Eliminating food sources, water, and items that provide shelter for rodents is the best way to avoid contact with rodents. The best way to prevent rodent infestation and contact with rodents is to remove food sources, water, and items that provide shelter for rodents. Another effective method for rodent control is to place a device that emits ultrasonic sound waves. Rodents can't stand these sound waves, so they flee from them.
You can open the doors and windows as soon as you place these devices. This way, rodents will easily find a way out of your home. Catching is the safest and most effective method of controlling rats in and around houses, garages and other structures. Because traps can be used over and over again, catching is less expensive than poison baits, but requires more labor.
Traps can be placed and left indefinitely in areas such as attics, where rats have been a problem in the past. The simple rat-sized wooden rat trap is the most economical option, but some people prefer the new one-kill plastic rat traps, because they are easier to set up and clean. Spring-loaded traps with large plastic pedals are especially effective, but finding the best locations to place the traps is often more important than what type of trap is used. Generally, young rats cannot be trapped until they are about one month old, which is when they leave the nest to go out and look for food.
As with instant traps, it is important for existing rodent populations to use enough traps to achieve control in a timely manner. The city's housing authority could be responsible for maintaining rodent and vegetation control programs on public properties and overseeing municipal pest management contracts. Therefore, if you choose this method, it is essential that you first consult with rodent control professionals. While the most permanent form of control is to limit food, water, shelter and access to buildings, direct control of the population is often necessary.
Commercial pest control technicians must be certified or supervised by someone who is certified in rodent control by the Illinois Department of Public Health. A successful rodent control program includes a combination of bait and catch to achieve the highest success rate. While bite traps are useful in many situations, large numbers of them should be used to control larger rodent infestations. Non-chemical control measures including habitat modification, exclusion and sanitation are effective in eliminating rodent problems.
Consider integrating any rodent control program with exclusion techniques, general cleaning and removing their hiding places (shelter areas). The recommended bait application strategy, which is often needed for optimal rodent control, can cause a rodent to overdose on second-generation anticoagulants, which are more effective in part because they persist longer in the rodent's body than first-generation anticoagulants. Therefore, a proper rodent control plan is one of the crucial “crisis preparedness” steps that every homeowner should consider. Because dead and dying rodents can cause odor and fear, monitoring and control devices should be checked daily.
Rodent protection and control guidelines should also be established for food handling, storage and feeding facilities, and for properties where new construction, demolition, or other terrain disturbances are to occur. .
