PREVENTION AND CONTROL OF RATS AND MICE
The home mouse or rat (from the Latin mus musculus) are considered
as one of the biggest economic problems in the States
United. The home mouse or rat lives and survives under a large
variety of conditions inside and outside homes and farms. These
animals consume food intended for humans and
domestic animals. Contaminating food preparation with
their feces that contain the bacteria that causes food poisoning
salmonella. Its constant gnawing causes damage to the structure of buildings and houses.
One Door Mouse Trap Steel Cage for Small Live Rodent Control Rat Mice Squirrel
RECOGNIZING THE INFECTIONS OF RATS AND MICE
Infestations of rats and mice can be recognized by means of evidence from
excrement, fresh gnawing and traces of its passage. Nests of mice and rats are made of
Chopped paper or other fibrous material are often found in secret places. The rats
and mice have a characteristic smell of moss that identifies their presence. Sometimes
These animals can be seen during the day.
FACTORS OF RATS AND HOME MICE
Physically, the mouse or rat home are gray or brown, with long ears and eyes
little ones. An adult weighs about ½ ounce and measures approximately 5 ½ to 7 ½
inches long, including the tail measuring 5 to 4 inches long.
Although house mice usually eat cereals they can also eat
other foods that eat a little bit. Mice have an acute sense of smell,
taste, touch, and hearing. They can climb easily and can run from top to bottom in
any vertical position. They can run horizontally by cables, ropes and jump
up to 13 inches from the floor to a flat surface. They can slip through a hole so
small that neither a pencil could enter. (This would be a little over ¼ in diameter).
In a single year a female can have from 5 to 10 births having 5 to 6 mice each
time. The pregnancy process lasts from 19 to 21 days and they are born between 5 to 10 weeks. The cycle of
Life of a mouse is between 9 and 12 months.
PREVENTION AND CONTROL
For effective control of mice and house rats, cleaning is necessary, measures
sanitary facilities, build rats and mice-proof houses and measures to reduce
population of rodents. Techniques to eliminate them include: Traps and poisons.
SANITARY MEASURES. The first measures are useful as prevention. When there is
an infestation of rats and mice, it is necessary to reduce the proliferation. These measures
They include mouse traps and poison products.
Mice can live in small areas and require little food to survive,
so no matter how good the cleanliness is, most of the buildings in
storage and holds, contain rats and mice if they have not taken measures to
eliminate them. Therefore, the dirt attracts them more and allows them to survive in more numbers
big. Good sanitation and cleaning also reduces space and food
available for rats and mice and makes traps more effective.
You have to eliminate places where the mouse or rats can hide and build nests and
increase the population of rodents.
RATS AND MICE PROOF CONSTRUCTIONS HOME.
The most successful and permanent way to control the
population of rodents is plugging all the holes through the
which can dig in a structure. All places where there is
edibles such as meat products and dry cereal should be protected
by storing them in glass containers or metal or other containers
Vacuum packed material.
Any hole (or hole) larger than ¼ inch should be sealed to exclude mice
or the rats. Metal fiber steel mesh mixed with cement is a good material for
cover the gaps. This material must be solid on the surface to prevent mice from
or rats can dig through it or gnaw it. Seal holes and cracks in the foundation of the
buildings and also in the hollows for water pipes, light services, cable and
electricity, gas and telephone, concrete or metal. Wood, rubber or plastic products are not
They are suitable for filling gaps because they can be eaten by rats and mice. The
Doors and windows should fit tightly and it may be necessary to cover the edges with
metal to prevent mice and rats from rooting or chewing through them.
MOUSE TRAPS. The mouse traps are an effective method of control,
especially when there are few mice in a building or house. The traps have several
Advantages: (1) They are not poisonous, (2) it allows the user to make sure that the mouse or rat are
dead, (3) allows the dead mouse to be buried, which is not possible when
poisons in a building, in that case only the smell indicates that there are dead mice.
