SNAP TRAP

BAITING TIPS

• Make sure that rodents are the culprits taking the bait from your trap.  Many times the thief is actually not a rodent; cockroaches, crickets and even ants could be making off with your bait.  Try dusting the area around the trap with a non-repellent material such as flour; this will reveal footprints to identify the pest.  Also, glue boards located next to your traps will capture insects and mice.

• Are you using the correct trap?  A rat trap does not often capture a mouse, and a mouse trap will only irritate an adult rat!  Make sure that your trap matches your rodent.  For mixed populations, use a T-Rex Rodent Trap.  The T-Rex will capture rats or mice and can also be placed in a Protecta tamper resistant station to keep pets and children away from your rodent trap.

• Expanded trigger snap traps catch more mice than a conventional metal trigger trap.  The expanded trigger snap traps are effective simply because the larger trigger provides a bigger surface for the rodent to step on.  An expanded trigger also provides more leverage, which means it takes less pressure to spring the trap.  Some traps even allow you to set the pressure of the trigger from soft to firm.

• The ultimate bait is one that is accepted by the rodents and not easily removed from the trigger.  Try a variety of baits to find what works best in your situation.  In sites where food is abundant but nesting material is scarce, soft string, cotton balls, or strips of cloth are attractive to female mice and rats.   To enhance the material, try applying one or two drops of vanilla extract as an added lure.

• Tie the bait down to the trap or use a sticky bait, like peanut butter, that cannot be carried away.  When using a sticky bait, smear a small amount on the top and bottom of the expanded trigger.  Some solid baits, like cheese, marshmallows or chocolate, can be melted onto the trigger with a match.  Use a piece of thread or dental floss to tie down solid baits.

• Inspect your trap.  Whether or not a mouse or rat gets caught depends on the sensitivity of the trigger, the size of the trigger and the speed at which the kill bar flips over.  If a trap is old and slow, it can be improved by simply applying a small amount of vegetable oil or bacon grease to the spring.  Do not use machine oil, as this would repel rodents.  Although dirty traps that smell "mousy" catch more mice, do not let your traps get so gummy that the action of the trigger or the bar is slowed down.  Do not attempt to clean a filthy trap with soap and water.  Not only will the soap repel rats and mice, the water will warp the soft pine base of the trap, making it unstable and ineffective.   Once a trap becomes too gummy to use, toss it and replace with a new trap.   Snap traps are not very expensive and your time is important!

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