Rodents (Rats N Mice) – how to beat them
Rats and mice are not always easy to spot. They are very quick movers and often only come out at night.
Tell tale signs of rodent, rats and mice activity are where set traps may have been triggered, or you see damage to walls, wires and other household items, or tunnelling and cleared areas outside around buildings and under walls or in compost bins, where rodents may be living entering structures or basements – or even in some cases rats will tunnel through solid walls and floors. Other signs of rodent (and bird) activity are scratching under floors or in ceilings and obvious activity signs include droppings (poops) in areas they congregate. You might also notice your cat is catching some rodents which is a good indication that you may have a problem.
Non-toxic and toxic solutions are available for rodents. These treatments are often required to be combined for more effective outcomes. Control combinations may be where you have a snap-trap or Electric Zapper Trap, and combine with a bait station (poison) or traps with various fragrant lures. The best is an artificial lure – available in multiple flavours which is used attract rodents into the trap.
Use of a bait station will also ensure that pets or children cannot access baits or snap traps. PEST STOP™ have a wide range of Bait and Trap stations for rats and mice. These feature ‘locking mechanisms’ with a special key or clips to ensure they are inaccessible for non-target species including cats, dogs and of course children. Therefor when you are setting a rat trap or baiting outside – it must be secure in a locked bait or trap station.
Electric Rat and Mouse Zappers Traps are very popular rat and mice control options – they provide quick humane kills and also are non-messy so clean up and disposal of bodies is easier and no mess. Electronic rodent kill traps can be quickly and easily set at the flick of a switch. Designed to deliver an amazing instant kill voltage of 7,000v these units can run either on mains power or battery power. Electronic traps can also alert users to a kill and are easily emptied and the trap can be washed out if required. Thankfully all our Electric Zappers Traps are designed to be safe for use around homes and business but we advise should always be installed out of reach of children and pets.
PEST STOP™ have three different types of Rat Stations; a smaller low cost version called ‘Bullet’, a medium size station referred to as the ‘Economy’ and a ‘Premium Station’ which is the commercial grade option made from higher grade UV resistant materials for robust use in the field. But ultimately all our stations and traps do the same job to effectively attract, trap and kill rodents.
There is also a variety of snap-traps you can put inside the trap and bait stations. There is the Gorilla Trap, or the Monster Trap or the popular D2K -REX traps which are all presented in different sizes and different strengths to ensure effective and fast kill of target pests. Our New transparent Gorilla that allows rat not to see what is in front of them.
Attractant Lures are used to encourage rats to enter a trap. We advise using lures rather than real food as attractants because food can go stale or mouldy over time and loose its, whereas our NARA and D2K Lures can remain effective for up to 4+ months. Lures come in a range of highly attractive and tested scents / imparting flavours where different rats will have preferences for different foods based on their environment, and local diet. So PEST STOP™ offer Rat and Mice Lures in flavours such as Vanilla, Mango, Chocolate, Fishy, Meaty, Aniseed, Peanut Butter and more. These flavours are proved attractants to a wide range or rodents which can be extremely fussy about their preferred diets.
And yes for sure most rats will be inquisitive to most new flavours - to seek it out.. then “SNAP!”.
Choosing the right lure is important for any trapping success. Sometimes this involves understanding rodents, what they might be eating and choosing a lure that is attractive to their diet. This requires some time spent locating rat positions and laying friendly ‘free’ treats in trap housings that can encourage cautious rodents to trust the traps over a period of time. After a short period of building trust (a week or two) you can then start loading stations with baits or kill traps.
It’s important to appreciate that if a rat is ‘scared or suspicious’ they will often then ‘mark the trap’ with a scent that will warn others to stay away – so to avoid this happening – ensure you handle the traps with minimal human touching to avoid leaving your scent, or doing things that can scare the rats out of the area or away from traps prematurely. A softly-softly approach is usually best – once the rats are comfortable to approach and enter traps - they will alternatively spray, poop or mark a ‘positive scent’ in the area to let other rats know ‘this as OK’ to approach – so it’s important to understand the rat, be stealthy and just ‘be smarter’. Of course, there are always some rats that will just rush into the trap and get smacked – but consider the older wiser rats that will not always do that.
Where is the best place to lay Rat traps and Poisons?
As a general rule for rats and mice - it is best to use Non-Toxic snap trap solutions ‘indoors’ and apply Poisons outdoors in sealed bait stations. Always position traps and poisons to protect pets and children from accidental exposure and harm – use a bait/trap station to ensure non-target species are protected.
Consistent with the best advice for a planned approach to Pest Control - always follow these steps: Observe, Identify, Find a Solution, Check Results and Maintain. Keeping a pest free environment NOW is the best step to solving future infestation issues.
