How to Stop Rats and Mice from Infesting Your Home and Garden

 

Rats and mice are small rodents that can be a serious problem in both home and garden. They can gnaw through important wires in your home or dig in your beautiful garden that you have put a lot of effort into creating. 


When these critters are left uncontrolled, their population can get worse. Thus, it's important to take action to get rid of them. In this guide, we'll look at different methods of rat and mouse control. Continue reading to learn more.

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. We may receive commissions on purchases made from our chosen links with no extra cost to you. Learn more.

    Set a Trap

    Traps are designed to capture or exterminate rodents. Common types of traps include snap traps, live traps, glue traps, and electronic traps. All these are effective to get rid of rats and mice but the one to choose will depend on your personal preferences and priorities.


    For instance, if you want to catch a rat or mouse without harming it, one option is to use a live trap. You can then release it in a wooded area. But to use live traps, you must firstly check with your local extension office before setting it.


    Note: If you decide to use a snap trap, do not set it in areas where people or pets walk.

    Use peppermint oil

    Peppermint oil is one of the natural repellents you can use to get rid of rats and mice. It is also effective against many different pests such as spiders, flies, mosquitoes, and all other kinds of rodents. Peppermint oil works by overwhelming the sense of smell for pests which makes them avoid the areas where it has been applied.


    You can use peppermint oil in various ways such as dousing cotton balls with the oil and putting them in areas where rodents are likely to enter your home. But one of the simple yet effective ways that I like is using ready-to-use repellent balls that contain peppermint. You can find them in your local home & garden or online.


    Note: Peppermint oil is an effective way to repel rodents, but it should be used in combination with a trap method for optimal results

    Get a Cat

    Getting a cat to keep the rats and mice population under control is a great move. Cats are well-known predators of these small rodents.   Although they're excellent hunters of rodents, the only downside of cats is that they can dig up your plants and destroy your beautiful garden, or use your garden as a litter box. 


    But you can prevent this from happening by putting more litter boxes around your home and teaching your cat to use them. Then to stop cats from engaging in destructive behaviour, keep them occupied during the day since they usually hunt at dusk and dawn when night their prey is most active. You can try to provide them with toys or scratching posts to help them keep occupied.

    Block Entry Points

    Mice and rats fit through some unbelievable openings. Therefore it's very important to seal any crack or hole around your home. Some common places which they might use as an entry point is along the foundation, around doors and windows, and underneath overhangs and eaves.


    There are different things you can use to seal cracks, holes, or any gap in your home and every option will depend on the size and location of the cracks or holes you want to seal. For example, if you're dealing with cracks in your foundation, you can use hydraulic cement, but you can't use it to seal doors. For sealing wooden items like doors, you can use expanding foam.

    Tidy Your Home’s Surroundings.

    Untidy homes attract rodents and other pests. So one of the important steps to take in eliminating these small critters is to make your home less hospitable to them. What's even more important is that if you keep the area around your home tidy, it reduces the risk of rats and mice getting indoors.


    Reduce the amount of clutter in your home and clear away piles of leaves and any unwanted materials that could serve as a shelter for rodents. If you have a woodpile, make it less appealing to pests so they can not hide and breed. In addition, always keep your trash sealed. 


    There are dozens, if not hundreds of places where these critters could potentially hide. So make it a habit to regularly check for signs of  activity of these pesky rodents rather than waiting to see them physically. Two common signs are the presence of droppings and chewed materials.

    Don't Use Rat Poison

    While many people use rat poison to knock down the population of rats and mice, I do not recommend using it. First of all, rodenticides are indiscriminate. They can kill other beneficial animals including your pets. 


    Plus the poison doesn't act instantly so the rats die elsewhere. It may die inside the walls or even in hard-to-reach areas. This can create more problems than solutions as you'll spend more time trying to figure out where the unpleasant smell is coming from. Sometimes even if you identify the area that has the strongest smell, it may be difficult to pinpoint the exact source.

    Hire a pest control company

    If you're dealing with a serious problem of these critters, or if you have less time to focus on eliminating them, you can consider hiring a professional pest control company.  But keep in mind that professional pest control can cost an arm and a leg. So if you're on a tight budget, you can stick to the above-mentioned options.

    To Conclude

    Rats and mice can cause serious damage to your garden or property, but if you take steps to get rid of them, you can have a rodent-free environment. For a successful outcome, you should try to use a combination of these methods rather than relying on just one method.



    RELATED

    How to Get Rid of Chipmunks and Squirrels

    How to Get Rid of Moles, Voles, and Gophers

    How to Get Rid of Skunks, Racoons & Opossums

    Effective Ways to Get Rid of Groundhogs (Woodchucks)



    Comments

    Post a Comment

    Have something to say? Feel free to leave a comment.

