b C3 we wy he y PestContro! Mouse-Proof Your Hom (NAPSA)—With cooler weather, many rodents seek refuge indoors— making your home, their home. These unwelcome visitors can spread disease and cause allergies. Tens of thousands of people, many of them children, are bitten annually in the 21 million U.S. households invaded by rodents each year. The usual remedies are conventional rodenticides and mechanical traps. When used according to their directions they are generally regarded as safe, but these poisons can also be dangerous and sometimes fatal for children, pets and other animals. The ASPCA’s animal poison control center has handled up to 500 calls in a month about serious cases involving pets ingesting poisonous rodenticides. And, according to the American Association of Poison Control Centers, more than 15,000 children under the age of six accidentally eat rat and mouse poisons each year. Instead, you can use a safer bait, toxic only to rodents. Follow these safe steps to protect your home and loved ones: Clear clutter inside and out. Eliminate potential nesting places by clearing any clutter. Inside— clean out corners and storage. Outside—trim back vegetation and clear away debris. Don’t feed the animals. Like — There are safe ways to keep mice away. Secure the perimeter. Mice can fit through holes as small as a nickel. Seal any holes, cracks and crevices that can serve as an entryway into your home. Fix torn birdseed and dry pet food in tightly sealed metal containers. Make sure pet food bowls are emptied at night. Cut off the water supply. screens, broken windows and doors that don’t latch closed. Police the area for signs. The average female rat can yield up to 75 young each year; so if you see one rodent inside the home, more are likely to be lurking around. If you see droppings, gnaw marks or smudge marks along the walls, you might have a mouse in the house. Control any rodents that slip through. Traditional mousetraps are not always effective—in fact, some nests even have been found to contain wood shavings from the very traps intended to kill them—and conventional rodenticides can be toxic or even fatal, if ingested. Instead, choose a safer yet effective mouse control solution that is only toxic to rodents. Safe to use around children and pets, Safe-Kill Mouse Killer disrupts the mouse’s complex digestive system leading to a coma and death. It is the only ready-to-use mouse bait that is water a day. Deter unwanted visitors by reducing standing water within days. Safe-Kill is available at leading all animals, mice and rats will fol- low the food source. Clean areas where crumbs and loose food can accumulate and avoid leaving out leftover food. Store bulk food, Mice drink about one ounce of and additional water sources, such as birdbaths, watering cans, and drain spouts that can attract animals. toxic only to rodents and kills mass retailers, grocery stores, drug stores, and home and garden centers. For more information, visit www.safe-kill.com.
