Rodents are infamous for being difficult to eliminate when an infestation begins. Usually, consumers do not notice an infestation until it gets bad enough for them to show themselves. Most homeowners then turn to products promising results. Today, we at Snell Scientifics would like to discuss the difficulty in removing rodents and highlight our testing processes.
Why are Rodents So Hard to Control?
1) Rats are larger than mice. With traditional rodent traps, size is a common issue. Traps are often not the right size to catch rats. When homeowners realize they have a rodent problem, they typically don’t know whether they’re dealing with mice or rats. Many people set out snap or glue traps and hope for the best, however, if you’re dealing with rats, common traps are a waste of time and money. A rat can be more than double the size of a typical house mouse, as they average between 7 and 10 inches in length. Most standard snap, glue, and live cage traps can’t actually trap that size of rodent.
2) Rodent Species have Different Diets. To attract rodents, rat traps generally rely on bait. Too often smearing on peanut butter or placing out cheese makes traps are ineffective and homeowners do not understand why. The failure may be due to the bait itself in some cases and it is due different species of rats eat very different types of food. Usually living in rafters, roofs, and treetops, black rats, for example exclusively eat plant-based foods and wouldn’t be attracted to cheese. Most homeowners cannot even identify between mouse or rate, let alone the different species of rats.
3) Rats are Clever. They’re probably going to avoid it for a while when a trap appears in their environment since rats are inherently suspicious of anything new. Especially when they find themselves repeatedly baiting a trap, only to find it undisturbed a few days later, this can add to the frustrations of homeowners who are trying to quickly solve their rat problems.
4) Rats Travel Carefully. Rats tend to play it safe by scurrying along walls and fences and do not usually dart out in the middle of a room or yard. Since it’s often hard to identify their favorite pathways, this can make it even more difficult to trap them. As you can imagine, it might be challenging to place traps in the perfect spots.
5) Rodents Reproduce Quickly. It can be difficult to fully eradicate a single family using traditional trapping techniques since rats can reproduce every 21 days. Its family members will require even more traps although a single trap might take care of a single rat. Experts advise homeowners to use dozens of snap or glue traps for a full infestation. Those rats are continuing to procreate, making your problem even worse as you are setting and monitoring all those traps takes time and effort, as they all the while.
Rodent Repellency Testing
Snell Scientifics provides an excellent range of test methods to help you prove and develop your formulation from concept to finalization. We begin with our single-rodent choice system and test 20-30 of these at the same time and collect a large database quickly. We test the glue boards and rodent snap traps to test the efficiency with rats and other rodents. When you have a product that needs rodent testing, you can trust in Snell Scientifics to conduct a series of testing and provide data, statistics, and other product information that is detailed in your reports. Call us today!
