Going fouine crazy...!

[val douest]

At the moment we are very unwillingly sharing our house with a family

of fouines.  We have always had trouble with the odd fouine in the

roof from time to time  - at least we assume that's what they are

as we saw one nearby on one occasion when he had a close encounter with

our cat.  We think they are getting in through the open spaces at

the end of the roof tiles which could only be done by something long

and thin. The main problem is that they make their way very noisily

across one side of the roof to the apex and then down the other, and as

our bedrooms are built into the attic space they are only inches over

our heads.  About six weeks ago the noises then moved further into

the bedroom and from the sounds coming from the wall immediately behind

our bedhead we think they have managed to push down into the space

between the wall and the plasterboard where they have built a

nest.  The noise has to be heard to be believed - squealing and

squeaking from the young, chattering and churring from the adults

(rather like a louder version of the noise a grey squirrel makes when

it is angry) and endless crashing around  and scrabbling - all

just a plasterboard's thickness away from our heads on the pillow! As

they are nocturnal it makes sleeping very difficult.  We can't see

any way of dislodging them until the young are old enough to leave the

nest: once they have departed we can try our best to block up every

tile entrance as well as scouring the entire place for other holes and

crannies.

But we suddenly had an awful thought....will they leave when the young

are grown, or is that now their chosen home for life??  Can anyone

- maybe Chris - shed any light on the private life of fouines?  I

know they are a protected species and we would be happy to persuade

them to move on rather than to kill them (and apart from anything else,

if we did manage to do them in where they are,  the thought of

their decomposing bodies - and the smell -  just behind our wall

is not pleasant).  But we have to do something as our quality of

life is being seriously affected; we had quieter nights 30 years ago

with newborn twins!

We have tried ultrasonic devices, loud music, and banging on the wall

with a stick (which just produces a chorus of angry chattering and

squeals).  Any ideas or information very gratefully received,

Val

[Deimos]

I had a family living in a roof/converted attic – they were living between the plasterboard and the roof and were quite active.  Had them for two years (and both years they had babies who loved playing, making loads of noise, etc.).  Local trapper had no luck in catching them, etc.

I also tried loud music, bashing the plasterboard immediately where I heard them and it all had no effect.  When I had mine, it was a long term resident continually for 2 years.  Quieter in the summer and I have no idea how it survived the temperatures the roof space must have got to in the summer but I still heard it most days.

Mine had two litters whilst I lived in my roof (both around the spring and they are noisy as they play).  In my case, with both litters the youngsters went off and left the adult (or at least just one by the sounds of it).

The answer actually turned out to be moth balls.  The old traditional ones that smell a bit horrible (i.e. not the modern “pong free” type).  Most large supermarkets sell them.  I just put about 4 or 5 small trays of them(e.g. empty margarine containers, etc) around the edge of the roof where they lived.  Its actually quite a large area (9m by 8m floor area) and I have no access to the space to as far as possible up under the roof was all I could do.  Basicaslly, do what you can to get the pong of the moth balls into the roof space.  They disappeared after a few days.  They did return about 3 months later, so I re-filled the trays and they disappeared immediately and have not returned since (I don’t bother to keep re-filling the trays).  the trays of moth balls seem to last quite a long time  so it is minimal work as well.

I would not recommend trying to block their access as I think (in my roof anyway) they can get in through very small holes, plus you don’t want to “seal them in”.  Also, roof spaces need ventilation.

If moth balls have no effect, try finding a local piegeur agree.  Try asking the president of your local chasse.  Chris will know the truth but I have a suspicion in some areas they are protected.  I first tried contacting a “pest extermination” company (Rentokil type of company) and they said they could not do anything about fouines as they are protected.  However, many farmers, etc. consider them a pest.

I’m convinced the best solution is moth balls as it does not harm them but “encourages” them to move elsewhere.

 

Ian

[chris pp]

Hi Val,  I wish I had a Euro for every house in France with a fouine problem, they have adapted rather well to our "caves".

Fouines and their status depends on your department, they are not actually a listed protected species in French law, but whether or not they are considered nuisable and therefore subject to free trapping is a matter for the Prefecture, to make it more complicated some years they are on the list and some years they are not.

What you can hear is the mother talking to her young and them responding and the good news is that they will soon be weaned and of on their own in the world. The idea from Ian seems to be a good one, I was talking to a French naturalist about it last weekend and he was convinced it worked, Naphthalene or something?? although I wouldn't rule out blocking any holes as well, maybe one at a time. July / August is probably best when she's out looking for a bloke.

Ideally it would be best to trap her in a ragondin trap before blocking the holes, the trap needs to be placed directly on the route she takes with some raw meat or eggs in it. Having trapped her, you could block the holes, lace them with moth balls and then take her a decent distance away from houses before releasing her.

Best I can do, Chris

[Oldie]

As an aside, I was plagued by wasps building small nests in my post box so I purchased some moth balls (Antimites) from my local Casino and they haven't returned since.

[val douest]

Many thanks for the very helpful responses.  I bought a huge

bargain bag of really strong-smelling mothballs at SuperU today so over

the weekend we will be stowing them everywhere we can reach as a first

line of defence.  Once we have persuaded them to move elsewhere we

will look at supplementary ways to stop them getting back in.  I

will report back in due course!

Val

[Deimos]

Mine returned only once (and a few more moth balls sent her away immediately).  Since then, no moth balls and no return.  I know there must be several in the area (as she had a couple of litters in my roof.  My theory (guess – no knowledge here but Chris might know if it is correct) is that she marked the roof as her’s (scent).  She has gone, her scent remains so nobody else will take over as she marked it as hers.