    Popular posts from this blog

    The Best Grow Lights for Your Plants

    Image
    Light is one of the most important factor to consider for growing plants indoors. Without sufficient light, plants won't be able to produce the energy they need to grow. Even if you grow plants close to the window, they won't get adequate light, especially in the winter. Therefore you'll need to get a grow light. However, with so many types of grow lights available in the market, it can be difficult for you to pick the right one. To help you save your time, we've compiled the best grow lights to make your plants grow at their full potential.  Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. We may receive commissions on purchases made from our chosen links with no extra cost to you. Learn more. Contents Best Adjustable : GHodec 4-Head Grow Light with Tripod Adjustable Stand Suitable for Various Plants This grow light has adjustable arms which makes it possible to add light for multiple plants. Not only that but you can also adjust the brightness lev...
    Read more

    How to Get Rid of Moles, Voles, and Gophers

    Image
    Are you noticing unusual holes, and fresh mounds of dirt in your lawn, garden, or farm? If so you may be dealing with moles, voles, or gophers. These animals remind me that not all lawn or garden problems are directly related to disease, insect, or weeds issues . Once they invade your  garden, they can cause significant damage.  Therefore you need to take action before your beautiful  lawn and plants become a memory of the past. Although these creatures sound similar, they are in fact very different. After going through this guide, you'll  know what each animal looks like and how they cause damage. Above all, you'll learn how to get rid of moles, voles, and gophers without stressing yourself out. Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. We may receive commissions on purchases made from our chosen links with no extra cost to you. Learn more. Contents   Moles - Description i. Appearance The most telling feature of moles is their pointed sn...
    Read more

    How to Get Rid of Gnats

    Image
    Are you annoyed by gnats constantly popping up everywhere in your garden or among your houseplants? If so, your next step is to figure out how to get rid of gnats from indoor and outdoor plants alike. Fortunately, there are lots of non-toxic ways you can do to keep these pesky insects off your lovely plants.  In this article, we provide effective ways to trap and exterminate gnat infestation, and recommend the best products for treating them. In other words, you'll need to use a trap and management method all at once in order to combat adult gnats and larvae. Read on to learn more. Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. We may receive commissions on purchases made from our chosen links with no extra cost to you. Learn more. Contents Use Mosquito Bits Mosquito bits is one of a fast and effective way to quickly control gnat and mosquito larvae from populating. The product contains beneficial bacteria called Bacillus thuringiensis israelensis (BTI), which...
    Read more

    5 Best Pressure Canners

    Image
    Canning is one of the safe methods of food preservation and expanding its lifespan. There are few forms of doing it but pressure canning is the most commonly used. It is so easy as long as you have got a good canner that can do the job properly. However, with so many pressure canners available in the market, it may be a daunting task to choose the best pressure canner. Fortunately, this guide will help you to pick a product that can take your worries out of canning. We've compiled the 5 best pressure canners that you won't go wrong with. Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. We may receive commissions on purchases made from our chosen links with no extra cost to you. Learn more. Contents 1.Presto 01781 23-Quart Pressure Canner and Cooker When it comes to canning, Presto is one of the well-known brands that make quality products. Their 23-quart pressure canner is also the best pressure canner available in the market. It is made of aluminum and it...
    Read more

    5 Best Food Dehydrators

    Image
    Gone are the days when most people were using the sun's energy for dehydrating food. But nowadays anyone can buy a food dehydrator to get the task done at any time without waiting for a long time or borrowing from a neighbor. However, with so many different food dehydrators on the market, it may be difficult to make the right choice.  Perhaps you're looking for a gift for a dehydrating pro or you're new to the world of dehydrating and getting confused on what to choose, this guide will help you. We've listed the 5 best food dehydrators that can make your dehydrating journey a walk in the park. Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. We may receive commissions on purchases made from our chosen links with no extra cost to you. Learn more. Contents 1.COSORI Premium Food Dehydrator Machine This dehydrator comes with 6 stainless steel trays and has plenty of space to dehydrate large quantities of food. The temperature is adjustable, so you can contr...
    Read more

    How to Control Japanese Beetles and Grubs

    Image
    Japanese beetles are one of the most devastating pests in the yard and garden. Both grub ( the larval form of Japanese beetles ) and the adult stage of Japanese beetles are highly destructive.  Adults Japanese beetles are known for skeletonizing leaves of a wide variety of ornamental and edible plants. Then the Japanese beetle grubs primarily feed on grass roots often damaging lawns, pastures, golf courses, and other plants. Furthermore, grubs also attract harmful lawn pests such as moles . Moles feed on Japanese beetle grubs and they leave tunnels in the lawn while looking for their food source.  In this guide, we'll first cover the ways to keep adult japanese beetles out of your garden. Then we'll go over the ways to get rid of grubs. Continue reading to learn more. Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. We may receive commissions on purchases made from our chosen links with no extra cost to you. Learn more. Contents Method 1 of 2: Keeping Adu...
    Read more