Preventing Rats and Mice Populations
From turning into an Infestation
One mistake that a lot of people make when it comes to pest management is focusing on eliminating an animal population entirely. The problem with this approach is that it is just not possible; the nature of pests, both insect and mammal, is that they are adaptable, breed quickly, and often acquire an immunity to the measures that we use to try to control them (toxic measures).
Least toxic pest management means using the natural functions of certain pests against them in order to control their numbers. In this way, the population of any given pest can stay down to controllable numbers.
Mice and rats are a great example of pests that just won’t go away. People have waged war against these rodents since the beginning of time using any means possible, but their numbers have only risen (they are the second and third most successful mammal species on the planet, right after humans!). This is pretty good evidence that we will never be able to totally eliminate mice or rats, if this was even a desirable event.
The key pest management with rats and mice, then, is in knowing how to prevent their numbers from reaching plague proportions. Here are some ways that you can do this.
* Use natural predators. The great thing about rodent pests is that they are all right at the bottom of the food chain; everything that eats meat will eat a mouse or a rat, and that includes some of human’s best friends. Dogs work very well when it comes to keeping rat numbers down, and cats are death on mice. Keeping a dog and a cat around will mean that you have far less problems with mice and rats than your neighbours. Some home owners who do not want pets instead encourage other rodent predators to take up residence; in London, for example, people actively encourage foxes to patrol yard plots and catch the large numbers of rats that infest the city and the country side.
* Clean, clean, clean! One of the most effective pest prevention measures for both mammal and insect pests, particularly those which get inside the home, is to keep your house very clean. Garbage needs to be taken out every day and placed in a tightly sealed container, and floors should be swept and vacuumed on a regular basis. Mice and rats love to get into pet food as well, taking dog and cat food out of the bag and into a Tupperware container can eliminate an important food source. In fact, any dry goods you keep around should be stored in sealed containers.
* Manage your yard. Another great food source for mice and rats are pieces of fruit which fall off of trees. Make sure and pick up any fallen fruit to deny them an easy meal; the easier these rodents have it when it comes to accessing food, the quicker they breed!