Of Mice and Lawyers – more wire chewing woes

Well, I have been trying to tell people about this problem for a while now. It seems that some consumers are fed up and have turned to the law to protest the use of tasty soy based wiring in their vehicles. . .

CALIFORNIA — Do you have warning lights and costly car repairs? Rodent damage could be the culprit behind your next break down. A class action lawsuit claims the type of plastic used in new cars could be attracting vermin that eat the wires.

“I never could figure out where the stuff came from until I saw the rat,” said Barbara Olm. On more than one occasion a tiny hitch hiker made a meal out of the wiring in Olm’s 2012 Lexus.

The 84-year-old poisoned one rat in her car, but not before the rodent cause more than $400 in damage. “The mechanic found a ground wire and coolant wire eaten by rats,” Olm said. . . . .

Chewed up insulation is a cheap fix but wiring damage can be costly. “I have seen a couple in the $2000 range,” Campanili said, and damage is not covered under warrantee. University Honda can’t explain what’s attracts rodents to vehicles, but attorney Brian Kabateck can. “The plastic coating around the wires is made of soy,” Kabateck said. “I am not a rat expert, but soy must be delicious to rats.”

“While we cannot comment on this litigation, we can say that rodent damage to vehicle wiring occurs across the industry, and the issue is not brand- or model-specific.” Victor Vanov Corporate Communications Toyota Motor North America

http://www.wcpo.com/money/consumer/dont-waste-your-money/lawsuit-claims-car-wiring-too-tasty-to-rodents

 

 

Car owners across the country are getting into their cars these days, turning the key and finding their engine won’t start. The reason may be hard to believe: an animal ate their car’s wiring.

Now, a class action lawsuit claims millions of Toyota cars, trucks and SUVs contain wiring that is attractive to animals like squirrels and mice. Honda settled a similar suit a few years ago.

Thousands of car owners in recent years have ended up like Woody and Mary Herald, who two years ago showed us how animals chewed through their car’s wiring. “On the ground we found this connector, with six inches of wire on either end of it, that the varmints had chewed into completely,” Woody Herald said.

This new suit claims Toyota uses soy-based wiring, which is environmentally friendly but tasty to animals. . . . . .

http://fox17online.com/2017/02/08/do-animals-think-your-car-wiring-is-tasty/

While taking on the auto giants may be an option, it is likely to take lots of time before something is resolved. In the mean time, what is to be done for the average person who is stuck with a rodent taking up residence in their engine and feasting on their car wires?

 “If you see any evidence of rodents under the hood of your car, you should buy a 384250_f1024repellent immediately, before they cause  hundreds of dollars of damage.  That way, you don’t waste your money.”

 http://fox17online.com/2017/02/08/do-animals-think-your-car-wiring-is-tasty/

Well, I have never been one to bring up a problem without offering a solution.   Our PeeShots are perfect for this application. They come in an 8 pack and are “Pee-Loaded” with PredatorPee. Remove the lids and place the PeeShots near each tire and in engine compartment or other target areas in the vehicle. Remove before driving. Choose BobcatPeeShots for mice, CoyotePeeShots for rats and ‘coons, FoxPeeShots for squirrels, and WolfPeeShots for domestic and feral cats.

Problem: Predatory Hawks – Solution: Hawk Stopper

“. . .as a backyard chicken owner I hated to see my chickens killed. I wanted to know exactly how to protect chickens from hawks. The red-tailed hawk is one of three species in the United States known as a chicken hawk. The other two are sharp shinned and Cooper’s hawks.” How to protect chickens from hawks Pam Freeman

hawkUnfortunately, this chicken keeper’s experience is all too common. Hawks are a real threat to free range poultry across the country and with a rise in the number of backyard chickens, it is a problem begging for a solution.  Some people resort to shooting these birds right out of the sky. Well, aside from it being needless killing, this is also illegal without proper permitting.

“ All hawks and owls are federally protected under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act (16 USC, 703-711). These laws strictly prohibit the capture, killing, or possession of hawks or owls without special permit.”

In addition to this fact, “No repellents or toxicants are registered or recommended for controlling hawk or owl damage. In years past, raptors were killed by putting out carcasses laced with poison. This practice led to the indiscriminate killing of many nontarget animals. Concerns for human safety also prompted the banning of toxicants for raptor control.”(http://icwdm.org/handbook/birds/HawksOwls.asp)

So, what is a chicken keeper faced with this ongoing threat to do?

Well, that is what the creative folks at predatorpee.com have been researching for the past few years. And the result of those efforts have produced the Hawk Stopper – visual deflection net.

The concept was first used to protect salt-water salmon farms in the Gulf of Maine from predatory sea birds. Hawk Stopper now uses the same principles of visual deflection to protect free-range chickens, turkeys and ducks as well as koi, catfish and other inland pond or farm-raised fish.
How does Hawk Stopper work? When you call someone eagle eye, it’s because they have sharp eyesight. But in reality, no human’s eyesight comes even close to the visual capabilities of predatory raptors like hawks, eagles and falcons. These birds see about 8 times better than humans – they see things sharper and from a greater distance than anything we can imagine. Hawk Stopper uses the hawks’ incredible eyesight to turn an easy-to-handle, inexpensive, lightweight 1500 square foot mesh into a formidable and impenetrable barrier. What we see as almost invisible looks to hawk like jail cell door!

A peaceful, easy solution that will keep your hens safe and not harm the hawks either. It’s a win-win.

 

LONG WINTER NAP. . .OR NOT

The birds migrate south, the bears hibernate and I take an extended blogging break. It seems to be a pattern.  I wish it was because I was taking a winter slumber but the truth is just the opposite.  I have been so busy selling and shipping pee, crusher hats, bearguard and hawkstoppers that keeping up the blog has fallen to the wayside. As you can see from the photo, i haven’t even been able to keep up with the blowdowns in the woods.  So, here we go again . . .as a way to ease back into the blogosphere I give you some Winterberry Farm peaceful winter scenes(including the grandson on skiis). Enjoy

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Narnia?

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Thaddeus X-Country Skiing

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Dog Trails

Until I find more words . . .The PeeMan