Mice and rats live side by side with people, while delivering a lot of trouble to the person and his property. This problem becomes especially urgent for summer residents with the advent of autumn and the harvest period.

The fight against rodents in the country makes us experiment, look for new, more effective solutions to the problem, since traditional methods are practically no longer in effect. Consider modern methods of combating mice and rats, and also dwell on standard and folk methods, proven over the years.

Content

1. Harm from rats and mice: crop loss and risk of infection
2. Prevention of the appearance of rodents in the country
3. Methods of combating mice and rats in the country
   • mechanical methods of struggle  video
   • chemical attack poison control  video
   • modern means effective rodent control  video
   • folk methods of getting rid of mice and rats
4. Protection of the infield from mouse rodents
5. Rodent Control Safety

Harm from rats and mice: crop loss and risk of infection

Among all rodents, mice and rats are most adapted for cohabitation with humans. That's just for humans, such a neighborhood is unpleasant.

Mice and rats are dangerous and serious pests. They eat crops, gnaw the roots and fruits of plants, clog cereals in sheds and hangars, multiply almost anywhere, and the most unpleasant are carriers of dangerous infectious diseases (plague, rabies, salmonellosis).

Rodents pose a real danger to young seedlings, shoots, tubers, stored bulbs and rooted cuttings left before spring in a cellar or greenhouse. Having made their way and multiplied in the storage place, they can deprive the summer resident of planting material.

In addition to garden crops, mice and rats cause serious harm to garden trees, eating up their tree shoots and crown to a half-meter height. Water rats that move to dry areas for the winter lay underground passages and gnaw through the roots of trees and shrubs.

In late summer and early autumn, mice equip their nests everywhere: in a mound of grass, in attics, under a fence, in country houses. If you do not take measures to combat rodents in time, they will begin to multiply very quickly, completely lose their sense of fear, and will practically walk around the table in the house or country yard.

Prevention of the appearance of rodents in the country

It should be noted right away that 100% prophylactic methods that provide complete protection of the country house and the site from rodents do not exist, but there are specific recommendations that will help reduce the likelihood of the appearance and further reproduction of rats and mice:

• if possible, it is better to choose a plot for a cottage away from the fields, this will protect from the constant autumn migration of rodents into the garden and the house;
• in autumn, all beds should be cleared of plant debris as much as possible (small root vegetables, cabbage stumps, remaining beets and carrots, open compost heaps can become excellent winter canteens for rodents);
• it should be remembered that in addition to the house and garden, rodents can also settle in the garage (there may be nothing to eat there, but they will have time to spoil the wiring and necessary things), therefore it is advisable to place a repeller in this room;
• it’s not worthwhile to place poison in the garden as a preventive measure: mice will appear or not is still unknown, but birds or pets may well be poisoned;
• the cottage should be kept clean so that it is not littering it with unnecessary things and does not leave food.

Methods of combating mice and rats in the country

Mechanical methods of struggle

Mechanical methods of controlling rodents include the use of various traps and traps. You can use ready-made purchased traps or make them yourself.

Traps and traps will help in the fight against rodents in the house, in a limited space, provided that the number of mice is not large. In the garden, they will be ineffective.

In recent years, glue traps have become increasingly popular as a completely safe way of catching mice for pets and residents themselves. The principle of operation of the trap is based on the use of a sticky mass that is safe for people. A mouse or a rat, falling into such a trap, will not be able to get out of it and run away it will stick.

Glue traps should be installed under furniture, equipment or along walls. It is better to put the trap on a newspaper or a piece of paper so as not to spoil the floor covering with glue. The density of the installation is one trap per 20 sq.m. In the center of the trap you need to place the bait (about 20 grams of cheese, seeds).

Glue traps are ineffective in damp and dusty rooms.

The cost of a sticky trap is small, but it is intended for single use, while ordinary mousetraps can be used repeatedly.

Poison chemical attack

The chemical method of combating mice and rats involves the use of toxic substances. At the same time, it is important to choose the right poison and place it in places safe for people and pets.

Rat and mouse poison can be divided into several groups:

• inorganic poisons;
• organic poisons (anticoagulants and other types of poison).

The composition of inorganic poisons mainly includes compounds of calcium, aluminum, zinc. Killing mice or rats will require a large dosage.

This group of poisons is the most dangerous and toxic to the environment, therefore, recently they have been used less often. Usually they resort to it if the rodents are already immune to other types of poison.

Organic poisons are less dangerous for the environment and people. On rats and mice, they act gradually.

Anticoagulants in the body of rodents block the coagulation mechanism, which leads to hemorrhage and death of mice and rats. The main active ingredients in organic poisons are brodifacum, warfarin, bromoindanedione and derivatives of indandion (ethylphenancin, triphenacin). The widely known organic poison Krysid causes respiratory arrest in rodents.

