Hi, I have heard that red pepper powder spread on the bottom board for an upright will prevent mice. They get the stuff on their feet and then lick their feet--I guess the taste is too uninviting even for them. At 10:14 AM 12/2/01 -0500, you wrote: >Does anyone know of a good way to deter the vermin from entering the piano? >I have a non-university client that would like to keep the mice out but >doesn't really want to use any lethal means. The piano is actually located >on a nature and animal preserve. > >I have in the past seen the use of pipe tobacco spread under the keys. I >don't know if it was effective, but come to think of it there were never any >droppings, just a mess of tobacco! Is this just an old wives tale? What >other substances might work? > >Phil Romano >Coastal Carolina University >Myrtle Beach, SC > >----- Original Message ----- >From: "Stephen Birkett" <birketts@wright.aps.uoguelph.ca> >To: <caut@ptg.org> >Sent: Saturday, December 01, 2001 6:49 PM >Subject: Re: A New Mouse Trap > > >> > While I'm writing this, I'm trying to browse the list archives for hanta >> > virus, about which there was some extensive posting a few years >> > ago. Unless it was a hoax, the prudent course might be to read up and >do >> > a thorough cleaning, wearing the appropriate protective wear. >> > >> > No luck with the browser. Maybe someone else can advise you on that. >> >> Hi David, >> >> Maybe this is what you remembered... >> Here's the little post I made on hantavirus back in 1998 (pianotech) when >> the subject came up. Be careful. >> >> Stephen >> ---------------------- >> From birketts Wed Jul 22 12:47:27 1998 >> Subject: Re: Hantavirus >> To: pianotech@ptg.org >> Date: Wed, 22 Jul 1998 12:47:27 -0500 (EDT) >> In reply to: "Sy Zabrocki" at Jul 22, 98 09:15:16 am >> >> > It's puzzling why this virus is now present. Some of us have been >> > shoveling mice droppings from pianos for over 40 years with no problem. >> > What is the factor? >> > >> >> The rodent strain is the first US outbreak of acute disease associated >> with hantavirus. Hantaviruses have traditionally been associated with >> diseases like hemorrhagic fever and renal syndrome. Mortality rate from >> hantavirus pulmonary syndrome is 48%. The disease is asymptomatic in >> rodents and is transmitted via saliva and excreta. Its *first* occurence >> was only in 1993...a designer disease for that year, along with the new >> cholera pandemic that was first seen in 1993 in Asia. Question is why did >> pulmonary hantavirus syndrome emerge in 1993, when the virus was present >> in low levels in rodent populations for years prior to 1993? Is this >> related to changes in rodent ecology and/or changes in the viral >> strain...why pulmonary now and not renal? The answer depends on your >> political pursuasion, but it seems fairly likely (in other new disease >> emergence also) that ecological/environmental perversions are at least >> partially responsible. Possible scenario is: 1993 heavy rains after 6 >> years drought caused flourishing rodent food supply...rodent burrows were >> flooded driving the mice above ground...perfect conditions for >> amplification of the virulent strain of hantavirus and its transmission to >> human populations. 1993 was also a particularly bad El Nino year. Years >> of overgrazing and de-forestation in the southwest served to amplify the >> flooding problem, plus increased human contact with rodent populations. >> So the combination of conditions no doubt made everything just right for >> emergence of hantavirus pulmonary syndrome. >> >> Just some thoughts from another one of my past lives. When I was involved >> with ecosystem modelling we looked at the emergence of new diseases. >> This one is certainly not the first or last....and we are in for a rough >> ride over the next decades judging by history since the 80s. >> >> Isn't piano servicing fun. You should check out the CDC website for >> suggestions on reducing the risk. >> >> Stephen >> >> Stephen Birkett Fortepianos >> Authentic Reproductions of 18th and 19th Century Pianos >> 464 Winchester Drive >> Waterloo, Ontario >> Canada N2T 1K5 >> tel: 519-885-2228 >> email: birketts@wright.aps.uoguelph.ca >> >> >> >> >> > > Regards, Don Rose, B.Mus., A.M.U.S., A.MUS., R.M.T., R.P.T. mailto:drpt@sk.sympatico.ca http://us.geocities.com/drpt1948/ 3004 Grant Rd. REGINA, SK S4S 5G7 306-352-3620 or 1-888-29t-uner
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