Another SHTF list of things no one thought of

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[ARCHIVED THREAD] - Another SHTF list of things no one thought of

Posted: 4/8/2008 3:31:10 PM EDT

You know how your just sitting around and a thought hits you like a lightning bolt?
Well I was thinking the other day about Hurricaine Katrina and how many freakin rats there were around the area in the months afterward. I guess they were pushed up to high ground and found much to eat in the rotten refridgerator food as well as left over food in abandon houses. They were just everywhere. I then thought how this would be a problem post SHTF and the associated problem of same. One thing that struck me in addition to how to keep them out of food stores and from making nests in bedding etc. were fleas. Fleas carry diseas and proliferate when they are not put in check. Therefore It may be beneficial to have flea foggers/ powder post SHTF. What do you think? Am I over thinking this stuff?
What else have I not thought of?

Posted: 4/8/2008 3:40:27 PM EDT

[#1]

Posted: 4/8/2008 3:40:46 PM EDT

[#2]

Goes along with stocking stuff for the home front. Mouse traps, rat traps, and D-con for protecting food stuffs. Then OTC stuff for personal usage from critters such as Nix for lice and Lindane for scabies. Burn Barrels and burn pits to dispose of waste to limit rodent infestations.

Posted: 4/8/2008 3:55:04 PM EDT

[#3]

5 gallon bucket with a few inches of water, pop can, peanut butter and a piece of wood long enough for a ramp to the top of the bucket. No poisons, doesn't need to be re-set. I have caught hundreds of mice, rodents, a bird in one.

Posted: 4/8/2008 4:09:16 PM EDT

[#4]

Mouse traps are awesome for building booby traps and perimeter devices.

Some low tech insecticides are Boric Acid and Diatomaceous Earth.

They are both safe for vertebrates and BA has a place in you medicine cabinet as an eye treatment and antiseptic.
Also useful for fireproofing, as a wood preservative and a bunch of other uses.

Posted: 4/8/2008 4:14:31 PM EDT

[#5]

red rider/pellet gun and plenty of BBs, lots of trigger time and a little post-shtf diversion that doesn't result in children 9 months later

.

Posted: 4/8/2008 4:18:07 PM EDT

[#6]

Quoted:
5 gallon bucket with a few inches of water, pop can, peanut butter and a piece of wood long enough for a ramp to the top of the bucket. No poisons, doesn't need to be re-set. I have caught hundreds of mice, rodents, a bird in one.

yip these work used them set up like this in canada

Posted: 4/8/2008 6:23:20 PM EDT

[#7]

OP has an interesting point, that hasn't been discussed a lot.

HOWEVER

The LAST thing you want to do AFTER any rat-flea-born disease strikes (plague, for example) is to kill all the rats.

Its the FLEAS that spread most rat-born diseases. And if the rats die, the fleas will abandon the rat carcasses, and find other hosts. If said rats are below your house... YOU will become the new host. And you may then expect a short, excruciating death that takes entirely too long.

Posted: 4/8/2008 6:54:23 PM EDT

[#8]

If you're in that bad of an infestation - the fleas WILL be everywhere. Read up on Lewis & Clark, they had it bad at times. Not a lot you can do about it, except kill them with fire I guess.

Posted: 4/8/2008 7:13:02 PM EDT

[#9]

Nothing my kitty can handle

Posted: 4/8/2008 8:12:56 PM EDT

[#10]

fleas, crabs, mites, louse whatever - dog or cat flea powder works wonders - in a 3rd world country long ago - i kept it on my head and body hair - and around my bunk or wherever i laid down - - that was 50 years ago and for a year i was bug free while there and had no big red bumps all over me like the other troops. i really dont know if that active poisonous ingredient was harmful - but at 67 years old now - i still have good health - i wouldnt hesitate to use it again if circumstances warranted and i have 12 cans of it in my shed for SHTF. PS i wasnt the only one that used it constantly and i still hear from those people and their health is what can be expected from 67 and older people.

Posted: 4/8/2008 8:46:06 PM EDT

[#11]

Quoted:
red rider/pellet gun and plenty of BBs, lots of trigger time and a little post-shtf diversion that doesn't result in children 9 months later

.

