← Grain and flour storage H56-04 · Module 4 of 7 · Pages: 19 · Worksheets: 6

Rodent control without poison

How to recognise mice and rats, shut them off from the grain, make use of cats, owls and traps, and clean up safely after them, without a single grain of poison near food

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Rodent control without poison

In short

  • A mouse gets through a gap of 7 mm (¼ in), a rat through 12–15 mm (½ in). Close every gap over 6 mm with sheet metal, mesh of 6 mm at most, steel wool and mortar.
  • The main defence is a closed building, closed containers and tidiness. Traps and cats help; they don't replace those.
  • Rodent droppings and urine carry leptospirosis, salmonella and hantavirus. Clean wet, with gloves and a mask, never with a broom or vacuum.
  • Traps: snap traps in a box or tunnel, along the wall, trigger towards the wall. No glue boards, no buckets of water.
  • No poison near food: it kills cats, dogs, owls and hens too. In an infestation, call a licensed pest controller.

What's inside

Chapters

  1. Who gets into the store
  2. Damage and disease
  3. Signs they're there
  4. Shut them out
  5. A tidy yard
  6. Cats and dogs
  7. Owls and birds of prey
  8. Traps: which and how
  9. When they get in: a six-step plan
  10. Cleaning up after rodents
  11. Why no poison
  12. Common mistakes
  13. Printable checklist

Worksheets

  • Gap list
  • Damage and trap calculator
  • Trap and track map
  • Trap log
  • A year without rodents
  • Shopping and contacts

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