Pest monitoring

Deborah Lee Trupin <dlt573 [at] aol__com> writes

> the
>staff was very distressed because a number of very very small snakes
>(yes, really, snakes) were being caught in the traps.  They have
>also had problems with mice running through the traps and dragging
>them through the rooms.

Two comments--first, the mice should be trapped with snap traps.
The mice themselves are a serious pest problem, their droppings and
shed hair will contribute to your dermestid problem.  Do
"saturation" trapping so you do not have to bait the traps.

Snakes (or mice) caught in sticky traps can be easily and humanely
removed with mineral oil.  I have tried this, and it requires a
fairly liberal coating of mineral oil to work the animal loose, but
you can then wash the animal off in warm, mild soapy water and
release it far away from your site.

John Simmons
Natural History Museum
University of Kansas
Lawrence, Kansas 66045

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                  Conservation DistList Instance 12:72
                   Distributed: Monday, March 8, 1999
                       Message Id: cdl-12-72-004
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