Rodents are always somewhere. Maybe in your garage, attic, shed, or yard…you may not see them, but rodents are always nearby in the Lakewood Ranch, FL area. It’s always busy time for pest control companies and rodent bait stations sales here. Nature can control rodent populations, if left alone. In the natural environment, there is a population balance. Every creature is prey to some animals and predator to others. Raptors birds – owls, hawks, falcons, eagles – are rodents’ natural predators. Our domesticated pets also do a decent job of policing the rodent population in the short time they are outside too. When you put humans in the middle of nature, rodents just make themselves at home, in human homes. A common cure that we have come up with is rodent bait stations. Unfortunately, this can lead to secondary poisoning of non-target animals when they eat a poisoned animal which is why rodent control alternatives to poison are necessary. Secondary poisoning, although not as common as many would lead you to believe, it is real. Environmental scientists are documenting it and the numbers are rising. Many who speak against rodenticides make a compelling argument, “Let the birds of prey naturally remove rodents for you”.
Most raptors use the same nest for many years and some even pass from one generation to the next. Bald eagles are known to have used the same nest as long as 35 years. That makes them an excellent long-term control for rodent populations in the immediate area.
During breeding season, a family of five owls can eat as many as 3,000 rodents! Poisoned rodents can poison the predators, scavengers and pets that eat them!
Even though the state Department of Pesticide Regulation and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency have restricted public access to the most dangerous rodenticides, all rodenticides – including the types still available to consumers – are poisons that can kill wildlife, pets and children.
Traditional Alternatives to Rodent Poison Has Never Been Greater
Rodenticides are, sometimes the only option in certain situations and we do use it when needed, in a responsible manner. However, the most effective traditional pest control method for rats and mice does not involve chemicals, but sanitation, exclusion, and habitat modification.
Like most animals, rodents will congregate and multiply where food is available and they feel safe. The easiest way to discourage them is to remove or modify anything that could make them comfortable. Sanitation is the first step to controlling rodents. For example:
Keep your home and yard neat and clean. Don’t give rats & mice places to hide.
Remove objects and plants that rodents can hide under, such as wood piles, debris, construction waste, dense vegetation and ground-covering vines like ivy. Pick up fruit that has fallen from trees as soon as possible and keep the trees trimmed back. Securing your garbage in a tightly sealed, metal trash can is also another commonly overlooked way customers can help.
Having us perform a rodent exclusion to prevent rats and mice from gaining access to your home is the most effective way to stop them from entering you home.
The Newest Alternative to Rodent Poison Is… Birth Control… for Rats!
You read the correctly. Science has a new method to help slow the breading cycle of rats:
Maybe there have been bigger advancements in the last 30 years, but it’s an awesome, effective tool that we have added so we can use less rodenticides while accomplishing similar, if not better results. Rats have a gestation period of 19-23 days, so stopping their breading cycle before it gets started only makes sense. I have plans to write a more in-depth article about Fertility control and will link to it here in the future. For now, if you want more information, several large news organizations like Fox News have written articles about it also. The important part to know is Fertility Control for rats is here, it works, we have experience using it, and it does not impact other wildlife if they eat a rat that has consumed it. We have had massive success with it from a large commercial use case all the way down to a homeowner’s barn. By using groundbreaking methods and materials while others are stuck in the 1980’s way of doing rat control is just another reason why we are truly Rodent Specialists, and the best rat control company near you. Our commitment to being on the top of our industry in the Lakewood Ranch, Bradenton, Sarasota and Parrish areas for all things rat, mouse, and squirrel related is unmatched.
Contact Rodent Solutions Inc for more information on Fertility Control for Rats and all things rodent extermination related.
