MR. HARDWARE

A bait box works, costs $20, is safer for your family and pets.

Bait boxes secure the food with wires to feed the rat, and my dog can’t get to it. Rat bait boxes are required in some municipalities. They do work to avoid bait-shy pests. Check for feeding.

Rats are a problem. And rats reproduce quickly. They will set up home in your yard, they bite people and pets. Rats are vermin.

When you find a rat problem, it’s important to act quickly to remove and prevent their return. There are steps you must take to stop rats from appearing in the first place.

Odors and smells of pet food or waste, garbage cans, barbecue grills, birdfeeders, and fruit and nuts fallen on the ground attract rats and mice. Good sanitation prevents rodents in your yard.

Rats are attracted to food and water, so your garden, trash, dripping faucets and hoses are issues. Remove them.

The best ways to prevent attracting rats to home yard is to maintain the environment.

1. Remove food and water sources, like dog food or water left out all night.

2. Keep your garden clean.

3. Seal gaps into the basement, garage and house with metal because rats chew through everything.

4. Welcome birds of prey, like owls and hawks that eat rodents.

5. Place traps and poisons.

6. Remove any materials that allow the rats to hide in or under like wood, trash or discarded appliances and cars. And trim trees and bushes touching the house or roof.

7. Essential oils are natural rat repellents. Rats have a well developed sense of smell that hates some strong odors. Try oils of pine, cinnamon and peppermint oils, as well as ammonia or moth balls.

There are a few kinds of rat traps. Depending on the location and situation, each can be effective.

1. Snap rat traps are the most common, and work well with the right bait and location. Food is the primary attraction. But when the seasons change, rats start to built nest, so building materials attract them – yarn, fabric, cotton balls. You should wear glove because rats may detect your smell on the trap. Place them along walls.

2. General poisons can work, but have problems arise from the wrong animals may be poisoned. If your dog eats it, the vet may give him vitamin K if the poison is a blood thinner.

3. Bait boxes are very good at attracting rats to poisons through smell and die later after consumption. One problem is they may die in inconvenient or hard-to-reach places – so decaying odors could be a problem. Therefore bait boxes work well outside. Replenish them frequently.

4. Glue traps will catch multiple rats at once.

5. Live catch rat traps lets you relocate the rat. It’s the most humane. Release the 300 feet from your home.