Mouse and Rat Control

As temperatures drop, furry little creatures outdoors look for warm shelter to spend the winter. If you don’t take appropriate measures, mice and rats may start shacking up in your garden shed or burrowing in your vegetable garden.

As temperatures drop, furry little creatures outdoors look for warm shelter to spend the winter. If you don’t take appropriate measures, mice and rats may start shacking up in your garden shed or burrowing in your vegetable garden.

Two ways to manage rodents are to eliminate shelter and improve sanitation. Around the home and garden, try these tips:

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• Don’t scatter food for wildlife such as birds or squirrels, and use rodent-proof bird feeders. If rats become a serious problem, eliminate all bird feeders.

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• Compost piles should be properly managed to ensure rapid decomposition of potential rat foods. Pay attention to the “no list“.

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• Clean up fallen fruits and nuts from trees.

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• Store garden and lawn seed, organic soil amendments, etc. in sealed, rodent-proof containers.

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• Elevate compost, lumber and wood piles at least one foot above ground.

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• Remove overgrown brush near buildings.

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• Prune ornamental shrubs away from the ground and avoid planting groundcovers that provide shelter.

If these steps don’t deter mice and rats, traps and poison baits are the next line of defence.