In the nearly two years I've been in my new/old home, I've found no rodent DROPPINGS or such evidence, but a few months after moving in, I heard a noise during the night.
I got up but couldn't see anything. Next morning I found an Apple that had been in a bowl in the center of the island, now on the floor with teeth marks.
Just that one time a little over a year ago, until about 10 days ago.
This time they have shown an affinity for tomatoes
These were on the window sill above the sink. Next morning (after hearing what I thought was a car door shutting at night) I found them in the sink
With some healthy bites missing
I borrowed a good sized wooden rat trap (the traditional kind, sorry no pic) and the first night I used a CHERRY Tomato as bait
The rat got the mater, without springing the trap
Next night I tried a Reese's Peanut butter cup (people told me to try peanut butter)
Next morning, at first I thought there had been no temptation, the trap wasn't sprung, but upon closer look I found bite marks in the candy and small pieces of chocolate on the counter next to it.
I DID capture the main culprit in the night vision of the camera
As you can see, dis ain't no mouse.
Next day, in my "mud room" entrance, I heard it, but I thought it was behind the freezer, then His Majesty Sir Tommy of Assholia heard it too, in the CEILING
This was just too much
I went to a hardware store and got some supplies:
In the back some VERY heavy duty glue traps.
The one looked like this today
Since it like tomato, that is what I put as bait. I got tracks and a patch of belly hair, but that's all.
I pulled out the bottom most drawer of the stove (under the oven, most folks store pots and pans down there) and found what I suspected:
These new cabinets have space behind them
Since these cabinets run around the corner where the lazy Susan storage is (and I've heard the noises there as well)
I had ever reason to believe that they were all the way around the corner as well.
I went around and did my best to look under the dishwasher (which is at the end, next to what was the original back door to the outside, I think the kitchen sink was originally on the end, because)
under that copper fitting, inside the oval I put there, is a hole big enough for a sink drain going through to the underside of the house.
Now I can't get under there on this end, because
At this end of the house there is almost no space, and the access door to the crawl space is DIAMETRICALLY opposite this corner.
I placed poison and a glue trap under the dishwasher, a loaded squirrel trap under the stove and the glue trap on the counter next to the stove, and waited. This morning I found the tracks and hair in the one glue trap, and this on my video
I WILL get this issue resolved. Either they will be gone, or I will ha ha ha
"Close Encounters of the Rodent Kind"
aka "My battle for the kitchen continues"
by
Jerry E Smith
©08/14/2022
All images and videos are original
Self Portrait from about 1978
