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Mouse-proof shed needed!

Bee witchedBee witched Posts: 1,295
in Problem solving
Hi Folks,

Just got our strimmer out of the shed and mice have chewed off the primer bulb  >:)

The shed is probably past its self-by date anyway so does anyone have a recommendation for a mouse-proof shed?

The strimmer is probably toast also .... the Hyundai website doesn't sell just a primer bulb and suggests we'd need to buy the whole carburetor.

Many thanks,

Bee x
Gardener and beekeeper in beautiful Scottish Borders  

A single bee creates just one twelfth of a teaspoon of honey in her lifetime

Posts

  • steephillsteephill Posts: 2,841
    Ebay or Amazon should be able to offer a suitable primer bulb. Few sheds would be mouse proof, maybe one of the metal ones has close fitting doors which could keep them out.
  • Joyce GoldenlilyJoyce Goldenlily Posts: 2,933
    Field mice, shrews and voles as well as mice can squeeze through the tiniest of gaps. The only way I can grow peas, sweet peas and beans etc. is to start them off indoors. A humane trap might help but you will need to take any caught offenders 2 miles away from your shed before releasing them to be sure they don't go straight back.
  • CrankyYankeeCrankyYankee Posts: 504
    Mice also don't like pungent smells.  My friend recommended making a mix of cinnamon, thyme, cayenne pepper, clove, and other pungent herbs/spices and sprinkling it around my shed.  It worked great but had to be reapplied every few months and did make a little bit of a mess.  In my hay barn I tuck pungent dryer sheets between rows of hay to keep the mice from making nests, and it actually works great.  In a barn with 400 bales of hay, I only found 2 nests, whereas in the past I've found up to 20 nests throughout the winter.  The first line of defense is always making the shed as tight as you can, though.
    New England, USA
    Metacomet soil with hints of Woodbridge and Pillsbury
  • Bee witchedBee witched Posts: 1,295
    Hi folks .... many thanks for the suggestions.

    OH is going to try and take off the primer bulb and see if he can find a replacement.

    We are now thinking about getting a new shed built .... maybe as an extension to the garage. Won't be cheap, but will give us more space for beekeeping stuff.

    Bee x
    Gardener and beekeeper in beautiful Scottish Borders  

    A single bee creates just one twelfth of a teaspoon of honey in her lifetime
  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    Good luck with it @Bee witched. The problem with mice is that they can get through a hole the size of a biro casing.
    I had to laugh recently when I went in the shed and saw a load of 'stuff' over the little potting bench. Couldn't understand what had happened - it looked like wood shavings. I had the wasp nest I'd kept, in a container on there, and for a moment I thought a little mouse had been shredding it, but at  the same time I thought 'why would it be all over the bench'. I then touched it - and it was greasy. Light bulb moment.
    I'd filled the fat ball feeder the day before, but there wasn't room for the last ball, so I'd put it in a little pot on the bench.... :D
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • Bee witchedBee witched Posts: 1,295
    Thanks @Fairygirl .... sounds like your resident mice have been costing you money too  :#

    Bee x


    Gardener and beekeeper in beautiful Scottish Borders  

    A single bee creates just one twelfth of a teaspoon of honey in her lifetime
  • raisingirlraisingirl Posts: 7,093
    A metal shed, a concrete floor and magnets to hold the doors tight shut
    Gardening on the edge of Exmoor, in Devon

    “It's still magic even if you know how it's done.” 
  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    It was more of a nuisance  clearing it up @Bee witched - I'm not sure he/she ate that much of it - cheap crappy fat balls  :D
    Stuck it all outside for them to get. The mice usually help themselves to the seed in the feeders in the bird cages, so they're never a problem. 

    I don't normally store them in the shed, and they're always kept in a plastic container with a tight lid, but it was just because there was only that one left. I use the cheap ones to attract the starlings away from the good stuff, so it wasn't too bad  ;)  
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • Bee witchedBee witched Posts: 1,295
    Thanks @raisingirl .... that sounds the way to go.

    Bee x
    Gardener and beekeeper in beautiful Scottish Borders  

    A single bee creates just one twelfth of a teaspoon of honey in her lifetime
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