Rodenticides and poisons - how they work

There are a wide variety of mouse traps on the market today. These traps range from the old style break back traps to the super advanced electrocution traps. Each and every one of these mouse trapshas a place in today’s market both for professional pest controllers and amateur home owners alike.

Nowadays mouse traps can be bought online for little cost but it is how these traps are used that show their true effectiveness. For example with a wooden break back mouse trap you can easily increase your chances of gaining a kill by placing the trap at right angles to the wall floor junction rather alongside. That is to say that the shortest side should be touching the wall floor junction. This will ensure that no matter which way the mouse hits the trap you will capture its whole body which will then be caught by the arm of the trap.

It is worth while noting that catch rate can also be increased dramatically by using an attractant which can be placed on the trap for example either a square of chocolate or a smearing of peanut butter will attract the rodent to the trap and will result in a clean kill.

Should you use a chunky type of lure such as a square of chocolate then another tip is to tie the bait onto the trap rather than just placing it on. This causes the rodent to pull at the bait which will trigger the killing arm and once again increase your catch rate.

Another way to keep rodents out of your home is to block up the points of entry. This can be done either with cement or a small gauge mesh. Do not use expanding foam to do the job. Rodents are able to chew straight through this and it offers no protection what so ever from rodents. Once you have filled any suspect gaps then keep an eye on them for a week or so to ensure they have not been breached by the rodents who may be a little more persistent especially if you have blocked their favourite route back to their nest. If your hole blocking does become breached then simply redo it with an extra layer of blocking to ensure complete restriction of rodents

Do not forget that rodent carry diseases such as salmonella so if you are unlucky enough to have a rodent infestation ensure you clean any surfaces which the rodent has come into contact with. This will help reduce the risk of disease spreading. Disease is carried in two ways either through their urine which they deposit as they walk over surfaces or by bacteria which they carry on their feet which is transmitted as they walk from filth to food. A readily available bacterialcide will be enough to ensure the risk of disease is kept to a minimum.