Here on Morning Laziness, we like to talk about the bigger things in life. Meditation, astrology, work-life balance, and entrepreneurship, to name just a few, but sometimes life presents us with those very down-to-earth problems that we all need to face at some point – and dealing with a rodent problem is one such dilemma. Here are five simple steps to tackling an outbreak.
Identify
Before you start thinking about the best rat poison to purchase, you’ll want to identify precisely what kind of rodent problem you have. Is it rats or mice? Or a combination of the two? And also, how bad is the outbreak?
Mice are generally smaller and more slender than rats, with smaller droppings and harder-to-spot gnaw marks. Rats usually leave very distinctive marks where they’ve been chewing.
Clean
A good clean is always one of the most important first steps. Take your time and give the area a deep scrub while ensuring that food sources are securely stored (in containers that rodents can chew through) and potential nesting material, such as paper, cardboard, and plant matter, are cleaned away.
Prepare
You’ll want to try and block access to potential nesting areas, such as behind walls, under floorboards, under roofs, or at the back of cupboards, which will help when it comes to trying to eradicate them. It’s always tricky to entirely rodent-proof a property, but plugging a few gaps here and there can make a real difference.
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Attack
It’s time to go on the attack with everything else in place. Depending on the scale of the rodent problem, you might choose bait left in secured bait boxes or simple mouse traps. You can always start small and scale up if you feel like numbers aren’t falling.
Make a habit of inspecting an area each morning to clear away dead or captured rodents while also assessing whether there are further signs, such as dropping, gnaw marks or nesting sites. If there are, consider re-doubling your efforts and consider placing bait or traps closer to these areas.
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Vigilance
The biggest mistake people make when dealing with a rodent problem is to become complacent too quickly. Staying on top of the situation is essential even when active signs and numbers begin to drop. A typical mouse litter is 10-12 pups, and considering she can do this up to 15 times a year, numbers can escalate in the blink of an eye. Stay vigilant, keep everything clean and tidy, and you should be able to keep the problem at bay.
Final Thoughts
Dealing with a rodent problem is something few of us enjoy doing. It is, however, a common occurrence these days, and it’s important that you know what you’re doing when the time arises. By following these simple steps, purchasing the right kind of rodent control products, and putting in some hard work, there’s no reason you can’t get control of the problem – before that problem starts to control you.
