Pests in Box Blinds

[Foggy47]

I've got nine box blinds on my property. A few are mouse proof but will a degree of fly and insect problems (my 3 Redneck Blinds). Others are wood framed with plywood sides which get mouse and insect issues. I have two roto-molded blinds which can also have mouse and insect issues. Also I have two plastic "Menards" blinds.....which have similar mouse and insect issues.

I have some nice high back office chairs in the Redneck blinds....and have had no issues with mice...thankfully. <---this alone makes these blinds of higher value to me.

I have put padded secretary chairs in most of the other blinds......and little by little have had mice chew the daylights out of those padded chairs. Also have mice get into my heaters and rugs and make a mess and stink up the whole stand. Argh. I hate mice. This year I lost two chairs and floor carpeting to the freaking mice.

No more. I have now placed steel folding chairs (cheap) in those blinds and use a boat cushion to sit on. The cushion can be hung up when not in use. Ive been putting dryer sheets under my heaters with pretty good success.....and use a few no-pest strips in a few that have insect issues (moths, flies, etc).

Any other good tips on box blind pest deterrents? I'm at war with mice and insects.

 

[Booner21]

Decon mouse bait and an insecticide cattle ear tag keeps pretty well everything at bay in ours. Have had some ants from time to time They are all wood framed.


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[SD51555]

I've got one Banks tower blind. i store all my higher value chairs in there for the offseason. I put them out in the blinds on labor day weekend. I've not seen any sign of mice in my homemade ground blinds other than getting eye to eye with one in the summer. They haven't done any damage, and they don't seem to stick around. Maybe my cedar wood chip floors keep them away?

 

[Bill]

Take all the carpet out after the season. Nothing left that the little bastards can nest in. I just shot wasp spray in the face of a mouse with 6 kits. No more. I'm putting bait stations under them all. It worked at the house now I'm on to blinds.

 

[b116757]

I use the plastic bait stations that hold I think 6 blocks each to keep the little pest away.

 

[Tree Spud]

Agree with the Decon bait blocks. You could also hang a bag of Moth Balls in the blinds as it deters mice.

 

[bjseiler]

I leave these for mice in them all year

Amazon.com

My daughter bombs each of the box blinds in august with these for insects. Anything that may have been in there, isn't, in Sept/Oct and the deer don't mind or have gotten used to it.

Amazon.com

 

[rocksnstumps]

Elevated plywood box blinds with trapdoor access in floor. It seals pretty well. Where the heater hose goes thru wall to propane tank on ground gets packed around it with steel wool. The vents near ceiling and down by stove in wall is of the type where the duct has window screen in it. The gnats and really small bugs can get thru screen but keeps most stuff out.

Have sliding plexiglass windows. Those now get wedged closed with a couple of wood strips held in place with wing nuts during off season. Before some really strong winds popped a window out of the track and other time shifted a window slightly and mice got in. No more. Outside of blind is covered in roll roofing to help weather proof and seal it better. Works for up north areas, probably too hot early season down south.

 

[Jerry-B-WI]

This year I tried something new and sprayed the inside and outside of my blinds with bifenthrin. Haven't had any bugs of any kind in the blinds. Used it at home around the shed and garage doors an they've been clean of spiders and bugs. Below is a couple pictures of the bait stations I've made and use at home and at the cabin. I keep them outside because I see no reason to invite the mice in and then kill them.

 

[TWIG]

I caulked all the potential entryways for bugs on my homemade stands and have never ran into any issues. About the only issue I have is flying squirrels. They like to punch holes and build nests in walls. Think I'm just going to start applying spray on truck bed liner to the exterior on the next one. Should last forever and prevent critters from getting in.

 

[Thomasc19]

5 gallon bucket log trap works well for me, use antifreeze during the winter to keep it from freezing

 

[Foggy47]

^^. Thanks for the tip on the bait stations Jerry-B. I spent an hour or so on YouTube and came up with a similar but lower cost method to make those bait stations. I bought materials to make 20 of them for use here at home and at my deer property. The design I'm using costs $2 each plus the bait. Takes a few minutes to make them. I use a one foot section of the black PVC pipe but you can use any color you like. The black blends into our landscape here at home a bit better. I cut an approximately 2" slit at each end of the foot long pipe and fashion an 18" length of wire to hold three bait cubes. I do a little wire "pre-bend" so the wire better supports the bait off the floor of the tube. That's it. Place these along the perimeter of your home, pole shed, or blind.

The pics tell the story. I got allot of chipmunks and have been trapping them all summer. Those suckers have been undermining some of my pavers and I am at war with them. The 2" pipe may be big enough to let those dudes enter and steal some bait. I think you could use a bit smaller if it's just mice and voles your after. Make sure you buy the bait that has a hole in the center (it comes both ways - with and without).

 

[Foggy47]

Note that these could also be used with permethrin soaked dryer lint.....to cut back on the Lyme disease instead of toilet paper tubes. (I think). I may try that too....but not sure what time of year to put that out? Spring or fall?? Anyone?

Also, I'm not sure if these will need to be staked down? Was thinking of one of those big landscape staples if need be. Gonna see if these stay put and plan to make the rest of them on Saturday and put them out then too. I've found it pays to sleep on a new venture....lol.

 

[Foggy47]

My son-in-law directed my attention to a box blind building site on Facebook. It had this tip on the site:

"Paint the underneath and inside ceiling of your blind sky blue and never worry about wasp nests again"

I have never heard of such a thing, but lots of guys on the site swear by it. May have to buy some paint next year. Anybody hear of this?

 

[Ikeman]

My son-in-law directed my attention to a box blind building site on Facebook. It had this tip on the site:

"Paint the underneath and inside ceiling of your blind sky blue and never worry about wasp nests again"

I have never heard of such a thing, but lots of guys on the site swear by it. May have to buy some paint next year. Anybody hear of this?

In the south, they do the same thing with porches, but mostly to keep swallows from nesting under the eaves.


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[Mtyhunter]

lol, all out war on them vermin!
mothballs, no way, the stink. blue paint is prob more for good luck than anything. bait and traps have worked well for me. Best thing i can recommend for vermin is not leaving anything in there for them to chew or bed in.
Wasps, on the other hand....haven't figured that out yet. Haven't tried spraying chemicals on the inside, and hope not to. Had a red wasp get me right in the neck, in the dark, this bow season. Woke my ass right up

 

[Bill]

In the south, they do the same thing with porches, but mostly to keep swallows from nesting under the eaves.


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I was told Victorian porches were painted that way because mosquitoes don’t like be in the open.

 

[drycreek]

Painting ceilings works, and the straw or plastic “hornet’s nests“ work to keep mud daubers away. Insecticide treated cattle ear tags will keep most bugs out of your blinds. I’ve used them for several years in bow blinds which are not sealed at all. You gotta have a little air to bowhunt here in October !

 

[356]

My blind maintenance is pretty simple: Mice bate on the floor, permethrin spray on the walls & carpet, a can of fogger around September 1. I keep office chairs, hearing protection and the heaters in the blinds and so far they have not been destroyed.

 

[matinc]

I do notice that if you store an office chair in your blind keep it on a 45 degrees angle off the wall and that seems to keep the mice off it.