I may add a few things: In addition to using store brand rat baits, you can make some of your own. There are various formulas that I have tried. Basically you have a BASE ingredient. I choose corn meal and creamy peanutbutter. Then mix it with combination of the following: --sugar -*- baking powder/ -*- ground pure aspirin -+- plaster of paris also, provide some water for them. All [-*- ]items will cause digestion problem. Aspirin, may cause internal bleeding. As long as you get them eat your bait you are on the right track. Keep it on. Do not expect them drop dead right away. You want them to get sick and die.That is best you can do. For those of you with dogs/cats. As suggested, take a big metal coffee can and cut an entrance for rats. You can do this with a metal shearer. Now invert that can over the bait dish. Put a brick or stone on the can so cats/dogs/wind cannot tople it. So this is cat/dog proof, wind proof, rain proof, bird proof, squirrel proof,... You can use the same idea for rat traps but the cover has to be big enough to accomodate the trap to snap without any obsticle.

Rats in Brooklyn. Who woulda thunk it?? And all you did was leave the door wide open day and night. Really? I co-managed a supermarket in Flushing one summer 41 years ago. We didn't dare go into the basement food storage area after 4PM, as that was when the rats came out. The owners didn't care to spend money on exterminators--until the Health Department closed the store down one morning. (You'd think they take a little something to look the other way. This was the Rotten Apple.) If what you saw was so small you couldn't ID it, it was likely a mouse. Standard neck-snapping rat traps won't work well, as they won't trigger with the light weight of a mouse. So close up all entries to the cellar. Especially the doors. If it's rats, you have a wide choice of inanimate elimination methods--poison, neck snappers, live trapping, glue boards and electrocution. When we lived in rural Ohio, we had a rat terrier. In downtown Toronto, a brace of cats were good for the occasional mice. Reminds me, time to check the garage traps for last night's stray Mickies. This post was edited by worthy on Sun, Jun 2, 13 at 11:00

The question should be what goes after Roach Bait, enjoys it, comes back for more and does not die from it?

The Recipe For Organic Vole & Mouse Control Large Area Applications Using A Hose-End Sprayer 1 - 2 Oz Castor Oil (DO NOT USE UNSCENTED CASTOR OIL!) We buy our Castor Oil from http://www.shayandcompany.com/castor-oil-1-gallon.html 1 - 2 Oz Dish Detergent Add the mixture to the jar of the hose end sprayer. Then fill the jar with water. Attach to your hose and thoroughly water every location that you want to deter the pests from. If your hose-end sprayer has a dial, set it to the highest setting. Small Area Application Using A Watering Can 1 teaspoon Castor Oil (DO NOT USE UNSCENTED CASTOR OIL!) We buy our Castor Oil from http://www.shayandcompany.com/castor-oil-1-gallon.html 1 teaspoon Dish Detergent Add this mixture to 1 gallon of water and thoroughly water the area to be protected. How To Apply The Organic Vole Control You want to water the ground, not spray it. You should thoroughly wet the soil so that the mixture penetrates a few inches into the soil. It is hard to say how much lawn and garden area the solution will cover. You just want to make sure you get the mixture into the soil. You Do Not Have To Re-Apply After A Rain You may want to re-apply in spring if you have damage during the growing season. Some people do and some don't. Mostly vole and mole damage is just a winter issue as the pests are desperate for a food source. When To Apply The Organic Vole Control You want to apply the mixture before the ground freezes and after you have cleaned away all the leaves from your garden. This is typically after a few frosts. NH Hostas solution. Others use their own castor oil concoction. It gives them diarrhea which fouls their tunnels and sends them off to your neighbor's place