. Controlling rats and mice. Mice; Rats. TOP VIEW Fig. 6. Burrow of Norway rat in a poultry pen. In addition to the open entrance, there are emergency exits or bolt holes, lightly covered by soil, and not easily seen from the surface. (Pisanoand Storer, 1948.) METHODS OF CONTROL The principal means of controlling rats and mice are (1) exclusion, (2) traps, (3) poisoned baits, and (4) poisonous gases or dusts. Various other control measures have been tried, but many are of little use. Exclusion is the real solution, and all other methods give only tempo- rary relief. EXCLUSION Exclusion of rats
. Controlling rats and mice. Mice; Rats. TOP VIEW Fig. 6. Burrow of Norway rat in a poultry pen. In addition to the open entrance, there are emergency exits or bolt holes, lightly covered by soil, and not easily seen from the surface. (Pisanoand Storer, 1948.) METHODS OF CONTROL The principal means of controlling rats and mice are (1) exclusion, (2) traps, (3) poisoned baits, and (4) poisonous gases or dusts. Various other control measures have been tried, but many are of little use. Exclusion is the real solution, and all other methods give only tempo- rary relief. EXCLUSION Exclusion of rats and mice means es- sentially only two things: leaving no opening more than % inch in width into a building, or other enclosure, and pro- tecting all food supplies from these ani- mals (see figs. 7-10). House mice can pass easily through a crevice % inch wide, and young rats need little more space. If buildings are constructed and maintained with these two principles constantly in mind, no rats or mice can find shelter or food inside. Unfortunately this is not always done, and in some places it is difficult to do. [ In practice, exclusion of rodents re- quires the following: 1) Concrete floors and exterior curtain walls around foundations. 2) Solid exterior walls with no holes or large cracks. 3) Elevation of small buildings 12 to 18 inches above ground. 4) Screens over all openings, both at the ground level and above, of hardware cloth of Vz- or 14-inch mesh, or metal grille with equally small apertures. 5) Cement or metal sheathing around all holes where pipes or conduits pass through walls. 6) Tight-fitting doors and window screens throughout the premises. Rat proofing alone is not enough; such construction must be frequently inspected and kept in good repair. Leaving un- screened doors or windows open over night, or failing to replace sheathing after a small plumbing job, can give rodents a 13]. Please note that these images are extracted from scanned page images that may h
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