Anticoagulants are considered highly effective in controlling domestic rodents. However, there are cases when rats and mice are immune to this poison.

Poisons are produced in the form of gels, powders, pastes, aqueous solutions, etc. They are often included in lures.

Modern means of effective rodent control

Ultrasonic repeller is the most modern method of fighting rodents, which will help get rid of unwanted neighborhood in the house, remove rats from the basement and save wiring. With it, you can protect the design of a frame or wooden house from damage by rats and mice.

This method is considered the most humane, since the animals do not die, but simply leave the home or area where the ultrasonic repeller is located.

The principle of operation of the device is based on the use of ultrasonic waves that are not perceived by humans and pets. For rats and mice, this sound is a signal of danger. Sensitive to ultrasonic repellers are domestic rats and hamsters.

The device does not cause interference or malfunction in the operation of household appliances

When fighting rodents with an ultrasound, you must correctly install the device:

• in the house, the device is placed closer to the ventilation compartments and the possible passages of mice;
• on the garden site, you need to use several devices, it is desirable that they are designed to be placed in the upper layers of the soil (vibration of the ultrasonic device will even more frighten off rodents);
• the device must not be placed near heating elements (batteries, fireplaces);
• when freezing and flooding the soil, the device must be removed;
• fleecy thick carpets in the house absorb ultrasound.

The result of the action of the ultrasonic device becomes noticeable after 2-4 weeks. However, it should be borne in mind that newborn mice and pups are deaf during the first two weeks of life, so the device must be installed for at least six weeks.

Alternative methods of getting rid of mice and rats

Many summer residents continue to use the recipes of grandparents, hunting for annoying rodents. Some of them really help get rid of rats and mice. Here are the most common methods of controlling rodents with folk remedies:

1. The so-called dirty method consists in scattering the cellar, basement of wood ash (5-10 sq.m. bucket of ash) on the floor of the cellar. The alkaline environment of the ash injures the legs of rodents, they begin to lick it, and this causes irritation of the internal organs of mice and rats. Over time, mice are forced to move to other places.
2. You can mix wheat flour with gypsum in a ratio of 1: 1. The bait has a familiar smell and does not scare away rodents. Near the decomposed bait, it is necessary to put small containers with water. The liquid, flour and gypsum, once in the stomach of mice, freeze and the animal dies.
3. To protect non-residential premises in a summer cottage (garage, warehouse), you can use kerosene or formalin; rodents do not tolerate their smell. Such processing can be carried out in the cellar before laying vegetables for the winter. The main thing is not to overdo it with the amount of perfume substances.
4. Mice cannot tolerate the smell of forest and peppermint. Leaves and stems of plants can be laid out under cabinets and in possible locations of rodents.
5. In the pantry, you can spread elderberry branches with clusters of berries.

The most popular folk way to fight mice is to get a cat in the house. But here, as some cat representatives are lucky with the cat, by nature hunters, they can catch several mice in a day, and other hopeless lazy people, and they can’t get chased by their prey.

Protection of the infield from mouse rodents

The most harmful mouse-like rodents for the garden and orchard are the common and public vole, as well as the brownie and hepatic mouse.

In the fight against mouse-like rodents in the suburban area, the following methods can be used:

1. It is imperative to carry out early tillage, timely remove weeds from the site and harvest.
2. In autumn, poisoned baits can be laid out under the trees, which must be hidden in the shelter so that the birds cannot get to them. For example, poison can be placed in a piece of plastic pipe or rubber hose.
3. Around the tree trunk, some gardeners install a metal mesh, thin tin or flexible plates that protect the plants from rodents.
   
4. It is believed that if you leave the cut branches in the garden, they will distract rodents from fruit trees.
5. Around the trees for the winter you can put sawdust soaked in creolin. In addition, with autumn whitewashing, creolin is added to lime.
6. Mice and rats are scared away by some plants planted on the site. These include: marsh rosemary, black elderberry, medicinal black root, coriander. Under the young seedlings of trees lay out the tops of tomatoes, previously finely chopped.

If, however, rodents got to the trees and properly spoiled their crown, then the tree must be treated. To do this, use propolis solutions or wrap the damaged area with a polished beekeeping canvas, and cover with polyethylene on top. This treatment allows you to significantly restore the state of the bark within one season.

Rodent Control Safety

Having started hunting against mice and rats, it is necessary to adhere to elementary safety rules:

• it is necessary to lay out the poison in protective gloves, and after the procedure, wash your hands;
• the poison should be in places inaccessible to children and pets;
• no food should be near the poison;
• in a house where there are children it is better to use gentle traps, for example glue ones.

Humanity has been fighting the rodents for more than a century. New technologies are emerging and traditional ways of getting rid of rats and mice are being improved, however, this struggle is being fought with varying success, and its results largely depend on prevention and timely measures.

Author: Sergey and Svetlana Khuentsov

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