Pest Management – Prevention and Control for House Rodents

One of the economically important and troublesome pests is the house mouse also known as Mus musculus. These rodents can thrive under various conditions and can be quite a nuisance causing extensive damage once they enter your home or farms. Apart from consumption of food, these can also contaminate the food stuffs with their feces which cause food poisoning in humans. These can also damage appliances, equipments and property by constant gnawing with the teeth.

There are several pest management methods to get rid of these rodents and these include both home-based and professional services. One of the most effective ways to prevent the entry of these into your home is through sanitation and mouse proof construction. Poor sanitation is one of the most common ways by which these rodents enter home and property. Make sure that there is no food or shelter available for these animals; keep all the foodstuffs covered in air tight containers especially those which you store in bulk. Clean out your cellars and attics regularly instead of piling stuff; such dark areas provide the perfect shelter for these rodents to thrive and cause damage.

A permanent form of pest management for rodents is mouse proof constructions which bar the entry of mouse into your home. This is usually carried out by covering all kinds of openings and entry points through which the mouse are likely to enter your home. All areas where food is stored and processed should be covered to ensure that these rodents will not gain entry; make sure that you store dried grains and meat products in appropriate containers. Any openings larger than ¼ inch should be covered using steel wool or patching materials. Any crack or openings in the building, openings for pipes, vents, air conditioning outlets etc. must be covered using mouse-proof materials to keep out these rodents.

Traps are a very effective way to catch these troublesome pests which have already entered the house. This is a very effective method especially when the number of rodents is less. One of the biggest advantages of this method is the fact that no poisonous or toxic materials are used and you can see for yourself that the rodents are killed. It also provides you with the opportunity to dispose the dead rats in a sanitized manner to avoid foul odors and also spread of diseases. One of the simplest traps available is the snap trap which can either be made or bought at any hardware store.

Poison baits using rodenticides are also commonly employed to get rid of these rodents. Make sure that you purchase properly labeled rodenticides from grocery stores, garden centers or hardware stores to ensure that the poison is only in the required amounts and is also effective in nature. Some bait may take time to show results as the mouse may need to repeatedly feed on this while others can kill the rodent in a single feeding. This pest management method must be used only when necessary and make sure that you keep it out of reach of children and domestic pets.