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  • From: "Shawnee Flowerfarmer" <farmingflowers AT hotmail.com>
  • To: market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org
  • Subject: Re: [Market-farming] Mice in hoophouse
  • Date: Wed, 12 Apr 2006 21:01:13 -0500

Hey Lucy,

I am going to use your idea for the cutworm collars made out of drip tape.  Great suggestion!  They make me crazy too;  after saving the  flats from damping off, fungus gnats and mouse attack, carefully planting the seedlings, and tending them  for a few days, it's even more heartbreaking to have the cutworms harvest them.

I have just talked to Carolina of Burning Mule Farm.  She says the following things about the sound system that she uses.  (Keep in mind that she is a very serious, thrifty person and not at all tolerant of nonsense.) 

Her farm is located close to a grainery and all of her buildings  were overrun with mice/voles/rats. She couldn't use traps etc due to periods of absence when the bodies would decay and be a problem.  She's organically inclined and won't use poisons. 

She's used this sonic system for seven years and is now replacing certain fixtures.  The current distributor is  www.comforthouse.com   in Grass Lake California.  Their website has search engine: type in "sonic pest chaser."  Carolina says that she uses the commercial model for warehouses etc. ($39.95 or possilbily less with an online sale at the moment.)  (She also had problems finding  a supplier as she began to replace the seven year old fixtures.  The devices are still working, she says, but as they were guaranteed for only six years, better safe than sorry in the seventh year.)

It took a couple of weeks for the mice to get the message in the beginning, but after that they were gone, and Carolina says that now it's rare to see even a trace of one. 

I have heard so many things about electronic pest repellers--mostly negative--but I'm inclined to check this out because I know Carolina is extremely skeptical and frugal.

Happy trapping....Shawnee, zone 5 more or less



 


From:  Lucy Goodman <goodows AT infinet.com>
Reply-To:  Market Farming <market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org>
To:  Market Farming <market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org>
Subject:  Re: [Market-farming] Mice in hoophouse
Date:  Wed, 12 Apr 2006 16:50:33 -0400
>
>
>
> > A ps thought on rereading your message...I would suspect cutworms if
> > your seedlings are planted in the soil and it's warm enough in
> > whatever zone you are in.  Cutworms are evil also and can graze down a
> > row decapitating plants in no time.  I  usually find the cutworms in
> > the top inch of soil near the plants.  Then I collect them to feed to
> > the chickens, who are running from predatory birds who should be
> > stalking mice and so it goes down on the farm.....this sort of senario
> > leads to my number one rule of organic farming....always overplant to
> > account for the cut that the bad guys take.
> >
>
>no cut worms as each plant has a cutworm collar on it that goes from
>ground to the first leaves. made the collars out of old drip tape cut
>into 1" or 2" pieces and slit down the side. plus we have seen the
>critters under the mulch.
>
>And now a mouse/mice have gotten into the plant room and have decimated
>melon seeds, pepper seedlings, lettuce seedlings etc about everything
>but eggplant, celery, parsley and sage. so today is spent replanting
>everything. I am glad I jumped the gun on the peppers. we have now put
>all the melon seeds in the kitchen on top of the fridge. I have never
>seen a mouse in the house plus there are two cats in the house. Did find
>a half dead mouse in a trap in the seed room so perhaps the problems
>will be over for a few days.
>
>Lucy
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