Roof fillers to keep out fouines?

[val douest]

We are about to start a concerted effort to block up all the places fouines can use to gain entry to our roof.  It's a huge task but we are determined to do something to keep them out next year.  Napthalene mothballs, ammonia-soaked rags, high frequency devices, loud music and baited fouine traps have so far failed to work; they just kept moving to different areas of the roof.  They have now decamped for the summer but the youngsters - who are very bold and if caught in the sensor-operated lights simply stare at us, and if approached growl and swear - still spend the day in the roof from time to time.  They fight between themselves and make a dreadful racket, though not as much as the whole family did while being raised by their mother during the spring.

Anyway, one part of the roof is covered with tiles which instead of being flat have a rounded section (Roman tiles?) which means there is a tunnel with an entry point where each row meets the gutter.  I know these are often blocked off with concrete but apart from not looking very attractive, I wonder about the resulting lack of ventilation.  I am sure I have heard of special fillers (foam? )which can be pushed into place to stop wildlife getting in.  In the new section of the house the builders inserted rolled-up chicken wire to block off access to one part of the roof but this would be a very time consuming process for each 'tunnel' in the area we have to deal with. 

Does anyone know more about these fillers?  Or have any other helpful ideas and suggestions?

Thanks,

Val

[BIG MAC]

Mentalist Idea but rather than block the roof how about putting an  'electric fence' round under the rafter overhang ...Marten hot shoe shuffle anyone

[mattjazz]

Not knowing anything about fouines, is it just one family in there? If so, is it possible to trap and relocate them?

Failing that, Big Mac's idea actually sounds quite feesible.

[Anton Redman]

Foiunes move round suitable sleeping places moving one familly on will simply mean another moves in.

We cured ours using plywood cut to shape mounted on the wooden ring beam. Concrete from the inside if you have access to the roof.

[Chippiepat]

I Don't know what a Fouine is, but In the U.K. you can get a plastic bird guard that is rather like a comb with long plastic teeth,this is pinned to the top of the fascia & then the weight of the tiles bends the teeth to the shape of the tile.I know that most french houses don't have fascias, but, would probably work o.k. if fixed to the voilage, and tops of walls sealed to underside of foilage also,this could be done with sand& cement or expanding foam.The bird guards are cheap as chips, flexible, & light so probably would'nt cost much to have sent from U.K.

[Anton Redman]

They can and do break /chew through plastic

http://www.fourmilab.ch/images/animal_magnetism/fouine.html

[nomoss]

Good thing you're not in England. They'd probably be protected and you'd have to move house [:D]

[Dave]

We had them in the roof space for 10 years or more until we went around every possible entry point and fixed strong wire mesh and since then we have had no problem. They can get in through very small gaps and have been known to lift roof tiles. They make a mess of any insulation, can chew through electric cables and the ammonia smell from the urine is horrendous. Whatever you do it has to be strong and solid and not just a bit of foam.

Good luck - you will need it.

Dave

[val douest]

Many thanks for all your replies.  We have decided that galvanised wire wesh rolled into balls and pushed up the gutter tunnels will probably be the most effective barrier along the length of roman tiles.  Not easy and not quick, but from reports it seems to have been the most successful method to date.  We did think about the electrical route but apparently the leakage to earth would be a problem where it would need to be sited.   Fouines are in fact protected a protected species in most parts of France though the locals round here don't seem to pay much attention; they never have much luck catching them though.  And as Anton pointed out, if one lot goes, another lot just move in.  I'm sure there is a fortune to be made by anyone who can devise a cheap, easy-to-use, and effective method of keeping fouines out - until then we'll have to do it the hard way!

Val

[JeanS]

We had a family of fouines in the loft 2 years ago. OH lifted roof tiles and cleared out their 2 bed appt. We filled the area with moth balls and cotton wool balls soaked in peppermint oil. He then blocked up under the guttering with very fine metal mesh & stuffed little balls of the mesh in any hole he could see - result SUCCESS - no more fouines. Godd luck Val!!

[nemltd]

Hi Val

Could you get yourself a nice big farmyard cat? I've read the cat is a natural predator of the fouine.

Regards, Tony

[Gardian]

I think that it's more the other way round!!  It'd need to be Supercat to mess with a bunch of that lot.

[Clair]

If you know the access point, you could try "scrunching" some wire netting into a ball and jamming it wherever they come in.

They can chew through a wire or two, but they wouldn't be able to get through a ball of wire.