Mice Infestation Throughout Schools

I for one am disgusted by this. Thoughts?

Last year was a big year for mice. Watch for ticks / Lyme disease:

http://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2017/03/06/518219485/forbidding-forecast-for-lyme-disease-in-the-northeast

sprout said:

Last year was a big year for mice. Watch for ticks / Lyme disease:

http://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2017/03/06/518219485/forbidding-forecast-for-lyme-disease-in-the-northeast

Oh my! This is a huge problem for me, especially with winter approaching, I fear even more will bombard their way in to the school and god knows where else. It's quite disgusting and the lack of concern is appalling. But I guess since it doesn't have anything to do with the new Starbucks in town or how loud the leaf blowers are the thread will go unnoticed 

I saw exterminator trucks at my kid's school. Not sure what else should be happening.

sprout said:

I saw exterminator trucks at my kid's school. Not sure what else should be happening.

we should be posting more on social media

I saw Mr. Roe"s message which said the first rule of pest control is sanitation.  Sorry,  I was taught by the brightest and the best and the first rule of pest control is exclusion.............keep the pests out and you have no problem.  Of course that is easier said than done.  It means making the ground levels of the schools practically air tight.  A mouse needs only a 1/4 inch opening and in they go.  After working on exclusion you go of course to sanitation.

Back to the outside.........secured bait boxes at regular placement around the perimeter

And for Pete Sake,  I don't know if the lowest bid principal is followed but it only stands to reason that

if you pay cheap,  you get cheap..  I have known pest control personnel I would not hire to deliver newspapers

And yes,  sanitation,  sanitation, sanitation

Put a couple of homeless cats in each school.

lizziecat said:

Put a couple of homeless cats in each school.

I was gonna say. Nothing gets them faster. 

yup. 

That's what I was going to write. Hire a few cats. Nothing works better. Screw this chemical poison crap.

Many NY bodegas have cats. They're magically invisible to the inspectors.

http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/manhattan/claws-don-mess-new-york-bodega-cats-article-1.2845831

In a certain European country whose name I shall not mention,  cats are encouraged to freely wander through the restaurants.   Due to the warmer climate doors are open most months of the year.

Easy, low cost solution.  

https://dearcrissy.com/diy-tick-tubes/

Or, for a mouse deterrent:

Peppermint Oil or Balsam Fir Needle Oil on cotton balls

https://www.homesteadmania.com/diy-natural-mouse-repellent/

cats said:

Easy, low cost solution.  

https://dearcrissy.com/diy-tick-tubes/

Or, for a mouse deterrent:


Peppermint Oil or Balsam Fir Needle Oil on cotton balls

https://www.homesteadmania.com/diy-natural-mouse-repellent/

Can't hurt.  Concept came out years ago while I was still on the road.  Weakness is that Permethrin has a quick active life when used this way..........just a few days.  Which is why it is sold over the counter to noncertified personnel.  A pest  control firm can do the same thing ,  using longer lasting active ingredients.

Or replace the Permethrin soaked material every few days.   The Pest Control firm will charge of course.

author said:

I saw Mr. Roe"s message which said the first rule of pest control is sanitation.  Sorry,  I was taught by the brightest and the best and the first rule of pest control is exclusion............. keep the pests out and you have no problem.  Of course that is easier said than done.  It means making the ground levels of the schools practically air tight.  

And you would do this how?  Especially in century-old buildings ....

sac said:

author said:

I saw Mr. Roe"s message which said the first rule of pest control is sanitation.  Sorry,  I was taught by the brightest and the best and the first rule of pest control is exclusion............. keep the pests out and you have no problem.  Of course that is easier said than done.  It means making the ground levels of the schools practically air tight.  

And you would do this how?  Especially in century-old buildings ....

25 years in pest control.  Studied under the finest PHD's in the field.  Used to service Montrose School when it served as a school for special needs.

Final years was in charge of a 1,000,000. sq ft food warehouse for a major food chain

Of course there I worked primarily with a microscope and flashlights

The principals of good pest control never change.  Integrated Pest Management is a buzzword we through

around eons ago.

Take that back.  Final years I worked for the EPA in lead abatement

I was in too high a pay grade to be picked up by my own industry when my company

went under........so I was forced to be a government employee and spend part of 

my work week in a cubicle.  Dilbert city

But luckily, the District is gonna use a new species of duck to drive away the mice (Lord, help our children)... 

Installing exterior first floor screens to prevent mice from penetrating buildings through ventilator ducks

https://villagegreennj.com/schools-kids/school-district-responds-health-officers-report-mice-infestations-maplewood-schools/

author said:

sac said:

author said:

I saw Mr. Roe"s message which said the first rule of pest control is sanitation.  Sorry,  I was taught by the brightest and the best and the first rule of pest control is exclusion............. keep the pests out and you have no problem.  Of course that is easier said than done.  It means making the ground levels of the schools practically air tight.  

