Rats and mice are the eternal neighbors of man, his companions and pests. Having appeared in the country or in a rural house, they can create a lot of problems - from gnawed things and contaminated products to the spread of not the most harmless infections. Therefore, it is necessary to get rid of such "neighbors" as soon as possible. Let's figure out how to do this with minimal collateral damage.
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Why are rodents dangerous?
There are several reasons why you need to get rid of rats and mice:
- They damage food. They not so much devour them (although they can eat anything - from stocks of cereals and pasta to vegetables in the cellar), as spoil them. It is unlikely that you will finish gnawing a cabbage head with a mouse. At the same time, in search of food, rodents are capable of long-distance migrations: mice can come in the fall, when cold weather sets in, not only from a neighboring area, but also from a field located 3-5 kilometers away. Rats, on the other hand, are completely capable of making "forced marches" up to 15 kilometers or more per day.
- They gnaw things. Even what is definitely inedible (soap, paper, etc.) will be tasted on the tooth. The thing is that rodents grow teeth all their lives - and they are forced to constantly grind them against something hard. When there is not enough hard, but edible plant seeds nearby, they grind their teeth on pieces of wood, gnaw through passages, etc. You cannot tolerate this in the house. Especially considering that they not only gnaw, but also shit, leave marks with urine on things.
- They carry disease. The list of diseases that can be transmitted from a rat or mouse to a person includes more than two dozen items - and some of them are quite dangerous. Tularemia, typhus - and even a half-forgotten, but still not completely eradicated plague, the very "Black Death", which in the old days mowed down entire cities. In addition, even without disease, ticks, fleas and other parasites can spread to humans or pets.
- They are exceptionally prolific. One mouse will not cause much harm - but it will not be alone for long and will soon acquire mice. And in the human house, rodents breed all year round.
Control measures
The oldest anti-rodent remedy is a cat. However, there is almost no hope for pedigree decorative animals: perhaps the Siamese have sufficiently preserved their hunting instincts, and the Persians, rather, will themselves be afraid of mice. In addition, even ordinary courtyard Murkas easily catch mice - but an adult rat is usually too tough for them. In villages, a kitten from a rat-catcher can still go to a neighboring village for a kitten: so there is a greater chance that an older kitten will also be able to hunt rats.
The second most common remedy is traps. Mousetraps, sheets of cardboard with glue, buckets of water and bait where rodents drown are quite effective means... but not for long. Even mice are smart enough and quickly stop getting caught, and even catching a rat is an extremely difficult task.
The third way is poison. The poison is quite effective against mice and small colonies of rats. But there are problems here:
- a poisoned animal can die in its hole under the floor or behind a wall - and the smell of rotting will permeate the house for a long time;
- if you are keeping a cat, then it is extremely dangerous to use poison: many owners buried their pets when the cat caught and ate a dying mouse - and the poison from the rodent's stomach poisoned the hunter;
- the poisoned bait can be found by dogs and even small children.
If things have gone far, then you can turn to professional deratizers. Sulfur or cyanide sticks in the basement and other chemicals will reliably destroy all rodents. The problem is that it is necessary to get away somewhere during processing - and fumigation does not contribute to the safety of products.
Ultrasonic scarers
Now on the market you can find devices that make rodents leave the house. These are ultrasonic repellents. They emit sounds in the range that mice and rats hear, but not humans - and with prolonged exposure, animals will feel anxious and begin to leave the house.
Indeed, a prolonged "acoustic attack" is extremely unpleasant for mice and rats. But at the same time, one must remember the following:
- Even the most powerful device will not make rodents escape. This requires the repeller to work for at least 7-10 days.
- There should be no soft and porous objects (furniture, carpets, curtains) near the device that can absorb sound.
- Ultrasound does not propagate very well in the air, so multiple instruments may be required for different rooms.
- Different animals are affected by different frequencies. Therefore, there are no universal scarers: a "mouse" device will not work on cockroaches, and you cannot drive out rats with a mosquito repeller - no matter what the shameless advertisers promise.
But in general, ultrasound emitters are still the simplest and most humane way to protect themselves from rodents.
Do you know how to get rid of pest rodents?
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