Mice are a real, costly problem for your tractor in Massachusetts

For those Massachusetts residents with tractors and no garage or barn to store them in, like yours truly, mice can be a really costly problem. I just got off the phone with the service writer at my local dealer who informed me why my battery kept dying. Mice.

These rodents love to harbor inside your tractor's engine compartment and chew on those delicious soy based wire coatings. This is not a harmless activity - it just cost be $800 to get some electrical components in my tractor fixed in order for my battery to stop dying.

How do yo keep the mice out of your tractor's engine area?

• Keep it clean Mice come for food and nesting material. After you finish work, blow or vacuum out all grass, chaff, and dirt from the cab and engine area. Don’t leave snacks, dog food, or bird seed inside the cab.
• Block the doors Mice can squeeze through a hole the size of a dime. Put steel wool (they hate chewing it) into small gaps, then cover with spray foam or metal patches. Check around wires, pedals, and hoses that go through the cab floor or firewall.
• Use strong smells mice hate Place peppermint oil-soaked cotton balls, dryer sheets, or Irish Spring soap pieces around the cab and engine. Refresh them every couple of weeks. Many farmers also leave the hood open and turn on cab lights at night. Mice don’t like bright, open spaces.
• Set safe traps Snap traps or bucket traps with peanut butter work great inside the cab. Electric zapper traps are even better because they kill fast and you don’t touch the mouse. Check them every day.
• Try ultrasonic plug-ins Little boxes that plug into the 12-volt outlet make high sounds mice hate (people can’t hear them). They help, but still use other steps too.
• Park smart If you can, park on gravel or concrete instead of tall grass. Move the tractor once a week so mice don’t feel safe building nests.