And you would do this how?  Especially in century-old buildings ....

25 years in pest control.  Studied under the finest PHD's in the field.  Used to service Montrose School when it served as a school for special needs.

Final years was in charge of a 1,000,000. sq ft food warehouse for a major food chain

Of course there I worked primarily with a microscope and flashlights

The principals of good pest control never change.  Integrated Pest Management is a buzzword we through

around eons ago.

Take that back.  Final years I worked for the EPA in lead abatement

I was in too high a pay grade to be picked up by my own industry when my company

went under........so I was forced to be a government employee and spend part of 

my work week in a cubicle.  Dilbert city

Maybe I missed it, but I don't see where you said HOW to make school buildings 'air tight'.

sac said:

author said:

sac said:

author said:

I saw Mr. Roe"s message which said the first rule of pest control is sanitation.  Sorry,  I was taught by the brightest and the best and the first rule of pest control is exclusion............. keep the pests out and you have no problem.  Of course that is easier said than done.  It means making the ground levels of the schools practically air tight.  

And you would do this how?  Especially in century-old buildings ....

25 years in pest control.  Studied under the finest PHD's in the field.  Used to service Montrose School when it served as a school for special needs.

Final years was in charge of a 1,000,000. sq ft food warehouse for a major food chain

Of course there I worked primarily with a microscope and flashlights

The principals of good pest control never change.  Integrated Pest Management is a buzzword we through

around eons ago.

Take that back.  Final years I worked for the EPA in lead abatement

I was in too high a pay grade to be picked up by my own industry when my company

went under........so I was forced to be a government employee and spend part of 

my work week in a cubicle.  Dilbert city

Maybe I missed it, but I don't see where you said HOW to make school buildings 'air tight'.

You did not miss it.  I said in the first post that it is easier said than done.  Ideally a service man goes to the lowest inside level of the school.  Most schools have basements.  Then with the lights out you look at what would be the sill plate area of a house............the place where the wall meets the level above at the load bearing spot.  Look for the smallest point of light coming in from the outside.  That is probably the mouse area of ingress.  Plug it with steel wool and later a permanent building material.  Of course carry a small flashlight to prevent your own tripping and falling.  Avoid looking at the light so as to see the openings better.   Very slow and meticulous work and most pest control people have a dozen or more work stops assigned them each day so there is not time to do it properly.   There were always a few quality companies run by old timers who cared about the quality of their work.  Today it is all corporate and lots of pressure on  the service man.   Don't get me started about low bid work.

lanky said:

But luckily, the District is gonna use a new species of duck to drive away the mice (Lord, help our children)... 

Installing exterior first floor screens to prevent mice from penetrating buildings through ventilator ducks

sac said:

Maybe I missed it, but I don't see where you said HOW to make school buildings 'air tight'.

You can't. As noted above, there are too many quacks in the walls.

Terrible... But I laughed.

Is there a poison you can use on the mice that wouldn't also poison the cats?  If so, this two-pronged approach plus exclusion and sanitation should turn the trick. I am utterly phobic about rodents so I would need to be home-schooled until the problem was solved! 

As effective as cats might be, I doubt they could be used since some people are allergic to them.

iwasmim said:

Is there a poison you can use on the mice that wouldn't also poison the cats?  If so, this two-pronged approach plus exclusion and sanitation should turn the trick. I am utterly phobic about rodents so I would need to be home-schooled until the problem was solved! 

There are various anti coagulants which if ingested in small quantities would not seriously injure a cat or dog.  Plus the anti dote, vitamin K is readily available.  Problem is no one can control how much rodenticide   a dog or cat would take in.  Better solution is many small locked bait stations placed around the exterior.    They could even have glue boards inside so as to be weather proof but catch the mice.  Labor intensive but   effective.

sac said:

author said:

sac said:

author said:

I saw Mr. Roe"s message which said the first rule of pest control is sanitation.  Sorry,  I was taught by the brightest and the best and the first rule of pest control is exclusion............. keep the pests out and you have no problem.  Of course that is easier said than done.  It means making the ground levels of the schools practically air tight.  

And you would do this how?  Especially in century-old buildings ....

25 years in pest control.  Studied under the finest PHD's in the field.  Used to service Montrose School when it served as a school for special needs.

Final years was in charge of a 1,000,000. sq ft food warehouse for a major food chain

Of course there I worked primarily with a microscope and flashlights

The principals of good pest control never change.  Integrated Pest Management is a buzzword we through

around eons ago.

Take that back.  Final years I worked for the EPA in lead abatement

I was in too high a pay grade to be picked up by my own industry when my company

went under........so I was forced to be a government employee and spend part of 

my work week in a cubicle.  Dilbert city

Maybe I missed it, but I don't see where you said HOW to make school buildings 'air tight'.

