Using Baits
Using a Bait Station
An effective solution to get your rodent problem under control
When you need a power rodent-control solution with the flexibility to kill a single rodent or a dozen, Tomcat® Mouse Killer and Rat & Mouse Killer Baits are a solution to help you handle your problem in a way that fits your household's needs.
Mice and rats may look cute in the pet store, but when you see one scurrying across your kitchen floor, you have a big problem. One pair of mice can produce between 50 and 60 offspring in a single year, and single pair of rats can produce between 24 and 72 offspring. They may carry serious disease and spread filth wherever they go. In a house or apartment, they can gnaw through wiring, causing electrical fires or cause damage to household items.
Quick Guide to Using a Bait Station
- Remove the bait station from the box. If you’re using a refillable station, follow the instructions on the package to insert the bait block.
- Place the bait station in an area in which you’ve noticed evidence of mice or rats, such as next to a wall, in a dark corner, in the attic, below a window, etc.
- Make sure the entryway to the station is facing out from the wall or corner.
- Repeat as needed with additional stations every 8 to 12 feet for mice, 15 to 30 feet for rats.
What is a Bait Station?
A bait station is not a trap. It is a device that protects children, dogs, and cats from accidental poisoning by preventing them from coming into contact with the rodent bait block. A bait station holds the bait securely inside. Rodents do not die in the bait station, so don't expect to find any there. Instead, a mouse or rat enters the station, eats the bait, leaves the station, and usually goes back to its nest where it dies.
A mouse or rat will normally eat a lethal dose of Tomcat bait in a single night's feeding and will begin to die in 1 to 2 days. All Tomcat bait stations have a see-through top so you can monitor bait usage, but a rodent requires a very small amount of Tomcat baits for a lethal dose. Just because there is not a large amount of bait missing does not mean it is not working.
Tomcat® Mouse Killer and Tomcat® Rat & Mouse Killer baits can be used as a standalone control option or as part of a total system with mechanical and glue traps. Tomcat® Mouse Killer and Rat & Mouse Killer are extremely effective in killing any size rodent populations from a single rodent to an infestation. Each 1-ounce bait block in a Tomcat® Mouse Killer bait station can kill up to 12 mice*, and each 4-ounce bait block in a Tomcat® Rat & Mouse Killer bait station can kill up to 10 rats* to help take care of your rodent problem before it becomes an infestation.
Disposable vs. Refillable Bait Stations
Tomcat bait stations come in disposable and refillable options. If you have a rodent problem that is manageable with a few bait block placements and do not want to deal with touching or storing loose bait blocks for safety reasons, disposable stations, like the Tomcat® Mouse Killer Child & Dog Resistant, Disposable Station or the Tomcat® Rat & Mouse Killer Child & Dog Resistant, Disposable Station, are the right choice for you. Simply remove from the box and place in the area you have noticed rodent activity.
If you have a larger issue or a rodent problem that persist throughout the year or seasonally, refillable bait stations, like the Tomcat® Mouse Killer Child & Dog Resistant, Refillable Station or the Tomcat® Rat & Mouse Killer Child & Dog Resistant, Refillable Station, provide a way to replenish the bait supply in each station. To bait a refillable Tomcat station, remove the station from the box or bag. With one hand, push the tab up on the bottom of the station. While still holding the tab, use your other hand to squeeze the prongs of the bait cartridge and pull away from the station. To load bait, wearing disposable gloves, place the bait refill into the cartridge. Push the cartridge into the station until it clicks into place. Extra bait blocks should be stored in areas that children and pets cannot access, and bait blocks should only be used with a bait station.
Placing Bait Stations
Place bait stations where rodents will find them, such as along rodent runways next to walls, in dark, secluded areas where rodents like to hide like next to the refrigerator, and in locations where you've seen signs of rats and mice or heard their movement at night. You may also need to place bait stations in attics, along rafters and in drop ceilings near their area of activity.
For bait stations that can be used both indoors and outdoors, like the Tomcat® Rat & Mouse Killer Child & Dog Resistant, Disposable Station, outdoor placement should be around the perimeter of the home. Also place bait stations near areas that are common access points for rodents, such as entry doors, garage doors, below windows, places where utilities enter the home, or any other areas of the home that may not be tightly sealed. You can also use bait stations in garages and outbuildings, and near other areas where rodents like to hide, such as wood piles.
The entryway to the station should always be facing out from the object it is set against. While the child and dog resistant stations allow for greater flexibility in placement, no rodent control products should be placed in areas where children and pets frequent regularly.
Bait station placement depends on the type of rodent you are dealing with. For mice, space stations 8 to 12 feet apart. For rats, place bait stations 15 to 30 feet apart, depending on the severity of the infestation. Place stations closer together for bigger rodent problems.
With Tomcat you can effectively control rats and mice with a wide variety of bait stations and other control products to fit your individual needs and stop rodents dead in their tracks.
*Based on no-choice laboratory testing
