Cats - the other white meat
-----Original Message-----
From: towertalk-bounces@contesting.com
[mailto:towertalk-bounces@contesting.com]On Behalf Of K8RI on Tower talk
Sent: Wednesday, September 07, 2005 9:35 PM
To: Bill G. K3SV; Pete Smith
Cc: towertalk@contesting.com
Subject: Re: [TowerTalk] Critter Chronicles
> Well, I hope the mothballs work. In the spring I had nests in several
> outside locations. Some were inside electrical control circuitry for
> outside heaters and lights, chewed wires in half, basically made a total
> mess of everything. I'm beginning the "mothball placement" and hope like
> heck that it works. Those buggers are VERY destructive. The sight of the
> mothers with "babes-a-milking" running down the deck has been an all to
> frequent happening. The year before they destroyed all of the cushions
> for the outdoor furniture, last fall I put all of the "bedding"
> material, like cushions, in the basement and not in outside storage
> areas. Countless things have been destroyed by mice and chipmunks. The
> Chevy truck had it's firewall insulation chewed away last winter, and
> the truck only sits for a day or two in the winter. Was thinking of
> renting a military flame thrower.. (just kidding). To top it off, the
> lady of the house HATES the smell of mothballs.
Get a Cat, hope he's a good mouser, and don't get it declawed.
In the fall they can get into the house through openings that you'd think
would be impossible, but them little critters can flatten themselves to an
unbelieveable extent. Of course if there's a hungry cat on the inside of
the wall... <:-)) OTOH it costs a small fortune to feed a 16# cat and help
send the Vet's kids through college. Oh, yah... and the scars to prove he's
not declawed. However he/it did go to the vet for an attitude change. He
still wants to go out at night, he just doesn't remember why.
Oh, yah. We had to raise all the bird feeders up to the point where we have
to use a step ladder to fill them. He can pick a bird out of the air at over
6 feet.
I do throw moth balls into the conduit and junction boxes outside. With the
conduit plugged off at the wall there isn't any smell that comes in.
Our biggest problem is Wasps, Hornets, and Yellowjackets and the cat is no
help there.
Roger Halstead (K8RI and ARRL 40 year Life Member)
N833R - World's oldest Debonair CD
www.rogerhalstead.com
>
> 73 Bill
>
> Pete Smith wrote:
>
>>I just went out to the base of my tower to check out the 160 shunt feed --
>>popped the top off the Rubbermaid box, which is side-mounted on my tower,
>>and was amused to see the bottom of it virtually full of a mouse nest. I
>>poked at things a little, and eventually discovered three mature mice and
>>three babies - suckling mightily on their mother. One by one, they bailed
>>out into the tall grass, including mama with the babies still attached. I
>>hope they all made it OK.
>>
>>Looking at things, the only way they could have gotten in (and brought
>>their nest materials in) was through a hole in the bottom of the box where
>>the feedlines come in - it is at least 5 inches from the face of the
>>tower. Considering that the biggest of these mice was no longer than 2
>>inches long, that gives you some measure of the lengths to which critters
>>will go in search of a sheltered place to nest.
>>
>> From now on, ALL holes in my boxes will be either caulked or screened.
>>
>>73, Pete N4ZR
>>The World HF Contest Station Database
>>was updated on 18 August 2005
>>2988 contest stations at
>>www.pvrc.org/WCSD/WCSDsearch.htm
>>
>>_______________________________________________
>>
>>See: http://www.mscomputer.com for "Self Supporting Towers", "Wireless
>>Weather Stations", and lot's more. Call Toll Free, 1-800-333-9041 with
>>any questions and ask for Sherman, W2FLA.
>>
>>_______________________________________________
>>TowerTalk mailing list
>>TowerTalk@contesting.com
>>http://lists.contesting.com/mailman/listinfo/towertalk
>>
>>
>>
> _______________________________________________
>
> See: http://www.mscomputer.com for "Self Supporting Towers", "Wireless
> Weather Stations", and lot's more. Call Toll Free, 1-800-333-9041 with
> any questions and ask for Sherman, W2FLA.
>
> _______________________________________________
> TowerTalk mailing list
> TowerTalk@contesting.com
> http://lists.contesting.com/mailman/listinfo/towertalk
>
_______________________________________________
See: http://www.mscomputer.com for "Self Supporting Towers", "Wireless
Weather Stations", and lot's more. Call Toll Free, 1-800-333-9041 with any
questions and ask for Sherman, W2FLA.
_______________________________________________
TowerTalk mailing list
TowerTalk@contesting.com
http://lists.contesting.com/mailman/listinfo/towertalk
_______________________________________________
See: http://www.mscomputer.com for "Self Supporting Towers", "Wireless Weather
Stations", and lot's more. Call Toll Free, 1-800-333-9041 with any questions
and ask for Sherman, W2FLA.
_______________________________________________
TowerTalk mailing list
TowerTalk@contesting.com
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