Composter’s Log - Stardate 60352.8
Temperatures remain relatively stable (warm) in the bin, but an unwanted furry entity has invaded.
Must…find…a way…to neutralize the threat! Moisture and stinky tomatoes…have proven…ineffective!
Ok, that’s quite enough Cap’n Kirk for one post! haha
By the way, if you want to be ‘extra cool’ like me, here is the handy-dandy online star-date calculator I used for today’s date.
Back to serious business! Yes it’s true, the mice have officially made my compost bin into a winter condo and I’m not overly impressed.
In all honesty if these little rodents were to make nests down in the bottom corners of the bin where I don’t have to deal with them that would be totally fine. I just hate the idea of one day potentially digging around in my upper leaf layer (which had tunnels borrowed in it this morning) and accidentally wreaking havoc on an unsuspecting nest of mouse babies.
I know one reason they are feeling more comfortable in there is the fact that I’ve decided to make my trips to the bin more infrequent. The advantage of this strategy is two-fold. Firstly, it means there will be less opening of the bin (and thus releasing of warmth), and also it means I can now add larger, warmer masses of precomposted waste materials (I empty the milk carton contents into a bigger bucket now) into the bin, thus helping to kickstart warm zones more easily.
I think the mice are getting a wee bit too comfy cosy in there however so I think I will be modifying my strategy somewhat.
For starters, I’ve added the remaining heap of rotting tomatoes I had lying around. This should definitely make conditions near the top of the bin a little less appealing. I’m also going to be focusing more on the regions around the outer edges of the bin. These are the zones that have remained quite dry since this isn’t typically where I add waste materials.
I will also try to get out more often to make noise around the bin even if I’m not putting anything in. I’m sure daily banging near the top will make this region less appealing.
I’ve read that the scent of bobcat or fox acts as a great repellent. I don’t happen to keep either of those as pets unfortunately, but I do have two cats, so I may try adding any fur I can gather via brush or vacuum bag (I added a little this morning).
I’ve heard that various mints act as a deterrent as well so I may try adding some peppermint oil at some point if need be.
I’m sure me and the mice will be able to arrive at a mutually beneficial arrangement for sharing the bin!
Technorati Tags: compost, composting, composter, mice, mice repellent, rodents
Note: The Winter Composting Extravaganza has moved to a new home. To catch all the latest winter composting action be sure to check out the Compost Guy Winter Composting Page.
Written by Bentley on November 20th, 2006 with
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