Tag: pest control

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Cottage Life

Cottage Q&A: How to clean up after a mouse infestation

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We had a severe mouse infestation over the winter at our Lake Michigan cottage. (Somehow, it was missed by the caretaker.) There was poop everywhere and blood in corners and closets. Most of the upstairs is cleaner now, but the basement is disgusting. The concrete floor absorbed everything. My husband, Ned, did a great job of scrubbing the floor with Simple Green, but I can still hardly stand the smell in the room. Could you suggest an alternative? Would bleach and water work?—Neva Asplundh, via email

Yikes! Maybe you should hire a new caretaker. But back to your question. You’re right about two things: One, “Concrete absorbs everything,” says EcoEthic’s Rob Davis, who has had his own struggles banishing mousey stink. And two, bless Ned for giving it the old college try but, yes, it’s time to bust out the big guns. Even Davis, who sells environmentally friendly cleaners, wouldn’t recommend one in this case. They’re not strong enough. But he suggests peroxide bleach over bleach—you can use it straight. “Mop the stains, let the peroxide bleach sit for half an hour, then re-mop with water,” says Davis. You may have to repeat the procedure. No joy? You could try a specialized cleaner designed to treat dog kennels, cat litter boxes, and chicken coops. 

As a last resort, you could hire a professional cleaning company, says Gary Ure, the owner of Second Nature Wildlife Management in Gananoque, Ont. “But in 27 years, I’ve never seen a situation where that would be necessary. I mean, they clean up crime scenes.” Yes, but there was blood, Gary!

We assume this goes without saying, but you should seriously up your mouse-proofing before next winter. The best strategy is exclusion: painstakingly search for every possible rodent entry point and seal each one up. “Mouse-proofing will always take more work than you think it will,” says Ure.

Got a question for Cottage Q&A? Send it to answers@cottagelife.com.

This article was originally published in the March/April 2023 issue of Cottage Life magazine.

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Would these 6 tricks deter nuisance wildlife?

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Deterring nuisance wildlife and cottage pests can take a lot of patience and persistence. But who has time for that? So, would these six moves of trickery work? Would they successfully outsmart or out-annoy cottage critters, or are they likely to fail? We asked the experts.

1. Ultrasonic sound generators

Goal To annoy cottage critters so much that they move out of your attic (or walls or shed or boathouse).

Likelihood of failure = High

At least according to every wildlife control expert that we’ve ever talked to. “It’ll drive dogs, cats, and people nuts,” says Mike Webb, the owner of West Coast Problem Wildlife Management on Vancouver Island. But in most cases, “wildlife won’t give a rip.”

2. Imitation wasps’ nest

Goal To dissuade wasps from building their own nest nearby.

Likelihood of failure = Medium

It can work, but not always—it’s a myth that wasps will never build nests close to each other.

3. Owl decoy

Goal To frighten geese (or other waterfowl) from gathering on your dock.

Likelihood of failure = High

They’ll quickly figure out that there are no consequences to a bird of prey that does absolutely nothing except sway in the breeze.

4. Non-stop loud music

Goal To evict nuisance mammals.

Likelihood of failure = Medium

It’s worth trying—we’d move if, say, our neighbour played “Edamame” 24/7. But lots of denning mammals probably won’t.

5. Fake “attacking” predators that move up and down on a string

Goal To discourage woodpeckers from drumming on the cottage.

Likelihood of failure = Low

The Birds-Away Attack Spider and similar products get our experts’ stamp of approval. Birds aren’t arachnophobic, but “something that mimics a sit-and-wait predator would be more effective than any motionless decoy,” says Doug Tozer of Birds Canada.

6. Pet dog or cat

Goal To keep mice or other rodents from even considering moving in.

Likelihood of failure = Medium-Low

The very presence of a cat or dog can help deter mice (and hey, you’d get a pet out of the deal)! But a loose snake would probably work better.

This article was originally published in the March/April 2022 issue of Cottage Life.

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Cottage Q&A: Who is stealing my lightbulbs?

