Are you under the suspicion that you may have a rodent infestation in your home? There are a number of signs that can give this away, however, if you are unsure and feeling anxious, then please do not hesitate to contact your local pest control expert. They will be able to come to your property immediately and easily determine as to whether or not you have a rodent problem, and subsequently prescribe the best course of action to rid yourself of the unwanted critters. In any case, here are tell-tale signs to look out for:
- Droppings: tiny black pellets that can be seen in cupboards, under the sink, or along your skirting boards
- Urine & grease marks: if you see grease marks along the skirting or can smell musty ammonia (urine), this could be a sign of infestation
- Scratching & squeaking sounds: another tell-tale sign is simply being able to hear them scratching and scuttling around in the night
- You see a live one: that’s right, if you see a live rodent skulking around (particularly in the daytime), then it could be that you have a rather large infestation that needs tending to
Best trap for rats
OK, so if you have established that you have an infestation there are three courses of action that you can take:
1 – Ignore it and hope for the best (not recommended)
2 – Call for professional assistance (the quickest and easiest method)
3 – Lay out some traps and attempt to thwart the infestation DIY style (certainly cheaper but by no means easier or more effective)
In any case, you’ll likely want to give it a go yourself. Bear in mind that most traps are effective only when baited, which we will get to shortly, but first, here are the best traps for rats:
1 – Paper and Tray Glue Boards
The first and best rat trap has to be the ol’ paper and tray glue boards. This is the easiest and safest method (particularly if you have small pets and children and don’t want poison in the house). Simply place a few of these along the wall where you suspect heavy traffic and see what happens.
2 – Mouse & Rat Snap Traps
There are a wide variety of snap traps available on the market, but the most common are the basic pull and set traps that you’d have seen on Tom & Jerry for example. We’d advise going for something with a wide trigger panel to increase your catch rate.
3 – Auto-Set Snap Traps
These are a must-have for those of you who are petrified of getting your fingers caught in one of those nasty rat traps.
4 – Ketch-All Wind Up
These types of traps are essential for those of you who don’t want to kill the rodents. It is a wind-up multi catch trap that opens with a spinning paddle that swoops the rodents into a holding cell.
5 – Cube Tilt Trap
A cube tilt trap is a type of gravy trap that has a trap door on one end. When the rodent enters, the cube will tilt, thus causing the door to close behind them. A nice bit of bait at the back will work wonderfully. The question is, what is the best bait for rat traps?
Rat bait stations
Rat bait stations (or rat bait boxes) are another effective form on rodent trap that you can try. A rat bait box is arguably the most common style of rodent trap that you may have seen in public spaces such as schools as you were growing up. It’s a black box that has a trap inside. Mice and rats never see the tap coming as they can smell the bait from the inside and are also fooled into the “hole in the wall” being a safe haven. Rat bait stations are ideal for those with pets and small children.
Best bait for rat trap
When setting up bait stations for rodents, you’re going to need some tasty and irresistible bait. Here are some ideal rat trap bait solutions:
- Smelly cheese: That’s right, smelly cheese is the best rat bait; the smellier the better. Stilton is always a good shout. That is, if you are willing to part with it
- Sliced hot dog: This is a cheap and easy alternative that works relatively well
- Chocolate: Again, some of these rat trap baits might sound too delicious to part with, but if you have it lying around, they will go for it
- Cat & dog food: This is a good substitute for baiting your rat traps, but you must be incredibly careful to keep your pets well away from any traps that you set up
The best mice bait
The best mice bait has to be:
- Peanut butter: Peanut butter is irresistible to mice, making it one of the best baits for rodent traps
- Soft cheese: Soft cheese is another great bait that mice will be unable to resist once they catch a whiff
- Beef jerky: It might sound like an unusual choice, but beef jerky has proven to be highly effective for catching mice
Why is it important to keep your home clear of rodents?
Rodents Spread Disease
Both rats and mice are notorious for catching nasty infections and spreading diseases. This is something that you should be concerned about, particularly for your pets and children. If you suspect that you have a rodent infestation and you want it dealt with as quickly and efficiently as possible, then we would highly advise that you call your local experts in rat pest control.