Once upon a time, I worked for a rather poorly funded inner city EMS, with a fairly significant rat problem at one of out satalite stations. I had a .22/410 survival rifle. .22 short was amazingly quiet out of this little rifle, and there was only one crew at a time in this station, so I used to amuse myself by potting rats out in the bay. Did that 'til I shot this big frigging poodle of a rat one evening, and he turned around and charged me. I jacked the little toggle switch down, and cut loose with the 410. 410 is damn loud in a small concrete garage. Partner was pissed, damn near shit her pants. 410 makes a little bigger mess then .22 short.

Posted: 4/9/2008 3:59:31 PM EDT

[#12]

Quoted:
5 gallon bucket with a few inches of water, pop can, peanut butter and a piece of wood long enough for a ramp to the top of the bucket. No poisons, doesn't need to be re-set. I have caught hundreds of mice, rodents, a bird in one.

Puctures? Diagrams? Plans?
I can not zisualize this one.

Bill

Posted: 4/9/2008 5:53:16 PM EDT

[#13]

Put a few inches of water in the bottom of the bucket with a piece of wood (2x4 scrap etc..) as a ramp from ground to lip of bucket. Take an empty pop can, punch a small hole in the center of the bottom of the can. Use a piece of stiff wire (unfolded wire clothes hanger works great) long enough to go from one edge of the bucket to the other- slide wire throgh the pop can so that the pop can is roughly centered on the top rim of the bucket. Smear the can with peanut butter, place wire with can so that rodents will climb up the ramp, climb out on the wire to get the peanut butter. When they get on the can, their weight will rotate the can on the wire so that they fall into the water in the bucket and can't get out- eventually they drown. One bucket will kill dozens or more pests and doesn't need to be reset, alhough eventually you'll need to dump the bucket full of carcasses and refill the water

Best mousetrap ever

Posted: 4/9/2008 6:13:05 PM EDT

[#14]

Quoted:

Quoted:
red rider/pellet gun and plenty of BBs, lots of trigger time and a little post-shtf diversion that doesn't result in children 9 months later

.

Once upon a time, I worked for a rather poorly funded inner city EMS, with a fairly significant rat problem at one of out satalite stations. I had a .22/410 survival rifle. .22 short was amazingly quiet out of this little rifle, and there was only one crew at a time in this station, so I used to amuse myself by potting rats out in the bay. Did that 'til I shot this big frigging poodle of a rat one evening, and he turned around and charged me. I jacked the little toggle switch down, and cut loose with the 410. 410 is damn loud in a small concrete garage. Partner was pissed, damn near shit her pants. 410 makes a little bigger mess then .22 short.

Fix bayonets!

or you could have "manned up" and gone hand to hand

BTW, I spit soda on the keyboard when I pictured your "rat charge"

Posted: 4/9/2008 6:20:07 PM EDT

[#15]

Quoted:
5 gallon bucket with a few inches of water, pop can, peanut butter and a piece of wood long enough for a ramp to the top of the bucket. No poisons, doesn't need to be re-set. I have caught hundreds of mice, rodents, a bird in one.

5 gallon buckets have so many uses. If you keep a few stacks of them lying around you can improvise a LOT of things.

Posted: 4/9/2008 7:03:56 PM EDT

[#16]

Quoted:

Quoted:
5 gallon bucket with a few inches of water, pop can, peanut butter and a piece of wood long enough for a ramp to the top of the bucket. No poisons, doesn't need to be re-set. I have caught hundreds of mice, rodents, a bird in one.

Puctures? Diagrams? Plans?
I can not zisualize this one.

Bill

Here you go.

Posted: 4/9/2008 7:07:04 PM EDT

[#17]

I've got a few mouse and rat traps hung up on the garage wall. The rat traps are the big break a rat in half type. I figure they might work on two legged rats too. I've got some #2.5 spring traps too.

The primary worry following a big one would be bugs as the dead would create a major food source that unless buried correctly would lead to an explosion of bugs. A nuclear attack will also likely kill of the birds who do a good job controlling bugs too. I haven't seen but a single mosquito or two in the 20 something years I've lived here but I still have a couple of bottles of DEET and bug spray stockpiled.

Posted: 4/9/2008 7:50:56 PM EDT

[#18]

Quoted:
fleas, crabs, mites, louse whatever - dog or cat flea powder works wonders - in a 3rd world country long ago - i kept it on my head and body hair - and around my bunk or wherever i laid down - - that was 50 years ago and for a year i was bug free while there and had no big red bumps all over me like the other troops. i really dont know if that active poisonous ingredient was harmful - but at 67 years old now - i still have good health - i wouldnt hesitate to use it again if circumstances warranted and i have 12 cans of it in my shed for SHTF. PS i wasnt the only one that used it constantly and i still hear from those people and their health is what can be expected from 67 and older people.