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We have a strand of 25 patio lights strung between two trees. The other day, we noticed that 20 of the bulbs and sockets had been removed. We thought someone had snipped them off with pruning shears. But now we’re not so sure. Could a raccoon or a squirrel hang off the cable, bite through the wire, and carry the socket and bulb away?—John Habart, via Facebook

Yes. Our money’s on squirrels. Turns out, they have a reputation for snatching up decorative lights, especially around the holidays. Squirrels steal more Christmas bulbs than the Grinch. 

They like chewing on the wires, says Mike Webb, a wildlife expert and the owner of West Coast Problem Wildlife Management on Vancouver Island. A lot of new wiring has soy-based insulation. Tasty! Compared to petroleum-based insulation, soy-based wire insulation is considered better for the environment, and it sure is a win for critters that like to gnaw. Which is not great news for your cottage, your car, your ATV…or anything else with this wiring.

Cottage Q&A: How to keep mice out of your ATV

Why take the bulbs? It’s possible the squirrels mistook them for nuts. Or, says Webb, maybe they were simply attracted to the bulbs’ colours and textures.

Of course, without witnessing this behaviour, you’ll never know for sure what happened. “If it was me and I really wanted an answer, I’d put up a motion-activated trail camera,” says Webb. Do it! Then let us know what you see. 

Got a question for Cottage Q&A? Send it to answers@cottagelife.com.

This article was originally published in the June/July 2021 issue of Cottage Life.

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Cottage Life

Wild Profile: Meet the stink bugs

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Stink bugs. Can’t live with ’em, can’t keep ’em from squeezing into your cottage and stinking up the joint. Well, you can. It just might take a little work.

Why are there so many stink bugs?

Fall is stink bug season. At least, that’s when you’re likely to notice them. As the temperatures drop, stink bugs—North America has more than 250 different species—start to move indoors…sometimes right into your cottage. “Lots of insects overwinter in the adult stage, which means that when the weather starts to get colder, they have to find places to spend the cold weather,” says Bob Anderson, an entomologist at the Canadian Museum of Nature. Great for the stink bug. Not so great for you.

Do stink bugs bite? Are stink bugs harmful?

In general, true stink bugs don’t bite or sting. The most they’ll do is land on your pant leg and freak you out. The invasive brown marmorated stink bug (Halyomorpha halys, pictured), native to Asia, is harmful in the sense that it can destroy entire fruit and vegetable crops, along with a wide variety of plants. (If you think you spot one—look for the two distinctive white bands on the bug’s last two antenna segments—most provinces would like you to report the bug, and have online reporting forms like this one from the B.C. government. To learn more about this invasive, and how to ID it, visit the Invasive Species Centre.

What do stink bugs smell like?

Stink bugs stink either when crushed, or when threatened. They release a strong-smelling substance from their abdomens. Most people liken it to cilantro, but others describe it as freshly cut grass, dirty socks, cat pee, Jolly Rangers, rubber, cinnamon…In short, stink bugs smell like anything.

What attracts stink bugs? How do I repel stink bugs?

In spring, stink bugs are drawn to your property because of native plants or fruit trees. But they’re really only a nuisance when they come inside. Like plenty of other insects, they’re attracted to light, and they’ll find tiny openings to use as doorways into your cottage. There’s unfortunately no sure-fire way to repel them. Your best defense is the same defense that you’d use against any pest insect: inspecting the exterior of the cottage for any cracks and crevices, and sealing them up with caulk. Look around windows and doors, around siding and utility pipes, behind chimneys, and underneath the wood fascia. Look pretty much everywhere. (This will help keep your cottage free from other critters, too.)

As for chemical methods, an all-purpose, exterior spray—the sort that pest control companies use for cluster flies, “would likely do the job,” says Glen Robertson of Robertson’s Wildlife and Pest Control in Coldwater, Ont. The problem? You’d need to get this done early in the fall, before you start to notice them indoors, and a spray could also harm non-target insects. Which means you could end up killing beneficial bugs that you actually want around.

How do I get rid of stink bugs?

