To get rid of mice and rats, follow these 4 steps:
- Inspect – Identify where the rodents are active. Look for feces, gnawing, damaged food packaging, tracks (footprints), and the worn, greasy trails they commonly travel. Find where they are entering the building, such as through cracks, holes for wires and utility pipes, gaps in siding, under doors without door sweeps. Mice can fit through a hole the size of a dime. If you suspect Norway rats, look for outdoor burrows, which may have multiple entrances, and where old sewer lines exist in the building. For roof rats, look for chewed holes in soffits and eaves.
- Make your house or yard less hospitable – Remove the food, water and shelter that is attracting the rodents. Put food and pet food in tight-sealing containers. Eliminate bird feeders or move them away from the house. Pick up and dispose of windfall fruit from under fruit trees. Stop composting or use a sealed compost drum. Put garbage in rodent-proof bins. Eliminate sources of water like puddles, clogged gutters and leaks. Remove ivy on walls, brush piles and low-growing, dense vegetation, especially near building foundations.
- Seal up entry points – Once you know how rodents are entering the building, you can seal up those gaps and holes. Use materials made specifically for rodent exclusion, as mice and rats can chew through basic caulk and wood siding. Install rodent guards on garage and building doors.
- Use the best rodent control products and devices – In addition to using exclusion products to prevent rodents from getting inside, the best way to control rats and mice are indoor and outdoor rat traps and mouse traps. These include snap traps, glue boards and live traps. Trap attractant makes rodents less wary of traps. Outdoor rat snap traps and mouse traps should be placed inside plastic rodent bait stations to protect pets and wildlife.
A cautionary note: The internet sells many products to kill mice and rats, including rat killer spray, mouse poison, rat poison and rodenticide. Rodent poison or rodenticide in Canada is regulated by Health Canada and requires a professional pest control license to use. Improper use of these products can sicken pets and wildlife.
Rat and mice repellent sprays and electronic mouse deterrents are not a long-term solution for rodent control. Rats and mice are very determined, and it is more effective to eliminate what is attracting them to your home or business (see item #2 above) than trying to repel them. The best mouse repellent or rat repellent in Canada is to eliminate the food, water and shelter they need to survive.
Nor can we speak to the effectiveness of home remedies to repel and kill rats and mice, such as using peppermint oil, ammonia, baking soda, or salt and detergent. However, we are confident in the effectiveness of rodent control products sold on Pest HQ.
View rodent bait stations HERE!
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