Mice, Rats and Their Control
House
Mouse
Norway Rat
Photo Courtesy of
Univar USA
Mice Vs. Rats
Although some people think of mice and rats as child and parent,
these two are different organisms. Their biology is different and their life history is
different. Therefore, it's important to point out a few key
distinguishing characteristics.
The body of a mouse will grow from as little as 2" to as
much as 3-1/2" when fully grown. The rat's body will be as small as 7" but grow
to a length of nearly 10".
Mice will weight as little as 1/2 ounce to to up to 1
ounce whereas a large rat may weigh more than a pound. Color will vary in both mice and
rats though they are most commonly seen as gray to brown.
A mouse will squeeze through an
opening as small as 1/4". A rat manages to get through an opening as small as
1/2". Both rodents have poor eyesight and rely on their acute sense of smell and
hearing to compensate.
Management of Rodent Problems
The most effective means employed to control rodent is exclusion.
If openings are eliminated, in most cases, rodents cannot get into a structure. However,
sometimes a dirt floor may exist inside a structure to which a burrowing rodent may find
entry. Exclusion or rodent-proofing, requires strong material through which rodents may
not be able to gnaw such as concrete, sheet metal, coarse grade steel wool, hardware cloth
and crushed glass. We sell a repair product called Stuf-fit,
a copper mesh that is malleable and rust proof, for this purpose.
The next step in controlling rodents is eliminating food sources.
People are often surprised to find out that foodstuffs that had long been forgotten are
the source of food for rodents. The bird seed up in the attic or in the garage or a box of
food which fell down behind a shelf somewhere. Therefore, it is important to seek those
things out. Also, any food in boxes or bags as well as the daily garbage must be protected
by placing these items into impervious containers of metal or glass.
Outside, to keep rodents away, our company offers Rat-A-Way repellent granules which may be placed as a barrier around
garbage areas to repel rats and mice. If you would like a description of
Rat-A-Way, click here.
The last step in rodent management is removal of rodents from a structure.
It may be achieved
in a number of different ways. There are electronic devices such as the Pest Chaser which emits very high
frequency ultrasonic sounds which frighten rodents out of a building. For
product information on Pest Chaser, click
here.
Trapping is another possible step in rodent control. There are humane traps such as
Havahart TM Traps and multiple catch
traps such as Mouse Master which usually
capture rodents without harming them.
Snap traps and glue traps may be used to quickly deal with rodent problems.
Finally, the most common rodent control technique is
the application of
rodenticide bait. Most products used today are anti-coagulant type baits. These kill the rodent by thinning
the blood until the animal hemorrhages internally. The animal suffers some dizziness, then
dies from the loss of blood. Elimination of rodent using anticoagulants
typically takes from five to ten
days. Our company offers Contrac Meal Bait Pack
for our customers who wish to use anti-coagulant poisons. Unlike pelleted
baits which are sometimes horded and stored, meal baits must be consumed at the
application site which helps to assure success. Bait packs must be placed in areas
that are inaccessible to children or pets.
Outdoors, water resistant paraffin
wax or extruded block formulations of anti-coagulant baits such as
Contrac
Cake are placed in rodent
burrows or in tamper-resistant bait stations (boxes). These prevent other organisms from eating the blocks. An alternative to baits is
The
Giant Destroyer. This products contains sulfur which is ignited with a
wick to create poisonous sulfur dioxide smoke as it burns. The smoke will
kill rats living in the burrow.
If you need more information, you can click here to view our product page or call us at 800-433-1128 or
845-356-2837. You may also send us a fax at 845-356-2836. Or send E-mail to us at drbugclinic@bugclinic.com.
Click here to return to the top of the
page
The Bug Clinic