“We usually just tell people to vacuum them up,” says Robertson. (Get rid of the vacuum bag right away to avoid any stench.) Happily, the bugs won’t damage your cottage, breed and reproduce, eat your food, or do much of anything while they’re there. If they survive the winter, they’ll leave in the spring.

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Cottage Life

Cottage Q&A: Ant nests on the septic bed

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Small, black ants are nesting on my septic bed. There are several nests. Could their tunnelling pose a danger to the overlying sand, leading to a collapse? If so, what’s the best way to get rid of them?—Feeling Antsy

“In my 32 years, I’ve never been asked about ants,” admits Dale McLure, the past-president of the Alberta Onsite Wastewater Management Association. He— like our other pros—thought it was unlikely that ants, even a whole bunch of them, could cause the bed to collapse.

“They’re ants. They’re tiny little things,” says pest control specialist Glen Robertson. And don’t worry, ant nests on your septic isn’t a red flag for a malfunctioning system. “The attraction to the septic field may be due to the nature of the ant-friendly soil, being sandy and well drained,” says Elizabeth Lew of Gunnell Engineering, a company in Newmarket, Ont., that specializes in designing on-site sewage systems.

This doesn’t mean you should ignore the nests. While we’re all for letting nature be nature—don’t hate the ants for finding a sweet piece of real estate—“an overabundance of ant colonies may inhibit the natural growth of grass needed on a septic field,” warns Lew.

Got ants in your plants? Here’s what to do

Robertson suspects these ants are field ants. If you are going to evict them, he recommends using bait drops (they’re widely available) on the nests. The ants will spread the bait through the colonies, killing them. Don’t dump bleach, insecticide, gasoline, antifreeze, or any other liquid onto your septic bed. This will destroy important bacteria in the soil and flood the field.

For local advice, McLure suggests asking an area septic or pest expert, who may have experience with the same problem. If the ants are attracted to the soil, and soil conditions vary by locale, he says, “this could be a regional issue.”

Find out what to plant on your septic bed

Got a question for Cottage Q&A? Send it to answers@cottagelife.com.

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The answer to your tick problem may lay in your kitchen

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Did you know that vampires and ticks have something in common? They both hate the smell of garlic! Since 2018, the City of Kingston has been applying a 100 per cent natural garlic-based spray to the city’s public parks and dog parks to combat tick and mosquito populations. This spray is not harmful to humans and pets, but it can keep your family safe from tiny, terrorizing ticks. It’s applied every six weeks during the spring, summer, and fall and repels ticks and mosquitoes that can carry Lyme disease or West Nile Virus.  

How effective can garlic really be? 

Garlic is a natural defence because “ticks have a sense of smell that is 10,000 times more sensitive than ours and, lucky for us, they don’t like garlic,” says Troy Stubinski, the operations manager of the Public Works Department for the City of Kingston. Further, Stubinski says that “the product has not been proven to be 100 per cent effective, but certainly is very effective. Our residents have been very happy, especially in regards to the use of the spray in our dog parks. Residents are finding that dogs are no longer bringing ticks home with them.”

But garlic smells! Will my dog and I reek of garlic?

No need to worry about garlic’s pungent odour because the product only smells immediately after application. In good conditions, the product dries in 30 minutes and does not smell thereafter. The City of Kingston prioritized education of the initiative, making residents aware of the product’s safety and short period of which someone may detect a smell. 

Will this program be extended?

The city must consider where the spray will best protect the public from the risks of ticks and which settings are most cost effective to maintain. The city is partnering with local universities, who are conducting drag testing studies to determine the number of ticks. For private businesses and organizations who are interested in partnering with the City of Kingston to reduce ticks on their property, the city is “open to anyone who has an interest and is willing,” says Stubinski. 

Can I use this at home?

Yes, individuals are able to purchase a garlic-based spray or contact a pest control company. Stubinski recommends that residents “make a decision based on cost and the number of ticks located on the property.” While individuals may wish to explore this option, there is a cost and reapplication factor to consider.  

For those looking for more information, details can be found on the City of Kingston’s website including a safety data sheet.