Remember that roof spaces (between plasterboard and tiles need ventilation to avoid wood rotting so don’t be too thorough (or fit grill type material that allows air movement).  Might be hat the special vent tiles probably fitted to your roof might be enough.  If you are unsure about that (as I am), ask in the “Renovations” section where I’m sure there are experts.

 

Ian

[Strange]

Hi Val,

Hope the mothballs are working, and would like to know how many you used? You say you bought a large bargain bag but not how many and our roof space is 18m by 10m. Did yours say they had naphthalene, as I believe it is this that is the chemical the foine dislike and not the nice lavender smelling ones we generally find in stores these days? I also think that naphthalene is highly flammable, hence why in these H&S conscious days in Britain it has been withdrawn from general moth ball manufacture. Knowing the French don't bother too much with H&S I was about to buy some in the local LeClerc but the packet said 'sans naphthaline', so no good I would think.

Anyway, hope you are having some peaceful nights at last and the solution is working. But how many did you 'spread about'?

Many thanks, Paul

[Deimos]

The ones I used (and that worked) were cheapo ones from Super U in a small plastic bag (traditional ball shaped ones). My roof is converted and the fouine was living between the plaster board and the roof tiles. Thus access was very difficult so I could only put a few in plastic trays a points round the edge where there were small gaps. Probably managed to get t small plastic bags worth around the edge at any one time. I have a suspicion that the animals are quite sensitive to the small.

I'm afraid I cannot remember what the bag labels said but they were the only traditional moth ball things on sale in Super U.

Ian

[Strange]

Thanks Ian. Yes those are the same as sold in our Super U. You've put 't' for the number of bags - two, three or ten? - I'd be interested to know. You mentioned in your earlier post they came back but you spread some more about and that did the trick. My only concern, apart from the access thing, is that the air will dissipate the effect of the mothballs near the edges of the roof tiles, which seems to be their only point of access. Also, if I were a fouine I'd overturn or spill the tin, margerine tub or whatever that they were kept in. Did you notice this had happened?

More general I know, but is the autumn a good time? I know they hibernate, so maybe it is, maybe it isn't! I'm sure they'll find somewhere else to go, probably better than leaving it until the onset of winter. Oh, and by-the-way, did you have to fumigate or do anything special to get rid of the smell - or did it just disperse itself naturally so-to-speak?

Merci beaucoup pour votre assistance.

Paul

PS - love your endpiece on your posts. So very true.

[chris pp]

Excuse the interruption, but Fouine don't hibernate, but only enter a period of reduced activity during particularly cold spells. People normally only become aware of their presence in a building when the young are born in Spring and they and their mother are communicating with each other.

Logically, I would think that late Autumn would be a good time to put mothballs in place, if that's what you want to do.

Chris

[Deimos]

The "t" should have been a two. This was not many given the area concerned so I guess they are particularly sensitive to the smell.

I started with the moth balls as soon as I was told to try them (cannot remember what time of year). The fouine then moved out (within a week or two - cannot remember exactly). I guess the moth balls "evaporated" after a month or so and then she returned (it was a good gap of a few months fouine free, not out one day back same week a definite "gone"). I then re-filled the trays and she moved out that day/night . I've never re-filled the trays again and I am still fouine free. For me its not something has to be kept going to keep them out. My experience (on the one fouine !) is that once persuaded to find somewhere else they stay away.

I believed I knew where she was getting in and out (mainly through a small area of a wall I had painted becoming very grubby gust below the eves. There was a hole there (though I would have thought too small. However, she was getting in and out somewhere. I put a tray of moth balls right under the possible hole. The trays being knocked over was not a major problem (as she moved out pretty quickly).

Before a tried the moth balls a local piegeur tried to catch her baiting a trap with an egg close to her way in/out (he agreed with where I had assumed she was getting in/out) but he caught nothing so I started with moth balls.

I don't know what happens to youngsters (i.e. how far away they move) but before I found out about the moth balls technique She had two litters so there are probably quite a few around the area.

I have assumed (and do correct me if I'm wrong on this) that moth balls are a humane way of solving the fouine problem. My reasons for thinking this (maybe wrong) are that you are making the fouines nest unpleasant and persuading them to move on. You are not harming them just making other nesting sites better suited to them. I don't know if they are protected around me. However, there are certainly enough of them that the locals regard them as a pest to be "got rid of" and they would happily kill them given the chance (protected or not).

Ian

[val douest]

Hi Paul and Ian

Yes, touch wood, we are currently fouine-free. Ian's suggestion

regarding the mothballs was brilliant - I used the ones with naptholene

from SuperU and put the balls (about 9 of them I think) in a margarine

tub which I had pierced with a skewer in several places, replaced the

lid, and shoved the tub into a largish hole under the eaves which was

in the area where we had heard most coming and going.  We did this

at the end of May and have not heard a fouine since. The only reason I

have not reported back is that I understand the female will have left

after raising her young and is likely to be off finding a fella during

the summer, returning as the weather gets colder;  I was waiting

to see if she stays away this Autumn.  But so far, so good, and I

have also passed the tip on to a couple of neighbours who have had

equally good results.   I have the rest of the packet 

in a metal container in the garage as the pong is a bit overwhelming so

I am all set if we need to replace the original deterrent.

We hadn't been bothered too much by the fouines' smell, more by the

noise, but there was a definite ferrety whiff in the bedroom next to

their nest.  Fortunately we were able to have the windows open

throughout the summer and it has completely disappeared so hopefully

you will find the same thing.

Good luck in moving your fouines on, Paul, and thanks again, Ian, for excellent advice.

Val

[Dick Smith]

When the beasts are running about, are the a bit bird-like in the noises they make? Like scratchy claws? We have had that, and we have also had staining come through a ceiling, but never any sign of anything living in the loft space. Mothballs might be a good answer. Shot from a gun...