Rodent control methods that are eco-friendly!
Implementing rodent control is essential for preventing electrical fires!
They may look cute, but rodents such as mice and rats are called pests for a reason. If they nest inside your property, they can chew through electrical wires, which makes them a fire hazard. They are also a carrier for various diseases which they transmit via their saliva, urine and feces. Last but not the least, they tend to find the most inconvenient places to die, as a result of which, you may have to face a hefty renovation bill in the future.
Table of Contents
1 Traditional rodent control methods
1.1 Rodenticides
1.2 Mousetrap
2 Eco-friendly rodent control methods
Traditional rodent control methods
Humans have been terrorized by rodents such as mice and rats since the dawn of civilization. Hence there have always been a wide array of options available for rodent control. Over the past several decades, the following methods of rodent control have been extremely popular. However we will not advise you to use them, because of reasons we will mention shortly.
Rodenticides
Rodenticides are an effective method for rodent control, however they do have some severe side effects!
Rodenticide is just a sophisticated word for “rat poison“. They contain toxic ingredients such as brodifacoum, bromadioline and warfarin, all of which causes internal bleeding in all animals that consume them. The main drawbacks of using rodenticides are the following.
Their toxicity is not limited to rodents and are harmful for any animals that consume them. Hence they can be harmful for your pets and even for you, if you do not clean your hands properly after applying it. Animals eating the poisoned rat while it is alive or even its carcass can in turn be poisoned as well!
Rodenticides only guarantee that the rodents infesting your property will die an agonizingly painful death. However, it still does not stop them from dying in an extremely inconvenient place.
Mousetrap
Using a mousetrap is another cruel method for rodent control.
A mousetrap is an effective method for rodent control. That being said, using a mousetrap has its drawbacks as well!
A form of mousetrap known as a glue trap is considered inhumane, because the rodents stuck on it die a slow, stressful and painful death. If the glue trap is placed outside, then birds and other animals can get trapped on it as well, who may then die of exposure and dehydration.
In a traditional mousetrap known as a snap trap, the mouse or rat dies a quick death, however, if you have young children in your house, then the sight of a dead mouse may prove to be pretty distressful for them!
Eco-friendly rodent control methods
To be perfectly honest, if the rodent infestation is not checked, then it can quickly go out of control and you may have to seek the help of professional exterminators. That being said, there are several eco-friendly methods you can employ that can ensure that your property does not get infested with mice or rats to begin with.
Following are some eco-friendly ways by which you can prevent rodents from inhabiting your property in the first place.
If you have trees that give fruit, then make sure that the fruits that fall from the tree do not stay on the ground for too long.
Take care of your yard! Rodents like to make nests under rocks and debris and even under fallen branches. If you do find a nest, feel free to disturb the area as it will discourage the rodents from staying there too long.
Composting provides you with excellent manure for your garden, however they do attract mice. Try to avoid putting food waste in your compost bin and use a worm farm instead. Also make sure that you compost bin is a few feet off the ground.
Mice are attracted by garbage, hence make sure that you do not miss a single “collection day”. Also, use metal garbage cans instead of plastic, as rats can chew through the plastic.
Rats and mice can survive on bird feed! So if you have a bird feeder, try to make sure that it is as far away from your house as possible.
If you live in a brick house, then it will have expansion joints, which allows the bricks to expand or contract (depending upon the season) without compromising the integrity of the structure. Unfortunately, such gaps allow rodents to enter your property. If you fill the gaps with chicken wire, it will still allow the bricks to expand but will prevent rats and mice from entering your property.
Do not leave pet food out overnight, as rodents can definitely feed on it!
If you do not implement the aforementioned steps properly, or if you were too late in implementing them, rodents may end up making it into your property. You need not worry as the following are a few eco-friendly steps that can help you get rid of them.
A live trap is a humane and eco-friendly method for rodent control.
Mice need very little food to sustain themselves. So if you have stray crumbs laying around your kitchen, it can prove to be more that enough for the mice to survive! Hence, make sure that you sweep your kitchen regularly so that the rodents do not have too many reasons to stick around.
Live traps are excellent for catching mice. And the best thing about them is that if it traps one mouse, it increases the chances of other mice being caught in it because they will be attracted towards the trap. However, please note that the same phenomenon has not been observed for rats. Peanut butter is an excellent bait for live traps. Once the rodents are caught in the trap, you can either choose to kill them, or release them far away from your property! Also, unlike snap traps, live traps can be used over and over again!
It is a common misconception that getting a cat is an excellent method for rodent control. Cats do kill mice, however they tend to relish their kill and toy with rats and mice for a while before killing them. Getting a Fox Terrier or a Jack Russel Terrier is more humane because they kill rodents quickly and efficiently.
So what is your favorite method for rodent control? Let us know in the comments below!
Rodent control methods that are eco-friendly! was originally published on freshbeak.com