The wooden trap is a cheap and effective method and can be purchased in the
supermarkets and in most stores for household items. put the
trap with peanut butter, chocolate chips, tied to the spring of the trap and
place it in such a way that the spring is sensitive and executes easily. I also know
they get multiple traps to catch multiple mice and rats, and these traps are
They get in special stores for pets and in hardware stores. Put the
traps near the walls, behind objects, in corners, in dark places, and in
places where there is evidence of their presence. Place the traps in such a way that the
mouse pass directly over the springs, since they generally travel near the
walls Traps can also be placed on the edges,
in shelves or stored materials and wherever there is
signs of his presence. Use enough traps to kill
all mice at once. (One of the mistakes that makes a lot
people is to put few traps). Mice rarely dare to
leave the places you have selected near the areas where
there's food, so I put the traps 10 feet away
areas. It is recommended to leave traps without preparing them for
accustom the mouse to not suspecting the trap, and this
ensures the success of the prepared traps. Another method consists
in using gummed panels that trap them and prevent
detach, in the same way that the flytrap paper catches the flies. Place the
panels near the walls where they travel, 2 to 3 rubberized panels placed
side by side are very effective than 1 alone. Do not use these panels if there are children
small or domestic animals with access to them or in places where there are animals on the air
free. These gummed panels can also be placed inside containers resistant to
traps Gummed panels can lose their effectiveness if they are exposed to
extreme temperatures or dusty areas, unless these have been covered. These
gummed panels are used to catch some mouse or rat that could not be
caught in a trap.
POISONS FOR MICE AND RATS (RODENTICIDES).
Rodenticides are poisons
to kill rats and mice. They are available at hardware stores, at pet stores
domestic, in bartillo stores, garden centers and other places where they sell
pesticides Do not buy rodenticides that do not have stamps. Do not buy rodenticides from
street vendors or other sources that you do not know. Do not buy homemade poisons or
that are not sealed.
The most effective way to control rats and mice is to build buildings to test them.
The rodenticides should be used as a supplementary control. If there is a need to use
traps often, then sanitary and cleaning measures must be improved.
Remember that rodenticide products must be registered with the Protection Agency
of the United States Environment, and you must follow the instructions for your
use exactly. If the rodenticides are used inside the building, make sure that on the seal
Say they are for indoor use.
The active ingredients of these rodenticides are used at very low levels. The majority
of these poisons cause death in a certain number of days, although some cause
death on the same day. Be sure to use poisoned foods daily until everyone
the mice have eaten them, this can last up to 3 weeks.
SELECTION OF TRAPS, POISONS AND LOCATION.
The traps and poisons are available in a variety of ways. You get balls of grains, in plastics, on paper
cellophane or paper packages that keep them fresh and ready for mice. He
They place the packages near the walls or in places where the mice are. These the
They gnaw to eat the food. It is possible to put many food traps which is very
cash. It is very important to place them at a certain distance from the place where the mice
hide It is recommended to place them 10 feet away from the areas where the
mice. Use resistant stations to avoid damage to people or animals
domestic, placing the stations against the wall and access to them against the wall, the
where the mice travel and where they will have access to this trap. Where possible,
put a warning that there is a mouse trap, to alert people, and try to
put the trap fixed to prevent someone from moving it.
USE OF ELECTRONIC AIDS AND SOUNDS.
Although mice and rats get scared
easily with unfamiliar sounds, they soon get used to the repetition of these
sounds and often hide in factories and grain processing plants and in
other noisy environments. Sounds of waves, that is, sounds that the human ear does not distinguish,
They do not pass through the objects and therefore are not very effective with rats or mice.
In addition, these sounds lose their intensity with distance. It has not been proven that the
sounds can make mice or rats already established in a building go away, since
they soon become accustomed to sound or noise.
CONTROL BY DOGS AND CATS.
Although dogs and cats and others
animals can kill rats and mice, in most cases they are not a means
effective control, since in fact, rats and mice live in close proximity to the
cats and dogs and have greater access to their food or their waste.
PLACEMENT OF DEAD MICE
Always wear rubber or plastic gloves when picking up dead mice and when
cleaning or disinfecting contaminated items for them. Put the dead mouse in a
plastic bag and put it in another plastic bag and tie it securely. Then put them
in trash cans with a secure lid. Disinfect the traps using 3 tablespoons of
bleach or bleach per gallon of water. You can also use a commercial product using
phenol or LysolR. After cleaning traps or contaminated items or dead carriers,
Wash your hands with gloves on, with soap and water or a disinfectant, then
Take off your gloves and wash your hands with soap and hot water.
This article was prepared with the assistance of the University of Illinois. Always read the
instructions on the labels of pesticide products. If any information in the
recommendations of this article does not agree with the instructions on the labels,
Follow the instructions on the labels.
