I managed residential and commercial properties for over 12 years and in that time got to know our pest control company guys very very well (we had over 2000 units total across the SF bay area). Here are some tips:
1. Mice/rats don't like to get junk on their fur. Use petroleum jelly (or aquaphor because it's water based and nicer to materials) to apply on any surface out of your sight that they would rub against to get in/out of. They'll avoid it like the plague if you apply craftily.
2. As an added measure of deterrent, put some cayenne pepper onto something you can "blow" from and dust/blow the surface you just applied the aquaphor to.
3. Everyone things steel wool is the bees knees when it comes to sealing up things from mice. COPPER WOOL is better. As for steel wool the mice will be able to pull it out or chew through it. Because of the way it's woven, copper wool is said to get stuck in rodents' teeth, making it difficult to move or chew through. If you're going to spray foam to seal off holes, FIRST STUFF IT with copper wool. Spray foam around the copper wool. Hell, even rub some aquaphor and cayenne pepper into it before spray foaming. Fun fact, this method also works to keep mice out of your garage! Stuff the bottom rubber of your garage door with copper wool (on each end, it's hollow inside) - go at least 8" in with the copper wool. Rub the bottom rubber down with aquaphor (gloves are great for this) and then blow cayenne pepper onto all 3 sides of the bottom rubber (I put it on a paper plate and blew across it to apply).
4. Moth balls - I know, they're dangerous and can cause breathing problems, but hear me out. Fortunately I have a oddly nostalgic connection to this smell as my grandparents always had them in their small trailer cottage in cape cod when I was a kid. Going to cape cod was a crazy treat for my family because my mother had no money growing up, and getting into a nice clean & cozy bed with fresh sheets, this smell being part of it, just wired my brain to love the smell. Anyway... don't put the moth balls inside your camper/trailer. The smell that off-gases from the moth balls is indeed not good for you and it will get into the materials of your camper and items inside. Instead, place bags of moth balls on top of your campers axels and tires. The mice must climb up these surfaces to get into your camper. With the pungent smell of moth balls around the area they tend to steer clear (we have not had any mice since implementing this method in particular, and I park our camper on our 11 acres of land our house sits on. Lots of woods and field mice around us! I can smell the moth balls clear across my yard when the wind blows, but outside it's completely safe and I know it's doing it's job up close on the camper if I can catch a whiff of it that far away (200ft +). Best part is the moth ball smell never gets INSIDE the camper this way. I've had 4 bags around the camper (tires and on top of the leaf springs/axel) for over a year. Not one mouse!
Bonus that has nothing to do with mice: For wasps/bees/etc., buy these two things:
1.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B078SK3R8Z
2.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00025H2PY
Dust anything they can get into. We had wasps get inside the electrical port for our 154BH and we didn't want to use a chemical spray as the smell would most definitely permeate throughout the camper. I desoldered an electric fly swatter and soldered two 20 ft. wires to it and extended the button for it. I tied a rope to the end of it and draped it over the top of my camper so it could hang below the electric port. Another wire of thicker gauge was attached to the fly swatter that I could hold 20 ft. away and use to pull and bang the fly swatter against the camper to aggravate the wasps out. I could just hold and zap them at will from a safe distance. I sat in a chair over an hour drinking sweet tea and enjoying my kill zone until I felt I got enough of them to get a closer look. Killing them wasn't enough for me either though. I filmed it in slow motion because they just really pissed me off - I wanted to be able to really revel in the pleasure of seeing them off.
https://youtu.be/O3WnrlQcwqA
DE or, diatomaceous earth (in the food safe version) is perfectly safe. It's fossilized plankton/micro-organisms that cut and dehydrate any species that has an exoskeleton. It works for as long as it's physically present - so no return visitors! It's not an immediate kill, but works within 1-7 days and then permanently after. Rarely have I had to reapply within the 7 days, but sometimes I do anyway just to make sure I get it good and dusted for best results. I don't like leaving things to chance.
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2016 Jayflight SLX 154BH
Linear Mode
