I notice that many of your members have the same problem I do (mouse droppings and urine in the attic). My building is not a house but a new woodworking shop. It is wood framed with a peaked roof on wood trusses at 24 on centers. I stapled a transparent plastic vapor barrier to the underside of the trusses and placed 12 of fiberglass insulation above it. The building has only been used for storage for several years. I plan to finish it before winter (ceiling, electrical, heating system).Unfortunately, over the past few years, I have allowed the mice to get in, and, through the vapor barrier I can see numerous areas where there are mouse droppings. In hindsight, I should have left the insulation out until I was ready to finish the workshop.Assuming I can get the mice removed and prevented from re-entering, would it be OK to leave things as they are (the attic area will never be disturbed or used) ,or should I try to clean this up ? Any advice would be appreciated.
It is important to eliminate the infestation, seal all entries, remove the insulation, clean and disinfect the area, and inspect wiring for damage. Mice are carriers of diseases and lice. One disease of particular concern is hantavirus.
http://ehso.com/ehshome/hantavirus_faqs.htm
I am wary of using poisons to kill anything since the poison can be transferred to pets, children, raptors, and so on down the line. However I have found a good product to use that is safe for down line entities. You will want to rid your area of the mice first, then do as Twelvepole says about sealing it, etc. Go to http://www.agorganics.com/products/Safe-Kill-Mouse-Killer-Bait-Packs-by-Spectrum-Brands/12/231.html to see the product. There may be others on the market, but this works and isn't dangerous. I have dogs, cats, chickens, bears all share the same ground, and I would hate for one of them to pick up and ingest a poisoned mouse.
You can't seal a building well enough to keep out mice. If the openeing is too small, they will just make it bigger. But it only takes an opening of 1/4-1/2 for them to get in. I leave the poison(green stuff) in the attic for them. When they eat it it swells and chokes them, good stuff. As for other critters getting them. They usually die quickly in the attic, and quickly dessicate. There are not many other critters in my attic/basement.
Tags: mice, attic, insulation, down line, mouse droppings, other critters, vapor barrier
