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I had squirrels put black walnuts inside my engine, including the space in the hood so that they rolled out when I opened it to see the engine covered in nut pi

I had squirrels put black walnuts inside my engine, including the space in the hood so that they rolled out when I opened it to see the engine covered in nut pieces. I think they were responsible for the wiring issues I had with that car. Also found several boxes filled with black walnuts in my garage. I hate red squirrels.

tyingq 5y ago
Yes, it's common for squirrels to eat the wiring harness. More expensive these days since cars are so full of tightly packed wires in hard-to-get-to places.
- asdff 5y ago
  It's a big problem now that manufacturers use soy insulation for wires, which I guess is tasty if you are a rodent.
  - rsj_hn 5y ago
    IIRC, there was a class action lawsuit against an auto manufacturer that thought it was a good idea to use soy to insulate wires: https://www.autobodynews.com/index.php/industry-news/item/20979-toyota-soy-wiring-class-action-lawsuit-resurrected.html https://www.autobodynews.com/index.php/industry-news/item/20...
  - jonah 5y ago
    There exists Genuine Honda Rodent Tape which is part number: 4019-2317 (Random dealer site which lists it for sale: https://www.collegehillshonda.com/product/4019-2317.html https://www.collegehillshonda.com/product/4019-2317.html)
joecool1029 5y ago
> I hate red squirrels. Since most of HN doesn't know, there's a big difference between grey/fox squirrels that most people see running around outside and these red devils. I would argue most haven't even seen these, they are smaller, more skittish, and typically only live around areas that have a lot of pine trees. For one, red squirrels aren't quiet, they bark and chitter all the time for warning calls or territorial challenging. They aren't social so much as combative. Extremely territorial and destructive to housing. These are the ones that will eat through wood siding then destroy attic insulation on their quest to overwinter indoors and store tree nuts inside the walls. When it's not pecan nuts rolling by in walls, they are beating the shit out one another or barking and chittering as you or your pets are nearby. Sound, smells, ultrasonic, predator calls, all ineffective to get them to leave a space once they settle in. If they have young, you can't remove (either by relocation, plugging up the hole they made, or killing) until the young is out or they'll die and stink up the house. Even if you do plug a hole, they'll spend days trying to get back in barking and scratching the whole time. I can't think of a wild animal I hate more. Exterminators don't have a high success rate against them, traps are rarely effective (and they learn fast if they escape), and the amount of damage they cause is obscene.

tyingq 5y ago

Yes, it's common for squirrels to eat the wiring harness. More expensive these days since cars are so full of tightly packed wires in hard-to-get-to places.

asdff 5y ago
It's a big problem now that manufacturers use soy insulation for wires, which I guess is tasty if you are a rodent.
- rsj_hn 5y ago
  IIRC, there was a class action lawsuit against an auto manufacturer that thought it was a good idea to use soy to insulate wires: https://www.autobodynews.com/index.php/industry-news/item/20979-toyota-soy-wiring-class-action-lawsuit-resurrected.html https://www.autobodynews.com/index.php/industry-news/item/20...
- jonah 5y ago
  There exists Genuine Honda Rodent Tape which is part number: 4019-2317 (Random dealer site which lists it for sale: https://www.collegehillshonda.com/product/4019-2317.html https://www.collegehillshonda.com/product/4019-2317.html)

joecool1029 5y ago

> I hate red squirrels. Since most of HN doesn't know, there's a big difference between grey/fox squirrels that most people see running around outside and these red devils. I would argue most haven't even seen these, they are smaller, more skittish, and typically only live around areas that have a lot of pine trees. For one, red squirrels aren't quiet, they bark and chitter all the time for warning calls or territorial challenging. They aren't social so much as combative. Extremely territorial and destructive to housing. These are the ones that will eat through wood siding then destroy attic insulation on their quest to overwinter indoors and store tree nuts inside the walls. When it's not pecan nuts rolling by in walls, they are beating the shit out one another or barking and chittering as you or your pets are nearby. Sound, smells, ultrasonic, predator calls, all ineffective to get them to leave a space once they settle in. If they have young, you can't remove (either by relocation, plugging up the hole they made, or killing) until the young is out or they'll die and stink up the house. Even if you do plug a hole, they'll spend days trying to get back in barking and scratching the whole time. I can't think of a wild animal I hate more. Exterminators don't have a high success rate against them, traps are rarely effective (and they learn fast if they escape), and the amount of damage they cause is obscene.