The 3 Tenets of Rodent Control

While it seems that some things like music, fashion, entertainment and other trends seem to change as quickly as the weather, there are some things that remain constant. Take rodent control for instance. As the world continues to try to build a better mouse trap, the 3 main tenets of rodent control that were developed early in the 20^th century still hold very true today. 

Sanitation – Rodent infestations are sometimes caused and can be limited by the availability of food and harborage. Taking away a rodent’s food and housing is one of the most important pieces of the rodent control puzzle. Cleaning up loose trash or garbage, minimizing weeds and overgrowth, eliminating pet or bird food sources are some examples of good sanitation practices.

Exclusion – To infest a building or structure, rodents need an entry point. Sealing up exterior gaps and openings around foundation cracks, doors, wire and utility entries is important. They can usually enter holes as small as ¼ - ½ inch, so be thorough when inspecting potential entry areas. Also, don’t forget that rodents are good climbers so don’t ignore overhead openings in vinyl siding corner caps, soffits and even roof joints, especially if trees, bushes or branches are touching the structure.

Baiting and Trapping - Once established, handling an existing population of rodents is still best accomplished with selecting an appropriate trap or bait product. Many new mechanical traps are available such as multi-catch repeating traps, discreet traps that conceal the captured rodent and there are even wireless remote monitoring traps that inform you a rodent has been captured via cellular network. When it comes to poison baits, it is best to utilize these products outdoors. Once consumed a rodent can expire in a hard to reach place causing unintentional odor or insect infestations.

Successful rodent control relies on addressing all these components. Each are like a leg of the “3-legged stool”, you take one leg away and the stool falls over. These principles have been followed for years by the Professional Pest Management industry and probably will continue long into the future, because some things that work, need not change after all.