HAD TO CHECK MY DRAWERS

Before we (if 2nd Man is there) or I (if I'm alone on the trip) leave for the day, there is a last minute walk through of the house to make sure everything is OK.

I was solo on this trip since it was so hot and I was only there to water, so I walked through the bathroom into the master bedroom and saw this:

A SNAKESKIN...

The tail end...

Going up into the dresser...

This is an old dresser I refurbished a few years back (paint, knobs etc) and the bottom is open as old furniture often is.

This meant that the snake either WAS in there and is gone or IS in there.

What to do, what to do.

I could have just left and out of sight out of mind but I had to check, I mean it's what you do when you live in the country, we have to deal with whatever things happen as they come up.

I carefully opened the top drawer...empty.

The middle drawer...empty.

Finally, the bottom drawer was opened...

...and it had THIS in it.  I won't lie, my heart skipped a few beats as I pulled it open and quickly stepped back.

I realized it was only the rather long (and large diameter), snake skin.  The rest of the drawer was clear and empty so the snake that shed it had moved on to wherever it came from, hopefully back outside.  I pushed the drawer closed and decided that it would be dealt with on the next visit.

It's bad enough to open a drawer and find a scorpion (been there done that) or mice (also been there done that) but I'm pretty sure NO ONE wants to open one and find a snake coiled up.

You may just have to check your drawers...sometimes in more ways than one. 😂

HOMEMADE FIRE ANT KILLER

2nd Man was perusing TikTok and found a "recipe" if you want to call it that, for a fire ant killer.  We often get fire ants in the raised beds and of course we can't use a toxic chemical in there.  We get them in both the veggie beds and the fruit tree beds.

THE WEEKEND BEFORE:

Homemade fire ant killer

This was a combination of diatomaceous earth and sugar.  The DE is what kills them, the sugar is what attracts them and makes them take it down into the nest (and hopefully the queen).

Diatomaceous earth and sugar

There were no amounts given so we thought a ratio of 2:1 sounded good.  Two cups diatomaceous earth and one cup sugar.  We just put it in a ziplock baggie...

Fire ant killer

...and shook it up.  Oh and labeled it, ha.

Fire ant mound in raised bed

It might be hard to see it but this is the corner of a raised bed and there is a fire ant nest there.  That's why I can't pull grass or even use the weedeater.  If you've ever been bitten by a fire ant, you'd understand why you don't want to be anywhere near these things.

Killing the fire ant mound

I sprinkled it on, they came out with a vengeance to see what was going on and then I left it alone.

THE WEEKEND AFTER:

LOOK!  They are gone!!!  Dead and gone!

Dead fire ants

I pulled up the clump of grass and there were no live ants.  I looked down deep and there were none in hiding.  I had put on quite a bit and I stirred them up a bit so they'd go ahead and get into it.  Not sure of the amount you're supposed to use but this stuff worked great!  It eliminated the fire ants.

Once we run out of the batch I made, I'll make some more and put it in a mason jar.  We have plenty of those, ha!  Then we'll make sure it is on the shelf with the other garden supplies.

We love a home remedy that works!

THE CASE OF THE VANISHING WASP NEST

 Now for something weird...

You will recall last week that we posted about this wasp nest in one of the blueberry bushes on the porch.  You all had some great suggestions (moving was one, 2nd Man considered it, LOL) but I vowed to take care of them.  I made up a spray bottle of dishwashing soap and water and thought I'd try that out.  I had some other ideas in mind.

So I got to the farm armed with my "weapon" of choice and got ready...

...um...what happened?  They were gone.

Not just "abandoned nest gone" mind you, no it was gone.  Nest and all.

And not just "laying on the porch floor gone", it was entirely gone!

There is no trace of them ever having been there.  Are there animals that would eat a nest?  Birds?  We thought maybe they just moved on but there would be an empty nest still hanging.  Or if the wind blew it down it would be on the ground.  

We guess it will forever remain a mystery. 

We are however RELIEVED that they are gone.  There are a few small nests in the eaves of the house and I used the regular spray on those.  I just need to make  sure they don't come back in the blueberry bushes.

I've been bad on catching up on comment replies, I'll work on that tonight. We always read them all!

BAGGING FRUIT ON TREES

When I was watering the fruit trees, I noticed that the tops of some of the lemons had small scrapes on them.  We were guessing that could be from birds testing them?  

Lemon damaged from birds

 It was just enough to expose the white pith of the fruit and was only on a couple that were on the tops, easily exposed to an aerial assault, ha.  I've read that if the outer layer is damaged like that they may not go on to develop properly.

