LIVE ANIMAL TRAPPING OF THE ARMADILLO

This article is for controlling nuisance armadillos, why they are attracted to your yard and proper methods of live animal trapping for them. Armadillos can become a nuisance in your lawn and garden in their constant search for their favorite food source, worms, insect larvae, pupae and other soil insects.

Armadillos are 15-20 inches long, about 8 lbs and gestation period is 150 days. They can have 4 young in a litter and have 1 litter a year. Main food source is insects and other invertebrates, small reptiles and frongs, and fruit.

Armadillos find nesting in rock piles and around trees or shrubs and under slabs ideal. Their burrows are usually15 to 25 feet long and cause extreme damage to tree roots.

The armadillo is fond of rooting and digging in leaf mold and other rich humus material containing high concentrations of insects. They can cause root damage to shrubs and trees by digging.

Indirect control of the armadillo has been proven effective by eliminating as much of their food source by using a turf insecticide. When they are a constant problem in your garden then exclusion may be deemed necessary and is effective when done correctly.

Armadillo trapping may be difficult and many different factors go into the placement of the live animal trap what direction it will be traveling, and most of all, its behavior and reaction to a trap. The right sized trap must be used - preferably a large cage trap meant for raccoons and other large animals. Armadillos can be very tough and strong aniamls so the trap must be sturdy. The armadillo will not enter a trap for any kind of food and you will be more successful at trapping when you are forcing the animal in the trap. They will typically be walking along edges around their burrow.

Armadillos can be trapped in live animal traps, such as a Havahart Animal trap, size recommended is 24”x8”x7”, wire cage. Animal trap should be placed near the entrance to the den, burrows, or on trails next to fences and buildings. The Havahart trap can be made more effective by using two long boards on edge to form a funnel that herds the armadillo inside the animal trap. Set the trap along their path and use directional barriers - planks of wood, fences, concrete blocks, that will funnel the poor-sighted armadillo into the trap.

You may want to have the trap floor lined with nice inviting dirt to make it even more attractive.

Havahart animal trap can be baited with rotten fruit, such as pears, bananas and apples. Some people find that a small amount of ground meat or an egg is effective in some situations. Trapping can be a look and learn procedure, not all recommendations work for ever situation.

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LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION: RAT CONTROL

Three main rodents invade our structures the Norway rat, Roof Rat and the House mouse. There is very large line of professional traps, glue boards, baits and bait stations for all your rat control needs. Knowing which product and their location is the harder part of rat control.

The Norway rat has an average body weight of 10 to 17 oz, often well over a pound!!; The body is heavy and broad, usually between 7" and 10"; The head is long and has a blunt nose; The Norway rat tail is usually about 6 inches long, and is never as long as the body; The ears are typically small and held tightly against the body; The color is brown to black on the back and sides, and gray to yellow on the belly. The Norway rat prefers to feed on meats, fish, flour, fruits, vegetables. The Norway rat usually nests in basements & lower portions of buildings. They quite often burrow in the soil and have extensive runs. The Norway rat is active primarily at night; They are fair climbers but good swimmers; Rats are suspicious of changes in the environment or new foods, for this reason it may take a couple of days for traps or poison baits to take. Rats are nocturnal, with their peak activity at dusk or before dawn. When the population is large or they are disturbed or hungry, you can see activity during the day.

The Roof Rat average body weight is 6 to 12 oz, and has a long slender body, usually 6 to 8 inches in length; the nose is pointed compared to the Norway Rat and the ears are large and very prominently displayed; The tail is long and uniform in color, and can usually reach the tip of its nose; The color is black on the back and grayish white on the underside. Roof Rats usually enter and nest in upper portions of buildings. They can nest outside in trees, especially in palms and ivy; They rarely burrow and are excellent climbers; Very active at night; Rats are suspicious of changes in the environment or new foods, for this reason it may take a couple of days for traps or poison baits to take. Rats are nocturnal, with their peak activity at dusk or before dawn. When the population is large or they are disturbed or hungry, you can see activity during the day.

