Another incursion.

9/9/19

(Above: An image taken to cause perplexity within the viewer. Read on to find out what is going on here!)

Building Summary: Today’s Jacobhouse activities began with my daily inspection of the utility hole. There, I found a suspicious presence of dried grass that I had not seen before. Further inspection of the underside where all the pipes enter Jacobhouse revealed sand on top of the sewer line (well past where the sewer line emerges from the earth… rodents tracking it up the pipe before entering) and a small amount of chewed foam. I took a picture up into that hole with my camera and found a couple possible entry points.

A Sparr trip ensued where I procured 5′ of hardware cloth*, some more spray foam, and a box of bug bombs. On returning to Jacobhouse, I set up one bug bomb on some wax-paper in the office area (just beside the closet-wall’s access to the original reefer’s under-run) and another on a box in the kitchen. I next went through the entire house, ensuring that all the cupboard / cabinet doors were open (the ones with access to the under-run) and that all power was turned off at the main panel box**. Then, I activated the bombs and quickly stepped outside where I commenced to close the postern doors of the container home***. My reason for bug-bombing Jacobhouse was to ‘smoke out’ any rodents living in the under-run. I did not seal the incursion hole yet, so they do have a way to escape. I will fill it in later, however, after the foggers have expired.

As for additional activities, I began painting the interior doors for Jacobhouse. This began with my first erecting a ‘hanging wire’ from the center two posts in the old haybarn, and then by my fastening two woodscrews half-way in the top each door. From these screws, I extended small pieces of wire that connected to the hanging wire. As thus, the doors are suspended in an upright position where I can paint all sides in one go rather than having to wait for one side to dry before painting the other.

(6:47 PM Update): Spent approximately one and a half hours sealing up the utility hole under Jacobhouse once again. The process consisted first of stuffing all small holes with steel wool and was then followed by my cutting small pieces of hardware cloth and placing it layers around / in / through the utility hole region. After that, I sprayfoamed the entire region by sticking the straw through the hardware cloth and pulling back the nozzle. I really don’t want to meet the rat that can chew through all I added today, but if one does happen to get in, I’ve set a trap (more in commentary).

TIL: Today is a continuation of a lesson that I have been learning in regard to sealing indoors from outdoors. When performing such a task, it is imperative to include as much metal – hardware cloth and wool – as possible in the caulking / sprayfoam that is used. Even though they do not guarantee success, such deterrents make it much more difficult for rodents to gain entry. Prevention is the primary key to a pest-free home. The unfortunate part in Jacobhouse’s case, is that they must have already been in-house when the original sealing was performed, and once rodents have infiltrated and nested in a certain place, they are very determined to keep that place as their home at all costs. Therefore – as in my case – a more forceful and permanent approach must be taken before I initiate the ‘prevention’ protocol.  

Commentary: I dislike killing things. When it comes to spiders in the house, I let them remain, and when I encounter a roach, they are gently escorted outdoors. Today, however, I was forced to release a bug-bomb in an attempt to smoke out the rodent(s) dwelling in the subfloor. The fumigation sadly took care of all insects and arachnids in Jacobhouse, but in regard to the rat in the sub-floor, I’m still uncertain whether it left or stayed.

Why am I including all this information? Well, until this point, Find Walden has been a blog about life and the appreciation thereof. Rodents are the line, apparently. I’ve discovered a newfound sentiment within myself in their regard; it isn’t exactly possessiveness. No, it is protectiveness. For over a year, I’ve spent an average of 4+ hours each day working and building on Jacobhouse. The thought of a rodent chewing its way in, leaving its musk and feces all over the sub-floor****, and its potential to cause damage (nibbled wires, wood, anything); is completely and utterly frustrating.

Perhaps if I lived back in Thoreau’s time when there was no electricity or running water and limited knowledge about the diseases that rats can transmit, I would not mind so much. I don’t live in such a time period, though, so the rodents have to go.

Final Note: Tomorrow I plan on turquois’ing the unpainted door and then laying a second coat of brown on the slab that I painted today.

*The name for a heavy duty, ¼” steel mesh.

** For fire safety sake. Supposedly, bug bombs are quite flammable, and seeing as Jacobhouse is a small enclosure, I did not want to risk any sort of conflagration. I knew it wasn’t likely, but I figured a flick of one switch on the panel box was worth the peace of mind.

***I did this because I wanted any fleeing rodents to escape out of the front of Jacobhouse rather than the back.

****The amount of excrement that a rat or two can create is phenomenal. I used my phone camera to peer under the kitchen floor, and what I found was downright disgusting to say the least. That’s probably why I haven’t included the image on this blog!