Are you growing a rodent’s dream buffet in your backyard?

Although it’s common knowledge that to beat your enemy in battle, you must first learn to think like them; this principle is often forgotten in the gardening world. The most common problem for gardeners is that in the excitement of planting everything they want, they forget to think of which plants their outdoor companions are silently waiting to devour once they turn their back. You may be unknowingly planting a feast outside that consists of all of your neighborhood rodents’ favorite foods, and they’ll be all too happy to invite the rest of their four-legged family over to finish off your flowers and vegetables before you ever get a chance to enjoy them.

Let’s look at the preferred snacks of rodents, such as rats, mice, voles, squirrels, and groundhogs. This is the first step in long-lasting rodent control.

Rodent Appetites

Rats have perhaps the … Read Full Post »

Rodents have lived alongside humans since the earliest days of civilization, and they continue to be a significant pest. Rats and mice eat human food and contaminate the house with their droppings. They are also very destructive and can chew through nearly anything, including a house’s walls and foundation. Although rodents are found anywhere humans live, a few places have had historically awful infestations. Here are some of the worst rodent infestations in history:

Medieval Europe

During the Crusades, Asian black rats began migrating into Europe in ever-increasing numbers. They brought along the fleas that carried the bubonic plague, which devastated Europe. Their numbers became so overwhelming that the profession of rat-catching had to be invented to deal with them.

Australia

When explorers began traveling to Australia, they inadvertently brought mice on their ships. The mice, facing few natural predators and plenty of easy food, began to reproduce rapidly, and to this day, they … Read Full Post »

Though they are often admired for their ability to pilfer food from garbage cans in the dead of night, raccoons can be quite dangerous. They are known to spread disease, injure family pets and inflict property damage that can be expensive. However, these ingenious critters can be kept far away from family residences with the following five tips.

1. Secure All Trash Receptacles

Raccoons are widely known for their talent. For example, sliding aside a partially open garbage can lid is quite easily accomplished. For this reason, property owners will want to secure all trash receptacles fully. Kitchen garbage cans and other interior food sources should also be sealed—plenty of verified stories of raccoons entering homes through pet doors and gobbling up unsecured food waste.

2. Reduce Nesting Areas

Because raccoons do not build their dens, they search for places to raise a family. Attics, basements, crawlspaces, and any other nooks and crannies that … Read Full Post »