Where you place your bait station will determine how successful you will be with your rat control program. Knowing where the stations should be placed in critical and knowing where they are nesting, travelling, and feeding. Placing your stations based on rat behavior will guarantee your success.

You will want to place rat stations in their runways where they are more likely to come in contact with them, for Norway rats this is usually on the ground and for roof rats this usually means up high, with mice it means locating the stations high, low and in between. Rats will usually give you an indication of where to place the stations, because of their drop marks, rub marks, gnawing, urine stains, trails through insulation and signs of feeding.

Do not let your stations run out of rodenticide: Once you get them to start feeding inside the station don’t have missed opportunities because it is empty.

When you see that 2 or more stations are showing heavy signs of feeding in a close area, add another station in between to make sure the rats are not nesting or getting into the structure between the stations.

Locate the stations where you will not likely have any interference from no targeted animals such as raccoons, dogs and squirrels.

Rats have an instinctual fear of new things, a rat may pass the same trail 2 times a day for weeks and he is familiar with everything in that path. When you place a new item, say the rodent bait station, in its path, the rat will go around it for a few days until he realizes that this item will not harm him. You can bait the stations with non toxic food, such as peanut butter, fish or lived flavored cat food, apple slices, or candy for a few days.

Space outdoor placements closely to intercept rats from coming from likely harborages such as a rat infested building next door. If your rodent pressure is light then you can space them a little further apart. Be careful not to contaminate your rodent bait with bad tasting chemicals that you may have on your hands, rats have a very good sense of taste and will not be likely to ingest the rodent bait.

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Mole Control

Moles are notorious for the amount of damage they can cause to a lawn, golf course and sod farms. Knowing a little about the mole, its habitat and diet will help you be more successful in your control and elimination projects. Moles are insectivores meaning they eat insects. Mole activity can also cause considerable damage to lawns. The damage from moles is usually in the form of tunnels and/or mounds in lawn that can be unsightly, and disturb root systems.

Moles are typically 5-7 inches long and adults weigh 2.5-4.5 ounces, They have 2-5 young and 1 litters per year. Breeding season us Feb-Mar and Mar-Apr., age of weaning is 4 weeks and primary food is insects, earthworms, small animals in runs.

With constant digging and tunneling in the search for their food source turf grass insects and earthworms, moles can do quite a bit of damage before you even know they are there.

The most common mole and the one that is known to cause the most damage is the eastern Mole.

There are two common methods for controlling moles in your lawn, Physical / mechanical control and chemical control.

Included in physical and mechanical control is habitat modification, which is attempting to resolve mole tunneling with turf grass insecticide to remove their food source. This often fails because mole also eat earth worms which will not be effected by the professional insecticide. Overwatering of your lawn can make the moles and their tunnels more noticeable and when reduced can help temporarily.

Exclusion of moles by using a barrier fence is somewhat effective but not always available to homeowners or large facilities. It is recommended to use ½ inch mesh hardware cloth or sheet metal and bury it to a depth of 12 to 18 inches.

Live trapping of moles using pit fall traps can be constructed of large coffee cans or other similar containers and buried in planting beds along frequently used surface runs. The traps must be deep and steep-sided to prevent the mole from escaping once inside. Bell laboratories manufacture a new mole trap that is effective and easy to use. This is a lethal trap and is similar to scissor jaw traps.

Chemical control of moles, the use of toxic baits can be very effective in mole control. New Anticoagulant mole gel bait (Kaput Mole bait) does work very effectively. New products that are in the shape of earth worms that are placed in the moles active run have reached the market that are creating very effective mole control, Talprid Mole Bait.

It can be very difficult to control moles in your lawn, but you should not give up the fight and beautiful mole free yard is worth the effort.

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Mouse Bait

A rodenticide is a pesticide that kills rodents, mice and rats. There are typically 2 different types of groups of mice bait, anitcoagulants and non-anticoagulants.