I used to put a flea collar round each leg and then blouse my pants over the flea collar.

Posted: 4/10/2008 12:58:52 AM EDT

[#19]

Quoted:

Quoted:
5 gallon bucket with a few inches of water, pop can, peanut butter and a piece of wood long enough for a ramp to the top of the bucket. No poisons, doesn't need to be re-set. I have caught hundreds of mice, rodents, a bird in one.

Puctures? Diagrams? Plans?
I can not zisualize this one.

Bill

Here you go.

i56.photobucket.com/albums/g169/franksymptoms/Survival/rattrap.jpg

How exactly did it get its head removed? Did that occur post-water?

Posted: 4/10/2008 4:36:11 AM EDT

[#20]

Posted: 4/10/2008 8:37:02 PM EDT

[#21]

Quoted:

Quoted:
red rider/pellet gun and plenty of BBs, lots of trigger time and a little post-shtf diversion that doesn't result in children 9 months later

.

Once upon a time, I worked for a rather poorly funded inner city EMS, with a fairly significant rat problem at one of out satalite stations. I had a .22/410 survival rifle. .22 short was amazingly quiet out of this little rifle, and there was only one crew at a time in this station, so I used to amuse myself by potting rats out in the bay. Did that 'til I shot this big frigging poodle of a rat one evening, and he turned around and charged me. I jacked the little toggle switch down, and cut loose with the 410. 410 is damn loud in a small concrete garage. Partner was pissed, damn near shit her pants. 410 makes a little bigger mess then .22 short.

hahahahhahahahahah.........charging rat attack

, guess that rat was gonna see how far you could ride that rifle till you changed his mind

.

Posted: 4/11/2008 12:05:41 AM EDT

[#22]

I have a 2-member F.A.R.T. (Feline Anti Rodent Team) back home.

Posted: 4/11/2008 7:02:36 AM EDT

[#23]

http://asktrapperjohn.com/topics/bucketmouse.htm

BUCKET MOUSE TRAP

To build the mouse trap, you will need the following things:
1 wire coat hanger.
1 can of tomato soup.
Some fine wire to hold the bait (raw bacon)
A three foot board, 2" or 3" wide (ramp)
A five gallon plastic bucket.
Two gallons of soapy water. ( in the winter use car window washer solution )

To make the trap, drill a 1/8" hole in the center of the top and bottom of the tomato soup can. Put the can in some hot water to get the soup out through the holes. Put the wire hanger through the can and bend the ends so the can will hang three or four inches down in the bucket. Wrap the bacon around the can and hold in place with the wire. Put water in the bucket and set up the ramp.

The mice will run up the ramp, see the bacon and jump on the can, the can will spin over and drop the mouse in the water. Try it, it works great!

If the trap is to set for any length of time you can keep the smell down by pouring a cup of cooking oil on top of the water in the bucket when you set the trap out.

Posted: 4/11/2008 8:05:14 AM EDT

[#24]

Quoted:
5 gallon bucket with a few inches of water, pop can, peanut butter and a piece of wood long enough for a ramp to the top of the bucket. No poisons, doesn't need to be re-set. I have caught hundreds of mice, rodents, a bird in one.

They will also work (minus the water!) for hamsters that escape from Stalag 17.

Posted: 4/11/2008 10:55:52 AM EDT

[#25]

Quoted:
Goes along with stocking stuff for the home front. Mouse traps, rat traps, and D-con for protecting food stuffs. Then OTC stuff for personal usage from critters such as Nix for lice and Lindane for scabies. Burn Barrels and burn pits to dispose of waste to limit rodent infestations.

Uh, they banned Lindane a few years back. If you see any, snap it up.
A weak (<1%) solution was a century old lice treatment as well.

Posted: 4/17/2008 7:23:59 PM EDT

[#26]

Pour some dish soap in the water of your bucket trap. It strips the oil from the mouses fur and they sink to the bottom faster. Otherwise you get to listen to them tread water and scratch at the side of the bucket. It also helps to put warning signs up like, "no life guard on duty", "must be at least 3" tall", ect. My buddy made a creepy clown face that went over the ramp, so the mice walked in through the mouth. He wrote, "welcome to hell, sucker." Get creatice, have fun with it.

[ARCHIVED THREAD] - Another SHTF list of things no one thought of

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