Ken found a huge brown rat in there and we set up food and water for him too. He stayed for about 2 months before moving on. I have a soft side for rodents.
DeleteThat's why we love you, Mary!
DeleteMix sugar with borax, spray liberally around the foundation, where each set of steps contacts the ground, and on anything else that 'touches' the house or otherwise creates an ant bridge. It should slow 'em down and will reduce the nearby population. Somewhat.
ReplyDeleteWe've tried Borox, baby powder, vinegar, peppermint oil and other natural remedies in the past. Nothing seems to work. Fortunately, they seem to be slowing down with my cotton.
DeleteHave you tried different sugar ratios in the borax? Some ant varieties like a bit more or a bit less but the sugar usually ices it ... we use it about once a month during ant season and it mostly works .... you must have an extra ornery variety?
DeleteNo advice on the larger critters...the only ones we've dealt with are ants. Whenever we find them in the house, we treat the outside perimeter of the house. I'm wondering if you spray with Lysol...wouldn't that just disinfect the ants? :-p
ReplyDeleteLysol asphyxiates them!
DeleteI'll have to remember that!
DeleteI wish you luck with your pest control. Luckily we have no such problem - except for a few woodlice that have taken a fancy to our kitchen!
ReplyDeleteI don't know what those even are, so I guess I will be happy about that.
DeleteThey're tiny beetles that live on dead plant material. Imagine something twice the size of a ladybug and grey/black.
DeleteOk, I'm glad they are not microscopic!
DeleteGosh, Bijoux, it sounds like you could shoot a nature documentary at your place. My aunt'f farm house in New England has a mouse problem and what always struck me is just how noisy they were. Quiet as a mouse? I don't think so.
ReplyDeleteI've never thought about it, but you're right. Noisy as can be!
DeleteRabbits eat coneflowers? I have rabbits regularly in the yard but the coneflowers are untouched as far as I can tell.
ReplyDeleteI had a mouse one time who found a bag of Cadbury mini eggs in my closet and for several nights I heard him rolling them, one at a time along the floor. I didn't realize what was going on until I found the empty bag.
Maybe the deer ate the coneflowers. One managed to stick his nose through our deck last night and eat two pepper plants my daughter started from seed in March. It's just discouraging.
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