[Rhodes22-list] Electronic Varmint Repellant

Thu Apr 7 18:35:57 EDT 2022

Hi All,

I forgot to mention an ongoing battle with a pest that seems to have taken a break since the flood in May, 2020.  In the last several years, Sanford Lake was starting to become a nesting ground for cormorants.  These are very social birds that tend to nest and hang out in very noisy colonies.  Their droppings have a strong smell of ammonia and can create a huge mess wherever they roost.  A nesting pair choose S/V Dynamic Equilibrium and my swim platform.  The 12 VDC Mouseblocker Pro on board S/V Dynamic Equilibrium didn’t seem to have much effect on them.

I was combating the problem with a Gamo Magnum 0.177 Cal air rifle with a 1-9 X 40 mm scope.  This single shot pellet gun has a suppressor and fires 0.177 caliber pellets at 1650 ft/sec, which is supersonic!  I could crack open my dining room window and pick off the cormorants at about 70 yds without even going outside.  Three of the cormorants had already developed terminal 0.177 caliber lead poisoning when the flood occurred.  After the flood, with the radical environmental change, the rest of the flock seems to have gone elsewhere.

Speaking of the flood, the Michigan State Legislature recently passed an infrastructure bill that included ~M$250 in funding to rebuild the 4 dams damaged or destroyed in the flood.  This State funding will reduce the Special Water District Assessment on my property tax bill by ~6X, which is very good news!  The timing of the 4 dam building projects still call for Sanford Lake to be refilled in the summer of 2025.  Since I now have good confidence there is actually going to be a lake, I’ve started accumulating pieces/parts for the rebuilding of our seawalls, dock, and steps.  I have plenty of time to shop for good deals on steel and pressure treated wood.  We’ll probably do most of the project in the summer of 2023.  The class action lawsuit is still stalled out in the courts.

Roger Pihlaja
S/V Dynamic Equilibrium

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From: ROGER PIHLAJA<mailto:Roger_Pihlaja at msn.com>
Sent: Thursday, April 7, 2022 2:48 PM
To: The Rhodes 22 Email List<mailto:rhodes22-list at rhodes22.org>
Subject: [Rhodes22-list] Electronic Varmint Repellant

Hi All,

For some reason, the list wouldn’t let me respond to the thread about repelling mice and raccoons from nesting aboard our boats.  So, I’ll start a new thread.

I live on the edge of the AuSable State forest and across the street from me is a 60 acre hay field.  My yard has 8 large acorn rich white oaks.  We have an abundance of various kinds of critters including mice, squirrels, raccoons, possums, skunks, and chipmunks.  For the last several years, I’ve had good luck repelling them all with Mouseblocker Pro products (https://nam12.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.mouseblocker.com%2F&data=04%7C01%7C%7Cfcaf0d28ff054e9f6a3308da18e051da%7C84df9e7fe9f640afb435aaaaaaaaaaaa%7C1%7C0%7C637849648984626511%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000&sdata=eEF%2F1QBMywmOyukAnGbakQVaZ7hx44Kde%2FlaxkCNcxg%3D&reserved=0<https://nam12.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.mouseblocker.com%2F&data=04%7C01%7C%7Cfcaf0d28ff054e9f6a3308da18e051da%7C84df9e7fe9f640afb435aaaaaaaaaaaa%7C1%7C0%7C637849648984626511%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000&sdata=eEF%2F1QBMywmOyukAnGbakQVaZ7hx44Kde%2FlaxkCNcxg%3D&reserved=0<https://nam12.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.mouseblocker.com%2F&data=04%7C01%7C%7Cfcaf0d28ff054e9f6a3308da18e051da%7C84df9e7fe9f640afb435aaaaaaaaaaaa%7C1%7C0%7C637849648984626511%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000&sdata=eEF%2F1QBMywmOyukAnGbakQVaZ7hx44Kde%2FlaxkCNcxg%3D&reserved=0%3chttps://nam12.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.mouseblocker.com%2F&data=04%7C01%7C%7Cfcaf0d28ff054e9f6a3308da18e051da%7C84df9e7fe9f640afb435aaaaaaaaaaaa%7C1%7C0%7C637849648984626511%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000&sdata=eEF%2F1QBMywmOyukAnGbakQVaZ7hx44Kde%2FlaxkCNcxg%3D&reserved=0>>).  They make a 12 VDC version that’s designed to be mounted under the hood of your car and connected to the battery.  This unit is smart enough to know when the engine is off and it only operates when the engine isn’t running.  I have one on all 3 of our cars + S/V Dynamic Equilibrium.  Then, they make a 120 VAC version of the Mouseblocker Pro that’s designed to protect larger areas.  My garage is 24 ft X 30 ft.  To cover this much floor space, I have 2 of the 120 VAC versions mounted in diagonal opposite corners.  Both versions utilize high frequency ultrasonic pulses and flashing white LED’s to drive critters away.  I haven’t had any varmint issues in the garage or any of our cars or boat since I started using them.

Roger Pihlaja
S/V Dynamic Equilibrium

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