Anticoagulant rodenticides, comprise about 90% of all products available on the market. These cause death as a result of internal bleeding which causes the rodent‘s blood loses its clotting ability and the capillaries are destroyed. All rodent baits are slow acting and death ranges from three days to 10 days following the ingestion of the mouse bait.

Not all mouse bait is created equal, there are single feed types that require the mouse to only ingest enough in a single feeding to poison themselves, with others types taking more than one feeding to be successful. Make sure you are aware of this fact, because a bait may be cheaper but will take more than 1 feeding to cause death and in the long run cost more.

Mouse bait is best used in a mouse bait station. They are available in a wide range of sizes and shapes. Homeowners can locate ones that are specific to their needs. By placing the mice bait within an enclosed station, one prevents accidental ingestion of pets and children and make the use of the bait much safer. Bait stations will also extend the life of the bait keeping it free from dust, dirt and other contaminates.

Bait acceptance for mice is very good and usually with anticoagulant bait you will not encounter a shyness. Single feed mouse bait will work effectively because typically they will not revisit the bait station and will return to their normal food source after the initial poisoning. This helps keep bait cost down and effectiveness up.

No matter how good the mouse bait is means nothing if the mice do not visit the location of the stations. Therefore the location of the bait station is critical, so follow basic guideline of rodent behavior when finding a location for the bait. Make sure the bait station is big enough so that the mouse can enter, this is not a problem if you are purchasing a professional station, only if you are trying to construct your own. Stations will also reduce cost because it does not allow the bait to removed from the mouse station, most of the time it has a rod or is locked into place.

The majority of stations will address all of the necessary needs and the mouse bait will be ingested from the stations. Always follow the directions and safety precautions when using a rodenticide that information is there for a reason, to make it as effective and safe as possible. User need to keep in mind that this is a pesticide and has the potential to seriously harm pets and livestock if not used according to recommendations.

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Mouse Control

The physical ability of the mouse is amazing as most homeowners can attest to their rapid speed when you are trying to trap them. Mice have been measured up to speeds of 12 feet per second and can jump an amazing 2 feet high. The mouse is an excellent climber and can scale any rough surface wall without even breaking their stride.

There is no wonder that mouse control can be a challenge for even the most experienced pest expert. Knowing a few key bits of rodent management techniques will help you be more successful at your mouse control.

Know the enemy, being able to identify whether it is a mouse or a rat will change the way you attack the problem, traps and glue boards are not created equal and ones that will work for mice are not big enough to handle and adult rat. Fecal identification is one of the keys to identification and usually is the most commonly encountered sign of a rodent infestation. The house mouse produces about 40 to 100 fecal pellets daily, even a small colony can produce thousands of feces in a very short period of time. Their pellets are between 1/8 to ¼ inch long and usually have one or both ends pointed.

Because mice usually follow the same pathway looking for evidence of runways, tracks will help you identify where to place your traps and glue boards for mice control.

Exclusion techniques whenever possible will help eliminate their entrance and make your residence mouse free for years to come. Fundamentally you want eliminate dead spaces, cracks, crevices and other openings so that pest cannot hide or enter. Repair doors, cracks should be block with copper mesh and openings were plumbing is entering the structure should be covered with some type of steel.

Good sanitation will also help in mouse control, eliminating as much of their food source as possible will help keep their population and health in check. Keeping a tight lid on garbage cans and cleaning up spills and food inside will help.

The use of mouse snap traps, mouse bait, and glue boards will help make your mouse control endeavors very successful. Mechanical traps, snap traps have been around for centuries and work very effective when placed in the proper location. Make sure the opening of the trap is up against a structure, wall or cabinet in order to be more successful. For mice control there are also available multi catch live traps for homeowners who wish to release the mice away from their residence.

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Mouse Glue Traps

Rodents are among the most successful mammals on the planet, they are high adaptable to their surroundings and therefore are able to survive in almost any type of surroundings. When the conditions are favorable Mice can reproduce quickly. They are able to utilize sophisticated behavior pattern to avoid dangers from their predators including us.