That led me to articles about bagging fruit on the tree while it is growing. Some people use ziplock style baggies but here in Houston, with our unrelenting heat, humidity and frequent rains, we felt that might create a bad environment for the fruit if we are not there every day to check it. 

So after some online checking, I found these mesh bags that come in different sizes.  They "breathe" and so that lets light through and moisture out while providing pretty good protection from birds, deer and even some pests like caterpillars, etc.

Mesh fruit bags

I ordered a package from Amazon to try out: 

Apipi 60 Pcs 6" x 10" Fruit Protect Bags

There are various sizes.  I figured with a package of 60, we would be using them next Spring with pears, peaches, plums and apples so we better get a size that would work for those as well.

Fruit bagging

I bagged up a few to test and see how it works. I bagged the undamaged ones and a couple of the damaged ones just to compare and I also left a few uncovered to have a control for comparison.

And now we wait!

IRISH SPRING SOAP DEER REPELLENT

OK...here is something we're going to try.  Regular blog readers will know we tried Irish Spring soap as mouse deterrent and the results were inconclusive.  We have no mice, knock on wood, but that could have been the soap, the mousetraps, the lack of food in the house or maybe even a snake or two.

Irish Spring soap as Deer repellent 

But then I read that it is a deer repellent.  Really?  OK, worth a try I suppose.  I bought some Irish Spring soap, original scent, and proceeded to cut it up into smaller chunks.  We had these muslin drawstring bags from a previous project.  After cutting the pieces, I put a few into each bag and tied it shut.

The strings are long so...

...I hung a "sachet" in every tree.  This is what all the recommendations we found suggested.  Apparently deer don't like the smell and so you just hang them in the branches.  They've been there a couple of weeks now and when I go to water and the breeze is blowing, I can smell them.  We just hope the deer smell them and don't like it. 

Irish Spring soap sachet in fruit tree

This is going to be the ultimate test. Here are some plums, young and still growing, and the sachet is right next to them.  We'll see what happens.  If the plums stay "uneaten" it will be a success.

Of course if we end up with Irish Spring flavored plums, well that's a different story, LOL!

 

UPDATE 06/2018:

Kind of worked.  Not sure if it slowed them or maybe stopped one or two but a lot of the fruit was stripped from the trees sometime in the last week.  Not a 100% sure it was deer but a broken branch and some suspicious hoof marks in the ground tell us that something came to eat.

Any other suggestions? 

INFESTATION OF NIDORANS AND SLOWPOKES

Look what is at the farm now!?!?  The purple one is a Nidoran and the pink one is a Slowpoke!  

WHAT you say?  HA!  

What pesticide takes care of that?  

OK...our farm got into the Pokemon craze......not us playing though, I think we're well over the age limit for that, haha!

No, 2nd Family's daughter is playing and since it involves lots of walking, they asked if she could walk around our property.  Well of course she can!  

We said "you can roam wherever as long as you send us pics whenever you find one" and now we have these.  

Funny, I didn't see them when I was mowing...they must have been hiding well.  I'll have to keep an eye out this weekend just in case...

OH CRAP

So while I was cleaning, I pulled open a drawer in the dining room cabinet and inside a large red bowl was this:

Scorpion

Needless to say it is dead.  I have no patience for scorpions.  We do not need to have dangerous creatures lurking around in drawers and cabinets and God only knows where else.  It's bad enough that there has been a snake inside the house.  And mice.  These things genuinely creep me out.

I have to laugh though...my Grandmother, who lived in SW Oklahoma, would always tell us to "check the bed for stingin' scorpions (as if there are other kinds?) and mice" right as we climbed into bed.  Yeah, sleep tight Grandma!  They had a great little house in the country, clean and neat, but she always said that.  We laughed, nervously, then.  

Now here I am, all these years later, and it looks like I might once again end up checking the beds for 'stingin scorpions and mice'!  I can hear 2nd Man the first time I suggest that when we spend the night again. 

"Don't step on a snake when you go the bathroom.  
Oh and check the sheets for scorpions.  
And that scratching noise you hear is not a tree branch gently brushing the house but a mouse scurrying along the baseboard.  
Sweet dreams!"

1-800-find-a-hotel-now?

Anyone have any anti-scorpion advice?  Or is is just one of the 'other bugs' you have to deal with like spiders and roaches?

SCORPION IN A DRAWER

Part of the routine when we get to the house after it's been closed up for a week is to walk around and check all the drawers and cabinets for creatures...

