Tips for Keeping Insects and Pests Out of the Shop

[Paul Alciatore]

I am in south Texas and insects and pests are everywhere. I am in the city, so my biggest problems are spiders and squirrels. I am really tired of cleaning out spider webs and squirrel droppings. My shop in in my garage so the doors do not seal up completely.

Anybody have any suggestions for keeping these and other critters out of the shop? I do not like the idea of spreading a lot of poison around. But I have used some of those roach and ant hotels that have the poison sealed inside where pets and children can not reach it.

[Doozer]

Just a guess, but maybe moth balls?

-D

[koda2]

I have used moth balls but only outside. They tend to dissuade cats from spraying your property. Moth balls off-gas napthelene(sp?) which is toxic to humans so I wouldn't use it inside.
For spiders, you can use something like Home Defense. Spray the bottom, sides and top of the doors on the outside as a barrier.. Do it every month for a few months and see what results you get. Supposedly, spiders cannot stand Lemon Pledge. I use it around all my windows. Supposedly, spider trainers use it. Hah!

You can also try ultrasonic sound generators that plug into an outlet. Very cheap. May not be advisable if your household pet wanders into your shop all the time.
Best bet is to work on the door. You should be able to get it to seal well enough to keep out squirrels and rats. Mice are more difficult.
Squirrels can cause tremendous damage because they like to chew through wood, especially along the eaves and make nests in the attic or top. Sometimes it just takes a dose of Terminalin. I recommend the .22 dose. One application is usually enough.

[A.K. Boomer]

Just a guess, but maybe moth balls?

-D

What is it about moth balls that is supposed to be that offensive - why not butterfly balls or hummingbird balls or fer cri-sakes even rockymountain oysters?

[wierdscience]

What is it about moth balls that is supposed to be that offensive - why not butterfly balls or hummingbird balls or fer cri-sakes even rockymountain oysters?

Geez Boomer,have you ever heard of Butterflies or Hummingbirds or for that matter Oysters Rocky mountain or not eating up clothes in peoples closets?

[wierdscience]

Squirrels are a bit tough,maybe some rolled up pieces of screen wire stuffed into the gaps in the door?

I have trouble with Spiders in mine,especially during the spring.There is one particular flavor of Decon fogger that handles them.I turn off the pilots lights and drop one once a year.It works and keeps the shop clear until the following year.

[sarge41]

Paul: Have you tried "sticky traps"? My wife buys them at Wally World and places them around places of entry, out of sight. She replaces them about twice a year. Good for insects and small rodents such as mice or small lizards.

Sarge

[Mr-Mike]

Spiders are tough to deal with, even Orkin has no reliable remedy. For rodents - traps. I used a no kill (cage-type) trap baited with marshmallows to catch all the squirrels in the immediate vicinity (then dispatched them). They love marshmallows. Haven't had any since (over a year).

[flylo]

For coons use fly bait for horses mixed with pepsi or coke in a pie tin. I've seen 5 die right next to the tin. I prefer lead poisioning, much more fun. They really tore up my insulation & foam board in the shop, knocked things over, etc. Shot 3 bam bam bam one night, a 4th got ran over & I thought they were gone but I heard one this week & more boxes knocked down.

[pgmrdan]

Get a cat.

[Seastar]

Spraying with Home Defense works very well for me. It keeps out the spiders as well as other bugs and ants.
I trap squirrels and release them a couple of miles away. Peanut butter works for bait.
I would shoot them but my wife and neighbors object.
One of my neighbors called the police after I test fired a new gun I built into my bullet trap with the shop door open - idiot.
Bill

[Willy]

One of my neighbors called the police after I test fired a new gun I built into my bullet trap with the shop door open - idiot.
Bill

That's the nice thing about where I live, fire a few shots over here and if the phone does ring it's usually one of the neighbors asking if I need any recipes.

My out buildings did have a rodent problem until I started using mothballs. After the moth balls were gone I just stored either a chainsaw, lawnmower, or fuel storage containers there and they have not been back, don't think they care for the smell.

My shop has not had a rodent issue for as almost 4 decades mainly due to the smell of varsol and other solvents used there I would assume. I also never leave anything like pet food or leftovers for them to eat in there. Fellow down the road does mostly wood work in his shop and he has rodent issues so I'm guessing it's the petroleum smell that turns them off as his shop is much tighter than mine.

Spiders though I don't have too much of a problem with and any I do will soon bee gone for the winter.

[Charles Spencer]

I had a terrible problem with spiders. Some of their webs caused a rash on my bare arms if I brushed up against them. And there really is no poison that seems to work . The problem is that spiders are not insects.

After much research and some trial I came up with three things:

1. Sticky traps - they work but don't catch enough.

2. A mix of coconut oil mixed with vinegar in a spray bottle. This seems to work as a repellent.

3. The best tip I read was to physically remove the spiders. I did this by vacuuming up the webs and spiders with the shop vac. That worked really well.

[Toolguy]

When I first moved into my shop I had a bad problem with flies. You would think a few flies buzzing around isn't that bad, but as time went on, they were multiplying exponentially to the point that there were thousands of them, seemingly covering every square inch of the shop. I had to stop them somehow, but didn't want to spray poison on everything. After great deliberation I finally figured out to spray the windows and fluorescent light bulbs and fixtures. Bugs are attracted to light, so they spend most of their time where there is light. This way a little bug spray is pretty effective and I never come in contact with it.

After a week or so, most of them were dead, but the cleanup was pretty gross. Then the next group hatched and we did it all over again, this time not as bad since I had a head start on them. Once that was over, I have kept the lights and windows medicated and only have a few occasional short term visitors.

[Dave C]

For coons use fly bait for horses mixed with pepsi or coke in a pie tin. I've seen 5 die right next to the tin. I prefer lead poisioning, much more fun. They really tore up my insulation & foam board in the shop, knocked things over, etc. Shot 3 bam bam bam one night, a 4th got ran over & I thought they were gone but I heard one this week & more boxes knocked down.

What fly bait do you use? We have cats that live outside, and are fed on the patio. Coons come to eat the cat's food. The wife thinks they are cute and had a fit when I shot one, so now I live trap and relocate them. A real PITA. I caught 4 last week, and there's one left that is wise to the trap. We started removing the food after it gets dark, but now the little bastard is tearing up the patio furniture looking for it. I want his a$$ gone.