There are over 1,700 species of Rodents and they comprise the largest order of Mammals. It is no wonder they can cause homeowners great frustration and distress.

Physical characteristics of the house mouse are they are generally small and slender bodies and their ears are moderately large and distinct. Body length 5 to 9 inches; tail 2.3 to 3.9 inches; and weight 0.6 – 0.8 ounce. Grayish brown hair on top, relatively large ears, and a dusky-scaly, nearly hairless tail. The hair on its bottom is only slightly lighter than the hair on its top, and it has non-grooved incisors.

Occasionally a house mouse will be confused with a young rat, however a young rat’s head and feet appear large and out of proportion to the body. The mouse’s head and feet are in proportion to the body.

Mice spread to Europe from Asia and appeared in the 16^th century in the New World as immigrants on the ships of explorers. The house mouse appeared in North America sometime in the 17^th century, and has been very effective at increasing their populations. House mouse subspecies can now be found across the world. Each mouse makes their own nest, but will share burrows with other individuals within the colony. The house mouse can co-habit with humans, living under large appliances or inside the walls of homes.

Underground burrows, which some subspecies equip with storage rooms. The house mouse does not stray far from cover, with the best habitats offering copious amounts of food, water and places to hide. Their home ranges vary, from 10 feet for some indoor mice, to more than two miles for some outsiders.

The house mouse is a social species and lives in groups with others, and aggressive males have hierarchical ranks and tend to dominate colonies. Each group lives in a territory bound by scent markers, and animals within the colony have their own nests. Mice will groom each other and display both aggressive and submissive postures.

Mice can breed throughout the year, Gestation period of 21 days litter will range from 2 to 13 mice. Mice can reproduce copiously, gestations takes three weeks.

Scary thought a long lived female mouse can produce 10 litters spaced out, which will be 42 to 60 offspring in a year.

Mouse Glue traps are available in mouse and rat size, as boards or trays as scented or unscented traps, covered or uncovered.

Mouse Glue traps are non toxic and easy and quick to use. Rodent Glue traps also provide the advantage of monitoring for insects and a mousetrap.

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Raccoon Animal Traps

Raccoons are easily frightened from our gardens, but can become very aggressive when a femal is protecting her litter. They have been known to inflict wounds on even large dogs that were fatal.

Raccoons are typically 18-28 inches in size and weigh about 5-35 lbs, gestation period is 63 days. They usually have 3-5 in a litter and will wean their litter in about 2-4 months. Diet consist of meats, fish, pet food, seed, insects, fruits, and vegetables.

Raccoons like skunks can be very destructive to lawns and gardens due to their constant grubbing in search of their food source. A raccoon can tear up a large area of sod overnight as a result of grubbing.

Raccoons often gain access to attics, basements, and crawl spaces by forcing something loose. They are very intelligent animals and will surprise most homeowners as to what they are capable of doing. The female raccoon readily invades attic spaces to birth and wean her litters of pups.

Raccoons are infested with fleas and ticks and readily cause a secondary problem for the homeowner and their pets.

Controlling raccoons and skunks can be performed a few different way, habitat modification, mechanical control and trapping. Reducing food source as much as possible will help with raccoons, skunks, and opossums. Pet food dishes and containers should be brought in and or lids secured tightly. Bird feeders can also be an attractant for raccoons. Lids on your garbage can should be secured.

When feasible, troublesome raccoons should be discouraged from taking up residency with exclusion. They are typically easier to exclude by blocking all entry points into the dwelling.

Live animal traps 32”x12”x10” or similar are the perfect size for trapping your raccoon. Animal traps are probably the best method of control of raccoons. Single door animal traps are best. Baiting with canned cat food, or even sardines will work well. Place animal traps so that they are in a location to intercept the raccoon as it approaches it target.

Raccoons, skunks, and oppossums may be the most difficult to lure into a live trap if they have been trapped before. Single door traps are best, but if the trap you own has 2 doors, then set the trap so that only on door is accessible. You should use a piece of masonite or plywood to place under the trap so the trapped animal does not tear up the roof or lawn when trapped.

