Have to get out the dryer sheets!

Yep , bounce sheets or mothballs ! lol.

It's just crazy how fast they can be at making those nest. It has sat since October in my barn thru the -20+ cold snap here, but no nest which I thought was strange. I used it the week before and it was fine so I was surprised to see all that blowing around when it started yesterday. Then pulling the shroud and seeing that since the temps have been in the 50s-60s. In winter I do have to park the Bolens outside to prevent nests. 2 winters ago I'd have to clean a nest out of it everyday when parking it inside.

Busy little critters for sure , field mice ?

I've done dryer sheets in engine compartments and mothballs in stacked beehive boxes with frames inside. Those work OK, but I still found nests elsewhere, now I put out a couple of tomcat feeders. No mice problems in the barn other than occasionally having to scoop one up. They are weird this year, found a nest in my gas grill on the deck? Cleaned that out, grilled some steaks, couple days later nest was back. Tomcat under the grill, no problem since. Yep, not too "PC" but I've got a farm, including outbuildings they can play in, Barn and house are off limits.

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Tomcat-Mouse-Killer-Refill-T1-with-16-Baits/124159407

Mice are a pain for sure. Here's some observations:

They will nest inside the cooling tins, effectively blocking cooling air. Don't let this happen to your engine. Check before each use.

The bait blocks help. Need to be kept up. Don't let your pets or kids get to them.

My tractor shed is open on one side. I leave the mower hood propped up. This stopped the mice from nesting on top of the motor. I guess the little beastards like their privacy.

There are traps that will catch multiple mice without needing to be reset. The only downside is it doesn't kill them, so you either let them starve or dunk in a bucket of water or serve them to guests as hors d'oeuvres. Victor Tin Cat M310S is one brand.

Another home built trap that works well is a 5 gallon bucket with peanut butter, grain, or other bait in it. A ramp for the mouse to get to the rim is all you need. Dumb little buggers will jump right in and can't check out.

tom, mouse warrior

Bahaha , love the 5 gallon bucket trick !