Heavy Mite Infestation

[aart]

You'd probably kill more mice with a shovel while your waiting for them to digest...

But yes.. I just let them look for the rodents when they drop by... Try not to stand on them and die while they do.

What other

... or use a more natural method...

can you suggest?

 

[Folly's place]

Hemlock?
Sorry, couldn't resist. Poison is poison, 'natural' or not.
Weasels? Lots of weasels?
Really...
How about a very big 'natural' fire?
Too much sarcasm on my part...
Mary

 

[Chickinie]

What other
can you suggest?

Like the water trap (bucket) method. Obviously traps don't rid the rodents, but it's an option to try with other methods.

Cats.. but I DO NOT believe they should be let out of the house to kill whatever they like on-top of rodents; they then are another pest.

 

[aart]

Like the water trap (bucket) method. Obviously traps don't rid the rodents, but it's an option to try with other methods.

Oh, well, traps aren't 'natural'....but can be very effective and a good alternative to poisoning. I've had traps set here for 20 years to stay on top of the mouse population, some seasons are more labor intensive with monitoring than others.
With dense populations, especially of rats, traps may not do the trick tho.

 

[Folly's place]

Traps will help when there are a few mice, but not for a colony! Then it's going to be poison. Once, we had so many that the bait stations were necessary, and twice for rats, who can't be eliminated any other way.
We have a bait station out there now, inside a closed live trap, so only rodents can get near it.
Mary

 

[Chickinie]

Oh, well, traps aren't 'natural'....but can be very effective and a good alternative to poisoning.

Yes. I just meant not using poisions, natural or synthetic.

 

[Chickinie]

Vermin are vermin for a reason. They have to be kept on top of, mice or lice.

 

[cmom]

Here, they die outside. Well rats are more obvious (unless they are in the roof). Maybe it's because it's warmer here so they don't seek comfort as much...

Aren't you into spring>summer there? We're in fall>winter here. During the summer here, the rodents stay in their tunnels during the hot days and mostly come out a night. In a couple of coops, I put some cameras and didn't see a rodent on camera. The cameras were in the coops for about a week. Maybe the bait stations are working. I check the baits regularly. There is a little window on the top where you can see the bait. I haven't found any dead ones so I think they go into their tunnels and die. The baits have lasted quite awhile so I think they are under control. They come out of their tunnels and eat the bait at night because it's cooler out and go into their tunnels to sleep during the heat of the day, but don't wake-up. My climate may be a bit different here.

 

[cmom]

This is the rat bait box I use. There is a partition inside down the middle in the box with a doorway at the far end that the rats and mice have to go around and then along the other side of the partition that is inside in the middle of the box to the bait. There is a little window over the bait so the bait can be checked anytime. Nothing but rat sized or smaller rodents can get to the bait. This is my personal choice from past serious infestations.

 

[Chickinie]

Aren't you into spring>summer there? We're in fall>winter here. During the summer here, the rodents stay in their tunnels during the hot days and mostly come out a night. In a couple of coops, I put some cameras and didn't see a rodent on camera. The cameras were in the coops for about a week. Maybe the bait stations are working. I check the baits regularly. There is a little window on the top where you can see the bait. I haven't found any dead ones so I think they go into their tunnels and die. The baits have lasted quite awhile so I think they are under control. They come out of their tunnels and eat the bait at night because it's cooler out and go into their tunnels to sleep during the heat of the day, but don't wake-up. My climate may be a bit different here.

My mistake, I think Queensland and Florida have close to the same average temps, at least near Brisbane where I'm from. And yes it's just turned spring, really dry atm...

I have to put cockroach baits beside the baits I put out of they are going to sit there for a while because they eat it (all eventually) and aren't affected by it...