Scorpion in a drawer

So I pull open the first drawer and all is clear.  The second drawer also clear.  The third drawer, oh oh!  There was a dead (thankfully) scorpion in the biscuit cutter in 2nd Man's baking supplies drawer.  

I asked if we were having scorpion biscuits and gravy...he was not amused.

2nd Family said they have found three scorpions inside their house lately, one in the bathtub, one in a sink and one in a cabinet.  

Anyone have any scorpion advice? 

WHAT THE HECK

THEY'RE BAAAACK...ARRRRGH!  SO upsetting...  

So this is what we walked into at the farm.  Remember last week?  Just a few nibbles.  This week, the entire edge of the flooring from one side to the other...

And on the other side, same thing, stripped out huge chunks of the vinyl flooring trying to get out. 

We're guessing this is more than a snake and a mouse.  There was also additional large scat (poop) today.  I did some more Googling and there is a chance it's either a roof rat (aka Norwegian rat) or a possum.  Whatever it is is, it has to be something living perhaps in the attic and coming down through the walls behind the water heater or maybe even something hiding/living back up under the bathtub.  One this is for sure, I'm not sticking my face under to check it out.  For brief moment I thought maybe we should just leave the doors open but then my brain cleared and I realized that would just let whatever it is INTO the rest of the house to do who knows what to furniture, beds or other flooring.

SO...we're fighting back!

2nd Family loaned us their live trap, we baited it and set it.  We put it in the bathroom and shut the doors.  They have generously offered to check the house twice a day, every day this week and keep an eye on it for us.

They promised to get a picture if possible, and I was sure to leave them the necessary tools.  Our best zombie wild animal fighting equipment...

...a heavy duty flashlight and a machete!

We've had the inside of the house finished now for almost 2 years and the bathroom doors have been shut when we're not there for all that time.  Some occasional mouse droppings but that's it.  This is a new hurdle for us and it's frustrating to say the least.  If this doesn't work, we'll be calling in the pros.  

It's always something in the country, huh?

CRITTERS IN THE GARDEN

The lowest tomatoes on the bushes are being eaten by something.  At first I thought it was birds when I saw a damaged one last week, but I now think that was a split from the heavy rains a couple of weeks ago.

This is what happened this weekend:

Something eating tomato bottoms

It is the lowest fruit on the vines and only the bottoms of each are eaten.  I'm guessing rabbits?  We had not had any problems in the garden so I was hoping the pickets on the fence were close enough together that they weren't able to get in but alas, I believe the garden has been breached!

The only 'upside' that I can think of is that the rest of the toms are much higher up in the bushes so I think they are safe.  Until then, I'll be getting some hardware cloth and fighting the good fight!

Cornmeal to kill ants in raised bed   

The other problem was ants in the eggplants.  Two of the three plants were for all practical purposes, dead.  So I pulled them up.  Then I got some cornmeal, something that a few of you recommended that as a garden safe treatment.

I sprinkled it all over the beds where the ants were, and I could see them gathering it up and taking it down into the nest.  I'm assuming all sorts of bad things (for them) will result, but as long as they are gone and we can get some eggplants growing, I'll be happy!

Hope you are the only things eating the product of your gardens!

ANTS IN MY BED

OK, not in THAT bed, but in one of the raised garden beds.  It's amazing how, from last week to this week, this happened:

Ants in a raised garden bed

This isn't freshly turned soil.  Well, actually I guess "technically" it is, but it's freshly turned by fire ants!  Ugh.  I need to plant in this bed soon and I don't want to put anything toxic in there.  I have used vinegar before on regular mounds in the yard, but when I do that, I'm not worried about how the vinegar might affect the grass.  However, I am concerned about how it might affect the garden soil I will be planting vegetables in.

Does anyone have any suggestion for a garden safe remedy?

IRISH SPRING SOAP FOR MICE

What?

Getting dirty on the farm? (wait, that didn't sound right!) No!  

Mouse bathing?  No, this isn't a mouse B&B!

We bought all this soap because we have still had a couple of mice show up in the mouse traps we put down.  No overwhelming infestation, but one or two a month is one or two too many in my book.  One of you commented in my post about the mouse problem a few months back that Irish Spring soap was a deterrent.  I decided to Google it to learn more and I found numerous references online to people using it that way.  

So, I went out and bought an 8-pack of "original scent" which is apparently the one that works best.  It was kind of hard to find in original scent at the store, but after a few stops, I found them at a grocery store.  However, Amazon sells Irish Spring Soap, Original for those who can't find it at their local store.

