Speaking from recent experience with a minor mouse issue in my basement at home, I am not a fan of the Decon poison pellets and similar producnts. I set out some of this stuff in my basement, and what I found was just more droppings, but this time the droppings were the exact green same color as the poison! Which means the mice were digesting the stuff, living to tell the tale, then coming back for more. So much for that. A few years ago we used the poison with more success but did indeed find mouse carcasses in very conspicuous places in our basement. Now, maybe it depends on the brand you buy, but I now stick to the old fashioned snap traps and have had much better luck. Plus, it's a very quick death for the little critters, which consoles me some. In a museum setting, historic house or otherwise, I would not want to take a chance that a poisoned mouse might expire in an inconvenient public space. At least when you set traps you know to always check the same place for the dead ones; it's more predictable where you'll find the bodies. Just my 2c, and hope I didn't gross anyone out! Cristin J. Waterbury Registrar/Collections Manager Wisconsin Maritime Museum ________________________________ From: Museum discussion list [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of JOANNA PESSA Sent: Friday, June 27, 2008 12:28 PM To: [log in to unmask] Subject: Re: [MUSEUM-L] help with keeping mice at bay Dear Lori, Having recently had a mouse problem in my own home, I can pass on the advice given by many people to me. I cannot advise whether the remedy is museum appropriate -- perhaps someone else can comment. The only thing that really gets rid of mice is the Decon Baitbit pellets. They are green, and come packaged in trays, available at hardware stores and some drugstores. They are toxic and should not be used where children or pets might get at them. If they can be placed in out-of-the-way dark corners, under cabinets, etc. perhaps they could work for you. They can be put in crawl spaces. They contain a dessicant, which in effect mummifies the mouse so it won't smell if it dies inside your walls (or so I'm told). They seem to have done the job in my home. The mice crawl away to die so they shouldn't leave you with dead mice visible in your exhibition areas. I was given a ton of advice, re spring traps, sticky traps, using peanut butter as bait, and putting the trap inside an empty potato chip bag which attracts the mice. You surely don't want any of that in your museum. The consensus among building supers and people who have gotten rid of mice is that Decon is the answer. The pellets are said to be not dangerous if handled properly (i.e. wash hands thorougly after use, and put in no-traffic areas such as under a radiator or behind the stove). Again, I leave it to the scientists to advise on safety. The other advice I was given regularly is try to find their entry holes & plug them up with steel wool. If the mice are getting in non-historic sections of your place, you can caulk baseboards with silicone sealer in addition to stuffing the major holes with the steel wool. A laughable suggestion for the average historic house, but I offer it for academic interest or personal home use. All this has been helpful for me, but of course you are not going to riddle a historic structure with steel wool & silicone. Good luck & best wishes, Joanna Pessa Art historian & apartment dweller Lori Tolliver-Jones <[log in to unmask]> wrote: We have a constant problem with mice in our house - more in the colder months than now - and have tried various tactics (traps, audio things, herbs, etc). We also have an outbuilding, which is a log cabin, and houses weaving equipment. As you can imagine whatever may get left on the loom gets eaten in short order especially when the weather turns cool. I'm wondering if anyone has discovered any "magic bullets" for keeping the mice away?? I've seen a product sort of like "deer off" only for mice (& other such critters) and wondered if it was at all effective. Any suggestions would be appreciated. Lori Tolliver-Jones Administrative Director Historic Smithfield Plantation 1000 Plantation Road Blacksburg, VA 24060 ph: 540-231-3947 fax: 540-231-3006 www.smithfieldplantation.org ========================================================= Important Subscriber Information: The Museum-L FAQ file is located at http://www.finalchapter.com/museum-l-faq/ . You may obtain detailed information about the listserv commands by sending a one line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "help" (without the quotes). If you decide to leave Museum-L, please send a one line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "Signoff Museum-L" (without the quotes). ========================================================= Important Subscriber Information: The Museum-L FAQ file is located at http://www.finalchapter.com/museum-l-faq/ . You may obtain detailed information about the listserv commands by sending a one line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "help" (without the quotes). If you decide to leave Museum-L, please send a one line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "Signoff Museum-L" (without the quotes). ========================================================= Important Subscriber Information: The Museum-L FAQ file is located at http://www.finalchapter.com/museum-l-faq/ . You may obtain detailed information about the listserv commands by sending a one line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "help" (without the quotes). If you decide to leave Museum-L, please send a one line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "Signoff Museum-L" (without the quotes).