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Tweezers

Tweezers

Those of you that have been following my work know that I have a strong interest in wildlife damage inspection and investigation. Well one aspect of wildlife damage inspection is having quality equipment. Tweezers are an important tool that helps enhance inspections. I like PockeTweez which can fit right on your key chain. It’s small and convenient, because chances are you carry your keys with you all the time.

PockeTweez is an easy way to carry tweezers.
PockeTweez is an easy way to carry tweezers.

I like to have tweezers, like PockeTweez for two important uses. First, tweezers help you grasp items that are too small for your fingers. I have fat fingers or at least wide ones. It’s often difficult to grasp small items without using a tool to help me get the right angle so I can pick it up. This is where tweezers are extremely useful. They are extensions of your hands only thinner. Don’t believe me? Try to pick up an insect or small seed off the ground and see how easy it is.

The second reason for tweezers is just as important but I think it is actually more important. That reason is disease safety. Let’s face it wildlife control is a dirty (i.e. germy business). You shouldn’t be touching things with your bare hands and you often shouldn’t be touching them even if you have protective gloves. Distance as they say is your friend. Tweezers give you distance to pick up insects (like ticks and flies) that can carry biological nasties. Also tweezers can be used to tease open scat (be careful of wind direction as you don’t want to aerosolize infectious agents which you then inhale). Keep in mind that if you use tweezers to handle nasties, don’t leave it on your key chain and put it back in your pocket. Doing that is not only gross it’s unhealthy.

Whether you carry them in your inspection kit or on your person, be sure to have tweezers around.

Note, I have not been compensated for this blog. 

Stephen M. Vantassel, CWCP, ACE, is the owner of Wildlife Control Consultant, LLC. He helps people restore their balance with nature through publishing, training, consulting, and the internet. He has published numerous articles in trade and academic publications along with several books (http://kingsdivinity.academia.edu/StephenMVantassel). He is a sought after speaker and trainer. Copyright All postings are the property of Stephen M. Vantassel and Wildlife Control Consultant, LLC. Text (not images) may be reprinted in non-profit publications provided that the author and website URL is included. If images wish to be used, explicit and written permission must be obtained from Wildlife Control Consultant, LLC.

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Anchoring Encapsulated-Foot Traps

Split ring (left) and quick link (right). Photo by Stephen M. Vantassel.
Split ring (left) and quick link (right). Photo by Stephen M. Vantassel.

Anchoring Encapsulated-foot Traps

In my previous post, I defined what encapsulated-foot traps were, how they were commonly called dog-proof traps, and how they were an important tool in wildlife damage management. This week, I wanted to explain how to anchor them.

Anchoring or staking traps is critical because failure to secure traps properly will result in lost animals as well as the lost traps. Here is an easy way to anchor your traps. Cut 6 foot lengths of 7×7, 3/32 aircraft cable. Use aluminum double ferrules to make loops at each end. Loops should be small enough to be used with ½-inch re-bar stakes without sliding over the top of the stake. If you follow these directions, the loops will be small enough to slide through the swivel attached to the chain of your encapsulated-foot traps. The advantage of the cable is that you can use them to secure traps to trees, which if you are trapping for raccoons, will always be close at hand.

To secure the cable, I suggest using split rings. Split rings are similar to rings for your keys except the split in the wrapping allows you to attach cables to them easier. Simply insert the loop into the split side and slide it to one end and then push it around the loop so it locks into the ring. It’s quick easy and raccoons won’t undue them. You may be wondering why don’t I recommend using quick links to secure the cable? I don’t because raccoons can unscrew the links. While some trappers have not had this problem, I know of a trapper that has. If you do decide to use quick links, use a wrench to ensure the screw is tight. For myself, I don’t want to wonder, did I tighten that screw enough? I think good trapping is simplified trapping because the fewer the elements the less chances you have to make a mistake.

About the Author

Stephen M. Vantassel is a certified wildlife control operator who helps individuals, businesses, and agencies resolve wildlife damage issues through training, writing, expert witness, and research. His latest books are the Wildlife Damage Inspection Handbook, 3rd edition and The Practical Guide to the Control of Feral Cats. He can be contacted at wildlifecontrolconsultant at gmail dot com. If you would like your publication, video, or product reviewed, please contact the author at the e-mail above.

Copyright

All postings are the property of Stephen M. Vantassel and Wildlife Control Consultant, LLC. Text (not images) may be reprinted in non-profit publications provided that the author and website URL is included. If images wish to be used, explicit and written permission must be obtained from Wildlife Control Consultant, LLC.

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Portable Tweezers

Portable TweezersIMG_0747

Wildlife damage inspection doesn’t require many tools. But when trying to identify scat, it can be helpful to have access to a pair of tweezers to enable the removal and closer investigation of small particles contained in the scat. Particles, such as hair, seeds, and insect exoskeleton can be used to narrow down the list of potential species that deposited the scat as well as help determine what the animal was eating. Other uses would be include tick and sliver removal, but I would not encourage use of the same tweezers for both tasks.

The PockeTWeez™ is a portable tweezer that can be carried on your key ring. It has a full-metal design. Just push the tweezers through the outer metal to use. When finished, just swing the jaws back inside the metal shell and you will be protected from the sharp tips. I have added it to my key ring after receiving it as a gift this past Christmas. Though I haven’t had the opportunity yet to use the tweezer yet, it appears to be well made. I think it can make a good addition to the Leatherman™ or multi-tool you should be carrying also.

To learn more about the product visit www.pocketweez.com

Diclaimer: I have no financial relationship with the manufacturer and have not been compensated in any form for this article.

About the Author

Stephen M. Vantassel is a certified wildlife control operator who helps individuals, businesses, and agencies resolve wildlife damage issues through training, writing, expert witness, and research. His latest book is the Wildlife Damage Inspection Handbook, 3rd edition. He can be contacted at wildlifecontrolconsultant at gmail dot com.

If you would like your publication, video, or product reviewed, please contact the author at the e-mail above.

Copyright

All postings are the property of Stephen M. Vantassel and Wildlife Control Consultant, LLC. Text (not images) may be reprinted in non-profit publications provided that the author and website URL is included. If images wish to be used, explicit and written permission must be obtained from Wildlife Control Consultant, LLC.