I decided to make it go even further by cutting each bar in half.  Eight bars became sixteen.  I scattered them around the house in the closets, under end tables and couches, under the sinks, in cabinets, and I even tossed some under the bookcases.

Field mouse, please go away

Hey, it can't hurt, right?  I guess time will tell.  They've been in use for a week now and there were no mice in traps.  Perhaps it's working?
I'll definitely keep you posted.

UPDATE 10/2013

I've been regularly putting these down, and I can say we have definitely had much FEWER mice but we do occasionally get one.  We've got traps down, a couple in each room and so we get a mouse or two each month.

The smell of of Irish Spring is not for everyone and honestly it does get to be too much for us at times so I've toned down the usage.  I started cutting back a bit, just keeping it around the areas I think mice are coming in (around pipes under sinks in kitchen and bathroom).  It does wear out (the smell) in about a month, so it's probably more effective in the beginning of putting it down.

UPDATE 12/2014

After using this for a couple of years, we have to say, we would judge this as "inconclusive".  We definitely have fewer mice, but we also have traps down, baited with peanut butter (might should use the soap apparently, ha) and have snagged a few that way.  There could be many factors of why we have fewer mice, it could even be a seasonal thing, perhaps some years worse than others.  The soap worked for a bit, but I think after the scent wore off, they might have even liked it.  Never saw bite marks but they were, occasionally, moved around.  So something was checking them out.

I think the bottom line is that it works but then fizzles out quickly...and apparently, some varieties of mice seem to actually like it.

UPDATE 12/2016

Several of the comments are from one side to the other.  Some of you swear by it and some say their mice eat it.  After some research, it seems that different varieties of mice are affected differently.  I suppose it's true that some like it and some don't.  

Sigh...

We're still on the lookout for anything that might work the same way, so feel free to comment below anytime!

MOUSE PROOFING UPDATE

Several of you have asked for an update so I thought I better let y'all know.

TWO DOWN, hopefully none to go!!!

So let me back up.

A few days back, we went out in the middle of the week after work to see if the traps were sprung. Going out there (it's about 45 miles one way) after getting home from a long day of work makes for a long night, be we were hopeful.  Sadly, they weren't sprung.  Ugh.  All I managed to do was scare myself silly in the dark when I heard a strange noise, but more on that in another posting.

The next step was to order some sort of ultrasonic noise type machine that several of you mentioned in the comments.  I did some research and found these online.  Supposed to be very good and they came pretty highly reviewed.  So I ordered two and they arrived on Friday.

It was a wet, rainy weekend, Saturday very heavy, so we stayed in town.  Sunday we loaded up and headed out, in the rain again, but it was  more sporadic.  Drove through some ominous, heavy clouds but for the most part it was just light rain.  We got there and walked in and the first three traps, nothing.  

But the next two, DING DING, two mice caught! (though "mouse caught" on the side of these traps is really just a euphemism for

CAUTION DEAD MOUSE INSIDE). I carefully removed the traps and disposed of said contents.  Just took a picture of one. I chose to dispose of the traps too. Wasn't in the mood for 'cleaning' them.

Found places for the two ultrasonic repellers.  Put one  in the mudroom pointing toward the kitchen and dining room and the other up front in the foyer pointing into the living room and bedrooms. Let me tell you, on the high setting, these things are loud enough to drive out HUMANS as well as anything else.

We checked all the cushions and drawers and cabinets and no droppings, no nests, nothing.  It looks, fingers crossed/knock on wood, like the mouse proofing measures we recently undertook have worked.  We sealed up everything, I sprayed some exterior repellent around all the doors and the perimeter of the house, we put down some packets of aromatic things they don't like, and we set the traps.  Now we have the noisemakers going on high while we're not there.

Field of "Broomweed Flowers" (thanks for the ID Dianne!)

When we left, there were blue skies starting to break through the gloom and I saw this view across the street.  I had to stop the car and jump out to take a picture.  2nd Man thought I was crazy, but I love sharing the land around us with all of you.  None of these flowers were there a week ago!

Maybe this will be a good sign that the mice have moved on too.  They can live in this field and be happy amongst the flowers.

MOUSE PROOFING WEEKEND

This past weekend was a mouse proofing weekend at the farm.  After our RECENT MOUSE TROUBLE, and asking you all for advice, we saw another mouse in the house.  The time had come.  We devised a multi-prong plan of attack.

  

Ortho mousetrap

First we got these mousetraps, the Ortho Kill and Contain traps.  They will keep the mouse body inside and sealed up until we get there to dispose of it.  We put six of them around the house, baited with peanut butter and a little vanilla (apparently mice love the smell of vanilla).

Great Stuff Pestblock

Then we found this awesome stuff at our local hardware store.  The guy there highly recommended it.  I remembered that several of you said that mice will chew through the regular foam sealant.  This is the "Great Stuff" brand but it's called Pestblock.  It contains a bitter tasting and smelling additive.  The guy said he had a mouse coming in and out of a small hole in his house, he used this and never saw the mouse again.  Pretty ingenious of them to come up with something like this to prevent future chewing.  We'll see how it works at the farm.  I spent the day sealing up all the little gaps and holes I could find.

Hey, if nothing else, we're sealed up for better a/c and heat operation!

Fresh Cab by Earth-Kind

Next, we got 8 of these.  Based on some of your suggestions for "smells" that repel mice, I did some googling and found a company that makes these.  They are called Fresh Cab and were invented by a farmer's housewife.  Supposed to work great because they are filled with the smells mice don't like.  I put one in each closet, a couple under the two sinks, one under each bed and one in the living room where we saw the mouse.  We shall see.

Ro-Pel Rodent Repellant

Lastly, we got this.  It also came recommended, and we used it on the external part of the house.  I sprayed it around the front doors, and then all along the porch, the stairs, and then sprayed it all around the perimeter of the house.

We've, hopefully anyway, made it miserable inside for mice, created a barrier outside for those wanting to come in, sealed up the entrances, and for those unfortunate enough to be stuck inside, they will meet their demise.
Fingers crossed that we've done enough to nip it in the bud!

Don't forget about the September blog GIVEAWAY.
Enter today!

MOUSE IN THE HOUSE NEED MICE ADVICE

Mouse nest in basket

I opened a drawer at the farm and found the above in a basket.  I immediately thought "oh oh".  But before I could get the second "oh" out, I saw movement!  A live mouse!  In a drawer in the living room!  Eeek!

Channeling my inner "He-Man", I lifted the cabinet up, drawers and all, and took it out on the porch in about 15 seconds (OK, so it wasn't that heavy).  I pulled the top drawer out and there I was, nose to whiskers with a little brown mouse.  

Cute mouse, NOT actual size

Of course 2nd Man came out and what were the first words out of his mouth?  "Oh, he's so cute!"

That, however, was followed by screaming, as said "cute mouse" lunged jumped out of the cabinet and began running around on the porch, heading for the door to go back in.  Of course, then 2nd Man goes "get your camera!" (at least he's thinking about the blog!).  I run to get the camera, then I hear "get a broom!"  So I go get the broom and come out, "where's the camera?".  "You said bring the broom!"  "Yeah but we have to get a picture!"  "OK, let me snap a pic"  "He's getting away, get the broom".  Lord, give me strength.

So we proceed to chase it around with a broom (go ahead, laugh) but let me tell you, Mighty Mouse had nothing on this little guy:

Faster than a speeding bullet...

Like a blur it was up my tool bag and back down.  It's weird, they sort of hop like rabbits when they run.  Sort of a run/leap/run/leap/run motion.  In all fairness, I'm sure it was really looking to be anywhere but on the porch with two crazed city folk and a broom!  

Mouse

Eventually, I did get him down the stairs and into the yard and he was ready for his close-up (see above).  Yeah, sure, OK, kinda cute...but...

We found mouse droppings around the house!  In some window sills, behind pillows, along baseboards, in a few drawers, etc.  We didn't see any other mice and we checked all drawers and cabinets and under cushions and the couches just to make sure.  After 2nd Man spent the better part of about three hours cleaning everything from top to bottom "just to be sure", I'm guessing he was hoping I'd run over the "cute mouse" with the mower.

SO...I'm putting this out:

Help!  We need advice!

Here is our unique issue: We are not there full time so we can't have the dead carcass of a mouse in the house for a week.  That means poisons or traps are out.  I'm afraid to put poison around the outside of the house, because I worry they could go outside for dinner and go back inside to, um, meet their demise.

Ultrasonic?  Any sort of home remedy for repelling them?  Mothballs?  Some essential oils?  Any over the counter remedy I can buy at the store?

We've got curtains and beds made with sheets and blankets and pillows and couches and baskets galore.  We definitely need to nip this in the bud so it doesn't get out of control.