Traps should be set to intercept the raccoon, skunk or opossum as it approaches the garden, garbage or building.

Live animal traps will allow you to catch and release your raccoon into a more rural area that is not your house. Check with your local restrictions on release of the animal, and remember they are live animals and should be treated with care and caution.

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Mouse Traps

Mouse snap traps can be highly effective tool for controlling mice. Here are some helpful tips on trapping mice with snap traps and the various kinds available.

You may consider tying the bait securely t the trigger to prevent the rodent from licking or nibbling on the bait without setting the mechanism off. If for some reason the bait cannot be tied, lets say chocolate syrup then applying on a small amount is recommended.

On Victor type mouse snap traps the tension of the mechanism can be adjusted, by bending the long, narrow metal prong that touches the trigger. In areas where vibrations are heavy then the trap should be made less sensitive to avoid setting them off.

Most people may not think about this fact but when a professional comes he will use a large amount of traps, this makes it more likely that the bulk of mice are caught right away and one can determine if there is heavier populations is certain areas. Twelve or more traps are not too many, remember more is better.

You will get more success if the traps are placed no further than six feet apart, in double sets in highly active areas. Traps can be reused after captures, because mice will not be repelled after with odor from previous rodents can in some cases help you trap more.

Trap baits should be avoided as the success will depend largely upon how much other food is available and what the rodent is accustomed to eating. Oatmeal, whole oats, salami, freshly fired bacon, and chocolate flavor extracts are but a few items that will work well and help you be more successful in your mouse trap endeavors. You can also use small pieces of thread and cloth which mice use for nesting materials. Female mice will be extremely like to seek these items just prior to the onset of cold weather. Also the fabric and thread will not spoil, nor be attractive to other insects.

With the newer mouse trap technology it is easier to trap a mouse without using lures by simply placing the treadle in a position next to the wall where the mouse may step on to it. Traps are effective when they are located against a wall close to or beneath a runway made by leaning a board against the wall, set several traps to prevent the mouse form being able to jump over it.

Using multi use mouse live traps are an effective way to set it and forget it at least for a few days. Mice enter the multi catch traps as a result of their opportunity and behavior to investigate. They do not have to be baited to work, just placed with the opening against wall and in the common run areas.

Pull items away from the wall so the mice will investigate the trap, winding the traps to tightly can break the mechanism. When it is wound half way the mice are gently thrown into the chamber, live mouse in a trap will attract more mice.

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How to Estimate Rodent Numbers

Because rats typically utilize secluded spots near their runways and tunnels as also eating area, piles of food residue, nuts, seeds, shells or indigestible food items) may been seen and indicate a infestation. Homeowners may also notice cats and dogs performing excited sniffing and probe certain areas, this may be an indication of a rodent problem.

It is difficult to do more than a “guesstimation” of how many rats a home or area may have, but you can assume that if rodents signs are fresh you have a pretty large population. Times when you clearly know there are more than a couple rats it is best to overestimate the infestation. Underestimated will cause a homeowner to use less than the appropriate amount of rat bait or traps for the situation. You will therefore be less successful then if you have used more than necessary traps.

Pest control professional would use a non toxic bait to determine population of rats, and calculate how much of the bait has been eaten in a 24 hour period. Once you have an idea of your rat population using the correct tools such as a rat bait for control is important.

A rodenticide is a pesticide that kills rodents, mice and rats. There are typically 2 different types of groups of mice bait, anitcoagulants and non-anticoagulants.

Anticoagulant rodenticides, comprise about 90% of all products available on the market. These cause death as a result of internal bleeding which causes the rodent‘s blood loses its clotting ability and the capillaries are destroyed. All rodent baits are slow acting and death ranges from three days to 10 days following the ingestion of the rat bait.

Not all rat bait is created equal, there are single feed types that require the mouse to only ingest enough in a single feeding to poison themselves, with others types taking more than one feeding to be successful.

