As museums (and the rest of the world) strive to become more “green,”
I wonder about the use of poisons – not just the end use, but the production of
such toxic substances and the effect on the environment.
It’s a tough one.
From: Museum discussion
list [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of JOANNA PESSA
Sent: Friday, June 27, 2008 10:28 AM
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: