Not as good as up north or near water, but... (my amateur feeder report)

[bigG]

Holy crap. I feel so amateurish.

I had great luck with bluebirds just by building good houses and placing them next to open fields. My bride bought a decorative house, and sure enough, blues took it over. They are just beautiful.

[bigG]

No. I wish I knew where the swallows come from. Not my bluebird house, though.

[Houndhead]

Yeah. That's the drawback. Those things are WI's meanest. Make yellow jackets look like weaklings. Baldies and Os, that's still a lotta jelly. I'm thinking every two weeks for me, but I have open fields near me and fewer spots for them to nest nearby that I won't find and finish. If you've been dinged by a few, you know they have a tenacity that's a little worrying.

Last few years I've had relatively few issues with skeeters or bees in my neck. Last year: 3 mice. This year: 14... so far, it's stinkin' October, still. I'm a pretty good mousetrapper, though. I still say, the most effective reusable trap for home and camper is the tall wastebasket with dog food sprinkled at the bottom. Jump in...no jump out; must look like a swimming pool to them. Stupid. So long as I get to my camper while the freeze is still on, they don't stink. At home, they're alive when I find them and I dump them in the road, and my dog rather enjoys their playful nature. 14..it's October.    Oh, did I mention the shrews? I'm afraid I'd break the profanity pledge if I continued. 

I have heard of people mixing a little anti-freeze in the bucket when used for pest control at their cabin. Controls the smell and the freezing. Make sure no pets can get near it.

[bigG]

I always get into mine way before any thaw, so I never even smelled the 5-8 dead guys in there. Works well. Dogs love antifreeze and gorilla glue. Both will kill them.

Good idea, though. I bet mice will come to antifreeze, jump in swim for an hour and that's er. they love swimmin'.

[imnofish]

Yes, mice have occasionally drowned in the RV antifreeze I leave in the toilet when we winterize our travel trailer.  The stuff is non-toxic, but they can't get out, so they eventually get too tired to swim.  Seems to preserve them pretty well, too, since they don't stink.  The big question is how they can jump high enough to get in there, since there is nothing near the toilet that allows them a step up.  I did notice a few toothpicks lying on the bathroom floor, so my guess is that mice are pretty good pole vaulters.   

[TomM]

Yes, mice have occasionally drowned in the RV antifreeze I leave in the toilet when we winterize our travel trailer.  The stuff is non-toxic, but they can't get out, so they eventually get too tired to swim.  Seems to preserve them pretty well, too, since they don't stink.  The big question is how they can jump high enough to get in there, since there is nothing near the toilet that allows them a step up.  I did notice a few toothpicks lying on the bathroom floor, so my guess is that mice are pretty good pole vaulters.   

Disgusting subject, but I will chime in...
Growing up Herb Nuelks service station was a few blocks away on Port Washington Road.  In a corner was a metal coffee can with a quart of drain oil in it and a 12 ruler sized stick at a 45 degree angle leaning on the can from the floor.  I asked what the contraption was for.  Mice like the smell and trot up the stick and jump into the oil.  END of story... Dogs are not interested in oil.  I have not tried this personally, but may try it some day.  A better mouse trap?

[imnofish]

Yes, mice have occasionally drowned in the RV antifreeze I leave in the toilet when we winterize our travel trailer.  The stuff is non-toxic, but they can't get out, so they eventually get too tired to swim.  Seems to preserve them pretty well, too, since they don't stink.  The big question is how they can jump high enough to get in there, since there is nothing near the toilet that allows them a step up.  I did notice a few toothpicks lying on the bathroom floor, so my guess is that mice are pretty good pole vaulters.   

Disgusting subject, but I will chime in...
Growing up Herb Nuelks service station was a few blocks away on Port Washington Road.  In a corner was a metal coffee can with a quart of drain oil in it and a 12 ruler sized stick at a 45 degree angle leaning on the can from the floor.  I asked what the contraption was for.  Mice like the smell and trot up the stick and jump into the oil.  END of story... Dogs are not interested in oil.  I have not tried this personally, but may try it some day.  A better mouse trap?

What a way to go.     Reminds me of an old trick to stop porcupines from killing your birch trees (they chew the bark off, to get the salt out of it).  Folks would soak a big rock in very salty water for several days; then set it out near the tree being endangered.  The porcupine would keep gnawing on the rock until his teeth were worn down to the gums; then it would die of starvation.  Very cruel, but effective.  I knew a guy who did it (decades ago) and he showed me the bloody rock as evidence of its effectiveness. 

[TomM]

Yes, mice have occasionally drowned in the RV antifreeze I leave in the toilet when we winterize our travel trailer.  The stuff is non-toxic, but they can't get out, so they eventually get too tired to swim.  Seems to preserve them pretty well, too, since they don't stink.  The big question is how they can jump high enough to get in there, since there is nothing near the toilet that allows them a step up.  I did notice a few toothpicks lying on the bathroom floor, so my guess is that mice are pretty good pole vaulters.  

Disgusting subject, but I will chime in...
Growing up Herb Nuelks service station was a few blocks away on Port Washington Road.  In a corner was a metal coffee can with a quart of drain oil in it and a 12 ruler sized stick at a 45 degree angle leaning on the can from the floor.  I asked what the contraption was for.  Mice like the smell and trot up the stick and jump into the oil.  END of story... Dogs are not interested in oil.  I have not tried this personally, but may try it some day.  A better mouse trap?

What a way to go.    Reminds me of an old trick to stop porcupines from killing your birch trees (they chew the bark off, to get the salt out of it).  Folks would soak a big rock in very salty water for several days; then set it out near the tree being endangered.  The porcupine would keep gnawing on the rock until his teeth were worn down to the gums; then it would die of starvation.  Very cruel, but effective.  I knew a guy who did it (decades ago) and he showed me the bloody rock as evidence of its effectiveness.  

Disgusting

[Dale Einerson]

A friend of mine owns an electrician repair shop in a tiny berg; his pole barn of a shop has an annual mouse infestation.  When I borrowed an appliance dolly a couple of years back, I checked out the rube goldberg mouse trap that he and his crew had built over a few years.  Over 10 "working" parts; a mouse ends up in drain oil.  Was a an absolute hoot; they proudly talked about the latest addition and what was next.

[bigG]

The year is 1988, the place: Washington Park service yard, N. 40th St., Milwaukee, WI. So many mice, they got stunted. bunch o' little midget mice bookin' around. They were just everywhere. My boss tells me to go to the lock box (a locked cabinet in back of the tool room) to get some D=Con for the little turds. I unlock the master lock, open it up, and they had eaten every last crumb of at least 20 lbs of D-Con. Enter the wastebaskets and dog food. Caught bazillions of 'em. I shoulda been an exterminator.

[Dale Einerson]

Watch it BigG, the phrase "D-Con" might just get you booted do to the moratorium...wouldn't want to see you get red carded.

[imnofish]

Yes, mice have occasionally drowned in the RV antifreeze I leave in the toilet when we winterize our travel trailer.  The stuff is non-toxic, but they can't get out, so they eventually get too tired to swim.  Seems to preserve them pretty well, too, since they don't stink.  The big question is how they can jump high enough to get in there, since there is nothing near the toilet that allows them a step up.  I did notice a few toothpicks lying on the bathroom floor, so my guess is that mice are pretty good pole vaulters.  

Disgusting subject, but I will chime in...
Growing up Herb Nuelks service station was a few blocks away on Port Washington Road.  In a corner was a metal coffee can with a quart of drain oil in it and a 12 ruler sized stick at a 45 degree angle leaning on the can from the floor.  I asked what the contraption was for.  Mice like the smell and trot up the stick and jump into the oil.  END of story... Dogs are not interested in oil.  I have not tried this personally, but may try it some day.  A better mouse trap?

What a way to go.    Reminds me of an old trick to stop porcupines from killing your birch trees (they chew the bark off, to get the salt out of it).  Folks would soak a big rock in very salty water for several days; then set it out near the tree being endangered.  The porcupine would keep gnawing on the rock until his teeth were worn down to the gums; then it would die of starvation.  Very cruel, but effective.  I knew a guy who did it (decades ago) and he showed me the bloody rock as evidence of its effectiveness.  

Disgusting

I agree.  Told him so, too. 

[imnofish]

Watch it BigG, the phrase "D-Con" might just get you booted do to the moratorium...wouldn't want to see you get red carded.

Since the stuff was obviously applied "liberally," he should be okay...   the epitome of non-partisanship!