Controlling rats and mice

With the colder autumn and winter months approaching, we increasingly seek out the cosy warmth of our homes. Mice and rats also seek out warm, food-rich places in the home. Make sure that holes and cracks are properly sealed, and do not leave food lying around but seal everything in trays. This way you can prevent many problems. Have the mice found their way into your kitchen, warm attic or garden house? Then you need to take action! Doing nothing is not an option because rats breed like rabbits ;)

🐭 Poison based on blood thinners

In 2018, there were some big changes in European legislation that meant traditional mouse and rat poisons had to disappear from the shelves. These rodenticides work on the basis of anticoagulants (blood thinners) which prevent the blood of the rats and mice from clotting and cause them to eventually die from internal bleeding. They will then dehydrate and digest afterwards. This way you do not have to bother with smells, and you do not have to go looking for the dead animals. Typical anticoagulants are the active substances Brodifacoum and Difenacoum. Almost all products based on these active substances are currently withdrawn from the market for private use. At the end of 2018, the permitted dose (typically 0.005%) of these products for private use was halved to 0.0025% because of these new European directives.

An additional change is that it is no longer possible to purchase large packs of rat and mouse poison. Whereas at the beginning of 2018 we were still allowed to sell packs of 1 kg, this is now limited to 150 gr for mouse poison and rat poison based on paste and grains and 300 gr for the blocks. Only licensed professionals will be able to purchase larger packaging quantities.

It is important to use different types of pesticides against mice and rats so that they do not become resistant to one particular substance. In the past, the mice and rats were often given too small an amount of the same poison, so that they did not die but became immune or resistant to it. This is one of the reasons why the legislation was changed, and these products will no longer be available for private individuals. So do not buy the same product every time, even if you are satisfied with it, and look beyond the brand or product name. The active ingredients (Brodifacoum, Difenacoum, Difathialone...) will be mentioned on each box. Do you always use a product with the same active ingredient? Then in the long term you will actually ensure that the mouse and rat population will become resistant. There are no good or bad products. It is simply very important that you use different products with different active substances in order to prevent resistance AND that you change the feeding location regularly.

🐭 Poison on the basis of paralyses

There are, of course, some alternatives that allow you to keep the pests out with poison indoors and outdoors. These are substances with the active ingredient Chloralose. These agents put the mice into a deep sleep, a narcosis as it were. This will lower their body temperature until they die. It is a very quick process that does not cause the mice any unnecessary pain. An additional advantage is that the mice die instantly after just one intake.

The disadvantage is that you have to remove the animals afterwards because they no longer digest by themselves. It is therefore better not to apply this product in places that are difficult to reach, otherwise the vermin will rot there.
Examples are Flash or Tomorin. The Tomorin bait can also be purchased with a plastic box so that small children and pets cannot reach it. The mice that are stunned will also die quickly. One box can control up to 50 mice.

Safety first

Rat and mouse poison is easy to obtain and use. It is often handled carelessly, which can cause problems later on. Always make sure that no children or (domestic) animals can reach the poison in order to avoid drama. You can store the poison safely in a secure feed box. With the key you can easily open the box to fill it up and close it again.

There are two holes in the box so that mice and rats can easily reach the poison but larger animals (or children) cannot. Are you putting the poison outside? Then always take into account possible neighbouring animals (such as cats or dogs). Has a pet unintentionally eaten the poison? Then consult a vet immediately. In the best case, the animal will be a bit sick or weak, but in the worst case, your beloved pet could even die from the poison. Better safe than sorry because poison always remains dangerous!
Have you already killed a few mice or rats? Then first roll them up in a plastic bag before throwing them in the rubbish bin. Never leave poisoned rodents outside, because if other animals eat the carcasses, they will also ingest the poison.

🐭 Rat and mouse traps and cages

Rats and mice can also be easily caught with the old-fashioned traps or, if you want to catch them but not kill them, a cage. However, rats are smart and cunning. So it is important to outsmart them!

Some tips:

Always place the trap or cage next to a wall. Rats will instinctively walk along the wall and come across the trap.
You do not need to buy special lures to catch rats. Rats love chocolate, dog food, oats and other strong-smelling foods such as nuts and mouldy cheese. Food that you often have in your pantry or fridge!
Do not set the mouse trap on full alert. Rats and mice are very suspicious. Gain their trust and don't set the trap until you see them eating the bait.
Mice and rats have a very acute sense of smell. Wear gloves when setting traps so they can't pick up your scent, otherwise they will be on their best behaviour.
Place bait in several places.

🐭 Ultrasonic

There are many devices that emit ultrasonic soundsand we also sell them. These work on batteries or are connected to mains electricity. The ultrasonic sounds should deter and keep away mice and rats.

The big advantage of these devices is that they are easy and clean. You only have to turn on the device and do nothing else. You don't have to use poison or dead mice. It is not dangerous for children and you can even keep spiders or insects away. Sounds perfect right? Personally, however, we have noticed that habituation occurs after a while. If your house is loved by rats and mice, they will come back anyway.

🐭 Conclusion: what is the best pesticide?

Very simple: all products. Rats and mice are smart and cunning. If you resort to one pesticide, the rest of the population will soon realise this. So combine different products and methods to outwit them. Do this until the entire population is eradicated. Perseverance is the message!

In addition to combating, avoidance is also an important part of this. Make sure that food (and water) are packed and no leftovers are left on the counter. Also avoid places with a lot of rubbish as these are ideal hiding places!

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