It's easy.  You dunk the entire school in a reeeealy large tub of water.  When water gets in you plug those holes, when no more water gets in you have then make the school airtight and will have no further issues with mice gaining entry.  Of course you will still have the mice that are already living inside the building, probably for a few generations by now.

Or you can be realistic and accept that while you should plug up any holes you find, in the real world doing your best to eliminate any food sources will do a better job of keeping infestations in check, especially since the amount of food is directly tied to fertility and the number of offspring.  This is what we did at our vacation home out in the Delaware Water Gap.  We had mice.  To address the issue the only foods we allowed to be stored there were foods in cans, foods in glass containers, or foods kept inside the fridge or freezer.  Once boxed foods (rice, pasta, etc) were eliminated from the cabinets the number of mice caught in traps went from multiple a month to less than one a year.

So basically I'm with Rob Roe on this one.

spontaneous said:

sac said:

author said:

sac said:

author said:

I saw Mr. Roe"s message which said the first rule of pest control is sanitation.  Sorry,  I was taught by the brightest and the best and the first rule of pest control is exclusion............. keep the pests out and you have no problem.  Of course that is easier said than done.  It means making the ground levels of the schools practically air tight.  

And you would do this how?  Especially in century-old buildings ....

25 years in pest control.  Studied under the finest PHD's in the field.  Used to service Montrose School when it served as a school for special needs.

Final years was in charge of a 1,000,000. sq ft food warehouse for a major food chain

Of course there I worked primarily with a microscope and flashlights

The principals of good pest control never change.  Integrated Pest Management is a buzzword we through

around eons ago.

Take that back.  Final years I worked for the EPA in lead abatement

I was in too high a pay grade to be picked up by my own industry when my company

went under........so I was forced to be a government employee and spend part of 

my work week in a cubicle.  Dilbert city

Maybe I missed it, but I don't see where you said HOW to make school buildings 'air tight'.

It's easy.  You dunk the entire school in a reeeealy large tub of water.  When water gets in you plug those holes, when no more water gets in you have then make the school airtight and will have no further issues with mice gaining entry.  Of course you will still have the mice that are already living inside the building, probably for a few generations by now.

Or you can be realistic and accept that while you should plug up any holes you find, in the real world doing your best to eliminate any food sources will do a better job of keeping infestations in check, especially since the amount of food is directly tied to fertility and the number of offspring.  This is what we did at our vacation home out in the Delaware Water Gap.  We had mice.  To address the issue the only foods we allowed to be stored there were foods in cans, foods in glass containers, or foods kept inside the fridge or freezer.  Once boxed foods (rice, pasta, etc) were eliminated from the cabinets the number of mice caught in traps went from multiple a month to less than one a year.

So basically I'm with Rob Roe on this one.

They are not mutually exclusive.  As much as I dislike using the term "Integrated Pest Management",  both  are important parts of the problem solving process. I am not forwarding text book knowledge or citing          one incident.   I have done in thousands of mice in my career and prevented the birth of who knows how many more.   If you were in a leaky boat, would you feel safe taking it away from shore.

Mice are opportunists.  Their vision is  poor but their sense of smell is excellent.  As the population in an area grows and the weather begins to turn colder they will seek heated shelter.  They are mammals and as such are warm bloodied and seek to be comfortable.  Natural predators like foxes ,  hawks and cats abound. Our health laws prohibit having cats in schools and restaurants.                                                                     

Keep your problem out and you do not have a problem                    

"Farewell Angelina the sky is falling and I must go"

Good luck to all involved with MOL

I hope I served you well

Author

We've had a big mouse problem at our house in Ulster County, NY. There is no one best method except for combining as many methods as possible. Seal the house in many small and big ways. For example, we put steel wool in small holes we couldn't plug in other ways. We have a floor drain in the basement we can't plug, so we stuffed brass wool into that. We keep clean and leave no food remnants, bearing in mind that they like fat more than anything. And we use traps. We know that some may always be there, so we set traps, too. There is no perfect trap, either, so it pays to use different types and rotate through them. Mice do some pretty strange things, and sometimes I think there is wisdom to the theory put forth by Douglas Adams in The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy: Humans are not doing experiments on mice. Mice are staging it to look that way, but it's actually their grand experiment on us.

author said:

"Farewell Angelina the sky is falling and I must go"

Good luck to all involved with MOL

I hope I served you well

Author

Thanks for your concern Dave,  health is fine.  I wrestled a Kodak bear into submission the other day...........well maybe it was my Grand son's teddy bear.

Take care and be well

Thanks for the reassurance, author. Since it was a Kodak bear, I'll expect to see photos someday.