How to get rid of mice and rats in an apartment?
Rats and mice can be in an apartment near a person only if they are decorative and accustomed to the hands. The presence of their wild relatives indoors is highly undesirable. Many people are afraid of these representatives of the living world, and they can also carry infections and ailments.
Reasons for the appearance of rodents
Humans have been fighting rodents for centuries. Rats and mice constantly followed people, and therefore settled next to them. These creatures like quick access to products that can be easily found in the apartment. Today, rodents can be found on the first and second floors of a city apartment. In addition, the owner may find that the mouse has started under the floor. Rats often settle in barns as well as other livestock habitats.
Furry creatures come to rural houses from neighboring buildings and household blocks. The attention of rodents is often attracted by catering points that are located nearby. Failure to comply with sanitary and hygienic conditions in private housing is an excellent breeding ground for the spread of animals. The problem becomes especially urgent when cold weather sets in. It is at this time that mice begin to look for warmth and food for themselves.
Rats are very fond of garbage dumps, as they can find a large amount of food and food waste. In addition, in such areas, rodents are not threatened by people, and they feel absolutely free.
The procedure for getting rid of rats is quite complicated, so when you first find uninvited guests, you should start taking action.
Consider the main reasons for the appearance of rats and mice in the human home.
- Approaching cold weather. When the first frost occurs, rodents begin to seek a warm shelter for themselves. From a damp dark basement, a rat family can move to a warm apartment.
- Food. If people leave food on the table, it serves as bait for mice. Rodents often settle where stocks of cereals and vegetables are stored.
- Violation of sanitary standards in the room. Rats and mice can start not only in a dirty room, but also in a building undergoing renovation.
Rodents can get into a human dwelling in the following way.
- From the wild. Gluttonous tailed beasts travel long distances in search of food and warmth. Sooner or later they end up in apartments.
- Migrating within the city. If the colony of rats is growing rapidly, then individual individuals do not have enough food. In this case, for their own comfort, the animals begin to scatter to different parts of the city.
The following signs will indicate that there are mice next to a person:
- the presence of extraneous sounds, rustling, scratching, squeaks;
- detection of rat droppings, as well as an unpleasant odor;
- damage to household items, furniture, food;
- construction of nests from pieces of cloth, paper, polyethylene;
- the appearance of holes in walls, doors, baseboards.
How to get rid of?
There are a variety of methods that can be used to permanently breed rats at home. The choice of this or that method of pest control depends on the personal preference of the person.
For example, if an allergic person lives in the room, then the use of chemicals is out of the question. In a house with children, you should carefully use traps. Among the many tools, everyone can choose the best and most effective.
The following rodent control methods are currently known:
- attracting natural enemies of rodents;
- traps and mouse traps;
- poisonous mixtures;
- folk methods;
- ultrasonic scarers.
Today, for the total extermination of rodents, you can use deratization. The procedure involves calling a team of professionals who will quickly and efficiently solve problems with rats and mice. Usually, deratization is resorted to when other methods have not brought the desired result. After the procedure, rodents do not risk appearing in the home for 12 months.
The downside of this method is that it can harm other living things.
Special drugs
It is possible to fight rats with the help of special preparations. Currently, on the market you can find a large number of tools that can effectively poison rodents. Some formulations need to be prepared, while others are already ready for direct use.
Poisons are divided into 2 types.
- With chronic action. In the composition of such substances there are anticoagulants in the form of bromadiolone and ilibrodifacum. The action of such poisons is aimed at blood clotting and the death of the animal.
- With a sharp action. Toxic drugs lead to renal and hepatic failure.
The following drugs are quite popular today.
- Raptor. It is a granular chemical with brodifacum. Its action is aimed at killing rats and mice. The Raptor is used as bait.
- "Help". It is considered a pesticide with a wide spectrum of action. With its help, rats, mice and even moles are eliminated.
- "Ratin". This type of poison for rats is characterized by instant action. The drug kills the rodent in a few seconds. With its help, an entire rat family can be exterminated in a day.
- Zoocoumarin. Poison, death from which occurs within a week or two from the moment of use. This drug has a specific scent that attracts animals. For this reason, "Zoocoumarin" should be used to form baits.
- "Fluoroacetamide". It is represented by a rather toxic powder that quickly corrodes rodents. The use of a pesticide must be very careful, as it can harm humans and animals. The drug is used to make baits or dissolve in a liquid.
- "Krysid". Acute rat poison does not dissolve in water. It is not too dangerous for human health. The use of the drug implies careful adherence to the dosage that is described in the instructions.
Effective drugs that can kill rats include anticoagulants, which prevent blood from clotting normally. You can use "Rat Death", "Storm" and others. " After using such chemicals, the animal not only dies, but also turns into a mummy.
