- Author: Elaine Lander
If you are growing tomatoes in your garden, you may not be the only vertebrate going for your hard earned harvest. Are rats feasting away in the garden? We have a couple resources we can share to help you reduce or prevent rat damage to your tomatoes.
Integrated Pest Management for Rats
- Our Pest Notes: Rats has information to help you with identification, biology and IPM options.
- This blog post provides additional information on using snap traps to catch rats and mice.
- If you are managing a school or community garden, you can...
As many people you know have turned to baking during quarantine, it is likely that ingredients such as flour will continue to be in high demand. While you may be tempted to stock up when you find these ingredients, you should also consider how to properly store your ingredients to prevent pests.
Insects can easily be introduced into kitchens and pantries through infested material such as flour, dried fruits, and other grains. These pests can go unnoticed when materials are first brought home because the insects may be present as eggs or larvae. If you are purchasing items like flour or sugar from bulk bins, be sure to store your ingredients to tightly sealed containers at home. This practice can deter
- Author: Elaine Lander
Spring has arrived and with many Californians at home due to local coronavirus directives, now could be an opportune time for some spring cleaning. This annual ritual also has the benefit of preventing and reducing indoor pests.
Cleaning and decluttering removes access to food, water, and shelter for pests such as ants, cockroaches, pantry pests, mice, and
- Author: Elaine Lander
It's often easier to prevent pests before they become a problem than to try and get rid of them once they infest a home. While some pests can be active year-round, cooler temperatures trigger some pests to find shelter indoors.
Creatures such as rats or insects are typically looking for food, water, and shelter. Eliminate or reduce access to these resources to deter pests. There are a variety of tools that are readily available which can help block or limit a pest's entrance into the home. Here are a few suggestions to prevent creatures from stirring in your home this season.
Rats,
- Author: Niamh Quinn
- Posted by: Elaine Lander
Trapping is the safest and most effective method for controlling rats and mice in and around homes, garages, and other structures. Rodents that live in close association with humans are called commensal rodents. Rats and mice are the most frequently encountered commensal rodents in California.
Selecting the correct trap
Before trapping, make sure you know what rodent pest you have. It is a very common mistake to select the wrong size trap when you have not yet determined whether you have mice or rats (and the correctly identified rat species).
You will not catch a rat with a mouse trap, and you will not catch a mouse with a rat trap. To determine...
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