Rat bait is best used in a rodent bait station. They are available in a wide range of sizes and shapes. Homeowners can locate ones that are specific to their needs. By placing the rat bait within an enclosed station, one prevents accidental ingestion of pets and children and make the use of the bait much safer. Bait stations will also extend the life of the bait keeping it free from dust, dirt and other contaminates.

Bait acceptance for mice is very good and usually with anticoagulant bait you will not encounter a shyness. Single feed rat bait will work effectively because typically they will not revisit the bait station and will return to their normal food source after the initial poisoning. This helps keep bait cost down and effectiveness up.

No matter how good the rat bait is means nothing if the mice do not visit the location of the stations. Therefore the location of the bait station is critical, so follow basic guideline of rodent behavior when finding a location for the bait. Make sure the bait station is big enough so that the mouse can enter, this is not a problem if you are purchasing a professional station, only if you are trying to construct your own.

The majority of stations will address all of the necessary needs and the mouse bait will be ingested from the stations. Always follow the directions and safety precautions when using a rodenticide that information is there for a reason, to make it as effective and safe as possible. User need to keep in mind that this is a pesticide and has the potential to seriously harm pets and livestock if not used according to recommendations.

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Rat Control: The Problem with Rodents

More than any other pest, rodents generate more concern for homeowners, facility owners and pest management professionals. Exterior control of rodents is a key part in management and will be addressed in this article.
There is more to rodent control then simply placing rodent bait stations and keeping them filled with bait. But this is typically the norm. Rat control involves setting up multiple lines of defense that often includes bait stations along the perimeter (fence line) of the property, bait stations along exterior perimeter of the structures, and stations (traps and glue boards) indoors.
The Roguard RMS (Rodent Management System), was create to improve the way rodent control is performed, and to make the technician’s role of servicing stations easier, less time consuming and more efficient.
The Roguard RMS Station was designed to be the easiest station to clean on the market. With no partitions, side walls, troughs, no water accumulates in the station and cleaning the station is as easy as sweeping them out. These stations also have easy to unlock design, and there is an optional internal multi-catch mouse trap device.
Inspection provides the foundation needed to make informed rodent control decisions and conduct quality services. Insect the property, whether you are a homeowner or pest professional, gathering all the necessary information about the property will help you be more successful at your rodent control. Identify sources of food, water, and shelter, conducive to rodent infestation, drainage creeks, dumpsters, sewers, outdoor storage, trailers and train cars, vegetation overgrowth.
Identify burrow, runways, rub marks, droppings, or other evidence of exterior rodent activity. Inspect structure, determine the likely entry points, including but not limited to doors, roof, delivery bays, utility openings, structural defects. Implement exclusion measure to seal off rodent access points. Install rodent control stations, based on your inspection, rodent activity level. For the property perimeter you will want to place stations every 50 ft for heavy populations and 100 ft for low rat population. For roof rats, be sure to include elevated harborage or access points such as roofs. Bait stations should be monitored every 2 weeks.
For exterior building perimeter place stations every 25 ft for heavy rat populations, and 75 ft for low population. Suggestions for stations for common locations and circumstances are as follows, bait blocks for fence lines, dumpsters, active rat condition-clean out and low activity-level maintenance. Internal mouse traps for active mouse control, and adjacent to doors and entry points. Rat snap traps may be effective for fence lines (can be placed inside a rodent bait station) dumpsters, active rat clean out, and monitoring.
These are rat control recommendations for home and commercial structures and will help you understand and determine the location, number of rodent bait stations and traps for your particular situation.

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ORGANIC RODENTICIDE

Looking for Organic Rodenticide?

Try Terad3 AG!

Terad3 AG is labeled for Organic Production, the first and only rodenticide with that distinction.

It is available in Blox or Pellets...


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THE IDEAL RODENTICIDE BAITING CHOICE

Need Rodent bait for your bait stations Try Terad3 Blox or Pellets

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