Folk remedies
Several decades ago, there were no chemicals yet, and the mice were bred using our own methods. Many of the folk remedies are still relevant to this day. Here are some options for getting rid of mice.
- Cats in the house. Pets are real rodent hunters. Moreover, the latter are very afraid of cats. If there are a lot of rats in the apartment or on the plot, then one pet will not be able to cope with them. It is better if there are several cats.
- Plants with a special smell. Practice shows that the aroma of mint and chamomile is unpleasant to rodents. To scare the rats, it is enough to spread out bundles of fragrant grass in the places of their appearance.
- Ash of a tree. It is considered an effective remedy. She protected the house from mice many centuries ago. Wood ash contains alkali, which harms rodents by eating away their paws. The substance must be crushed and placed in all the cracks and holes in the house.
- A mixture based on gypsum, sugar and flour. To prepare an anti-rodent agent, you will need to mix 0.5 kg of gypsum, 0.2 kg of sugar, 0.3 kg of flour. The finished mixture should be put in saucers and placed in the right places. If the animal treats itself to such a product, then as a result it will get volvulus.
- Turpentine. Rodents, like other species of living things, are extremely unpleasant with some pungent odors. For this reason, the animals avoid them. One of the most unpleasant for mice will be the smell of turpentine. To use the product, it is applied to a piece of cloth and sent to the mouse hole.
How to catch?
In an apartment building, you can catch mice using mousetraps. This inexpensive device has long been proven effective. At the same time, it is not recommended to use cheese as bait. Lard, sausage or bread are considered the best options.
The advantages of mousetraps are as follows:
- compact size;
- ease of use;
- good use result.
The disadvantage of using a mousetrap is the lack of humanity, since the animal suffers before death.
In addition, it should be noted that with the help of such a device, it is really possible to catch only one pest at a time. You can catch a rodent without a mousetrap using a homemade invention. To make a trap, you need to take an ordinary glass jar, fixing the bait on its bottom. The container should be turned upside down by lifting one of the edges. When the mouse wants to get the product, the trap will slam shut and the pest will be caught.
There are other effective methods as well.
- Ultrasound. An ultrasound-based repeller, the waves of which will spread throughout the room, can be an excellent help for owners. Rats hear the sound and are afraid of it, so they run away from the apartment. However, do not forget that the ultrasonic repeller can bring discomfort to small pets in the form of hamsters, domestic rats, guinea pigs.
- Duct tape. The principle of operation of this device is based on the fact that the rodent gets into a sticky substance and cannot get out of it. Several rats can fall into such a trap at the same time.
Prevention measures
The activity of mice increases in autumn. It is during this period that people begin to think about what to do to prevent rodents from spreading indoors. First, it is worth remembering that the house should always be clean and tidy. In an apartment where food does not remain on the table and is hermetically sealed, the risk of rats is small. Secondly, don't leave dirty dishes overnight. It is equally important to always sweep the crumbs on the floor.
Here are some factors that rodents fear.
- Lack of fluid. Water is important for rats. If access to it is limited, then pests can die in 5 days.
- Lack of food can shrink the rat colony. If the animals do not have food, they will die in about a month.
- Cold. The mouse will not die from the coolness, but it will not be able to reproduce in the absence of heat.
- Cats. A fluffy pet can eliminate about 3 rodents per day. Even the smell of the cat, as well as its urine, repels these pests.
- Installation of ultrasonic scarers. They can be placed in apartments, private houses, hangars, sheds, buildings.
To prevent mice and rats from appearing in the house, bulk products should be stored in closed containers. In addition, you should not forget about regular waste disposal. Thus, the rats will not have constant access to food, and they will leave the house. When choosing a method of controlling rodents, it is worth considering the dimensions of the room, as well as the number of the mouse colony. If the use of one method or another did not bring a positive result, then it is worth trying another.
The penetration of mice into an apartment is a situation that is unpleasant for everyone. If these rodents settle in the dwelling, then it will be necessary to take measures to eliminate them as soon as possible. Currently, a lot of ways to combat tailed beasts are known.
However, as practice shows, the most effective and at the same time safe methods are the use of mousetraps and finding cats in the house.
For information on how to get rid of mice and rats, see the next video.
In my apartment, I also use traps to fight rodents. A month ago I purchased 3 specialized Super Cat traps. And during this time, there were already somewhere 20 rodents in them. Thanks to this, there are not many rodents in my house.
Sergei, what horror you have, not an apartment! ((
I would also classify the Best Rat Killer poison as chemical preparations against rats and mice. It is also not simple and endowed with a mummifying effect. So there will be no cadaverous smell after its application. With the help of this poison, I brought mice out in my apartment about two years ago in about a week.
Yuri and Sergey, advice to you: get a cat or a cat. And no poison will be needed. The result is guaranteed! Tested in a country house and in besieged Leningrad. And it's better to take it from the street, not a purebred ... And you will be happy!)
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