Best Management Practices:

Mice

Integrated Pest Management (IPM) is techniques are extremely important in the control of any rodent, especially mice.  In order for any rodent control program to be effective and efficient over a long-term basis all the steps must be followed.  IPM includes a good and thorough inspection for mice.  A thorough inspection should observe rodent activity by checking for droppings, burrows, runways, live and dead rodents and rodent odors.  This provides a better view of the population you want to control and will provide information as to what product would best serve the situation. This observation should provide you with the best location to place your mice control products.

The main ingredient in an effective Integrated Pest Management is proper habitat management.  This can be something as simple as the proper storage of your pet’s food, the removal of weeds and tall grass and clutter, relocation or the removal of lumber piles and relocation of game feeders.  A building can be rodent proofed by eliminating all openings larger than 1/4 inch in size. Rodents can still slip through open doors and windows, enter through plumbing and other utility lines, and gain entrance through the packaging of equipment and supplies.  Repair all doors and windows that do not operate properly or shut completely. Air vents, exhaust vents and dryer vents without proper shielding can also allow mice entrance. 

Traps and baits are very effective in reducing populations of mice.  When using any toxic pest control measure we must keep in mind the safety and protection of non-targeted pets, humans and wild life species.  It is also important to the possible odors and dangers to none target animals when choosing products to eliminate your mouse problem. Contrac All-Weather Blox.  Contrac All Weather Cake and FasTrac All - Weather Blox are attractive to mice and rats and extremely effective to control rodents.  These mouse baits may be placed in secure and tamper proof bait station like the Protecta RTU Mouse Bait Station that fits easily in a corner or against a wall requires a special key to open and service. If non-target animals are not a problem then the less secure but weather proof Rodent Baiter Mouse may be used. These mouse bait stations should be located where rodent activity has been observed and are excellent to be used as a perimeter control also, i.e. the first food the rodent smells and sees when they begin to invade.  In addition, these stations may also house the popular throw packs like Talon G Throw Packs and FasTrac Place Packs.  These mouse baits may also be located under homes in crawl spaces, attics, low traffic garage areas and storage buildings to assist in mouse control.
 
The active ingredient in these mouse baits acts as an anti-coagulant.  The mice die from internal bleeding over a 48-hour period.  The possibility exists for an objectionable odor from dead rodents.  Effective deodorizer and odor neutralizers will minimize or eliminate these odors by the use of enzymes.  An extremely effective odor elimination neutralizer is Rat Sorb. and the Odor Remover Bag. 

Traps are a safe and effective addition to mouse control.  There are many types of traps and some of the more effective ones are the glue board, snap and mechanical traps.  Excellent glue traps are the Catchmaster Mouse & Insect Glue Board, Trapper LTD Glue, Trapper Max Glue  and the Zoecon Insect Trap 3 on 1 .  The Victor Snap Mouse Trap, Trapper T-Rex   and  Trapper Snap Trap are easy to use traps and very effective.  The Tin Cat Mouse Trap and the Trapper 24 / 7 are effective mechanical mouse control also.  As with baits, when using traps, it is paramount to place them in known rodent activity areas and use an ample amount to prevent their ability to evade traps.  Place traps with the trigger toward the wall and use enough traps to increase their overall effectiveness.

As with all pest control products, follow product label directions, safety procedures and wear proper safety equipment.

Best Management Practices courtesy of:   

 Bes-Tex Supply, LLC     P.O. Box 664      San Angelo, Texas 76902     Ph. 325-653-1300