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Questions about the Victor mouse traps,Victor Woodstream Electronic MOUSE Trap M252, Victor TIN CAT Live Catch Humane Mouse Trap and Victor Electronic Humane Kill Mouse Trap M250 PRO and the Woodstream Victor Multi-Kill Electronic Mousetrap M260.

Q; "I am confused about the differences between these units. I have a mouse problem both in my basement/house and in an outbuilding where I store bird seed and apples. Can you please explain the differences? I do not want a single catch trap that I have to empty or throw out such as the spring traps. Thanks. Tom."

Answer: First, remember the TIN Cat trap is a live catch trap. That means you have to regularly empty it out. I frankly think this is akin to the ground squirrel problem my friend had a few years ago. She would trap them, drive them three miles into the country and swears they beat her back to the house. It depends, of course, as to whether you believe that wild mice are like the white mice my brother had as a child, i.e. pets.

The differences among the others are:

The M252:

• Capacity: one mouse
• Kill in 10 seconds using high voltage electrical charge.
• Green indicator light blinks for 7 days to signal that a mouse has been caught. Just open the lid and dispose of the dead mouse.
• Safe to use around pets and children.
• Humane kill : meets International Humane Kill standards.
• Built in safety feature: unit deactivates if top door is accidentally opened.
• Unique tunnel: prevents mouse escape and decreases risk of shock to humans.
• Uses 4 AA batteries (not included). A set of batteries exterminates about 50 mice.
• Blinking red low battery indicator light.
• Unit size: 6" x 3" x 1.75"

The M250 Pro:

• A tunnel design:traps mice inside, keeps children and pets from touching the electric mouse trap . 
• Humane kill of up to 3 mice using high voltage
• If only 1 mouse is caught, the trap resets automatically, ready to kill anothger
• Green light blinks for up 7 days to indicate capture
• Red light blinks to indicate low batteries.
• Kills up to 100 mice per set of batteries.
• Lid flips open to keep hands away from rodent when emptying.
• Built-in safety switch automatically deactivates the trap when its door is open. Additionally, its unique tunnel design prevents kids and pets from reaching into the trap. 
• Safe for use anywhere in the home, Victor® Electronic Mouse Traps can be used for years to ensure effective mouse control.

Victor Multi-Kill Mousetrap M260 Features: 

• Two points of entry: mice climb stairs on side of trap after they smell the bait
• Instant death from high voltage shock
• Up to 10 mice die per setting. 
• Shock N' Drop chamber rotates and drops mouse into collection drawer
• Blinking yellow light indicates a kill
• Trap resets for the next mouse
• Built-in safety switch protects pets and children: automatically deactivates the trap when the door is open. 
• Power: 4 C Cells

Choose the trap or traps according to:

• Number of areas where mice are seen or their droppings are seen
• How many mice are a problem
• How often you want to check the traps and empty them

 

Note: Effective mouse control requires more than an electric mouse trap. Ultrasonic rodent repellers discourage mouse re-infestations. Sealing off entrances into homes or buildings and proper storage of food stuffs is part of a comprehensive plan to keep out mice. No control method is 100% effective by itself.  Mouse bait is also effective: just remember that mice don't go outside to die. They like to be warm and the inside of home walls is a favorite place to nest and to die. The odor from a dead mouse or a few is enough to make you want to vacate the area. We have found that ionizing air cleaners help neutralize that awful odor or decay. If your outbuilding is a distance from your home, then consider bait IF your domestic animals and children are not apt to get into it. 

Our experience and that of the experts is that multiple traps work  and adding ultrasonic mouse repellers helps to keep new mice out. Among the choices we offer are the Victor Sonic PestChaser PRO Rodent Repeller and the Lentek Ultrasonic Pest Contro 600 Model PR35,3/Box or the P3 International Attack Wave Rodent Pest Repeller. Disrupt any mouse nests, too. 

Mouse and Rat Bait Choice Include:

• Victor Multi-Kill Brand Place Pack Rodenticides,86 Pack VICTOR® Multi-Kill® Brand Place Packs are made with a powerful single-feed anticoagulant. Contains the first new EPA-approved active in over 10 years. 200x less toxic to dogs than the leading brand twice more toxic to mice. Made in the USA, Uses premium ingredients like oats. Sealed poison packs for Norway Rats, Roof Rats, and House Mice.For indoor and outdoor use.Kills the rodent within 3-5 days.Made in the U.S.A.Bucket of 86 blocks, 8.06 lbs. weight
• Victor Fast-Kill Brand Place Pack Rodenticides,86/Bucket - Value Bucket powerful single-feed non-anticoagulant. With the fastest formulation on the market, Fast-Kill® brand controls the toughest rodent populations in 1-2 days and sometimes within hours. Fast-kill® brand is ideal for an economical and quick knock down of occasional problems. Rodents will stop feeding after eating a lethal dose. This allows you to control more rodents with less bait! Additionally, since mice aren’t over eating, there is no risk of secondary poisoning with Fast-Kill® brand baits. So pets won't be harmed if they accidentally eat a poisoned rodent.
• Both formulations are also available in unwrapped bait as well. You get twice as much bait for the same price.

Barbara reviews the Squirrel Evictor MB10K and MB100K strobe lights These pest animal control units are mounted in attics or crawl spaces. Home pest control includes these environmentally safe strobe lights that get rid of roof rats, squirrels, raccoons, feral cats and mice. No damage to your building, no poisons, no traps, no repeat visits by exterminators, no decaying animal smells, no harm to the animals.

Question about the Product Code: EP-MB100K PROFESSIONAL Evictor Strobe Light Squirrel Rat Repeller

Q:"I have had more than six raccoons in my attic since January. They lined up in front of my window so I could count them. How nice! I can't close the opening under the roofline because I can hear babies squealing in the walls and the Exterminating Co. we hired only trapped one and then gave up. I need another method. WILL A STROBE LIGHT REALLY WORK? And how do I get it into the attic without being attacked? As you can see, I really need HELP.. Please be honest as we've already thrown out money for the Exterminating / Trapping company. Thanks, Esther"

Answer: For raccoons, the Professional Evictor is the better choice of the two Evictor strobe units as it will cover about 1600 square feet of open attic and is 6 times stronger in light intensity than the home unit. If your attic is an irregular shape, you may need two or more of these lights.

The first challenge is getting an installer and the units into the attic! Raccoons are essentially nocturnal animals but occasionally venture out in the daytime particularly toward evening. So the best time to install the Evictor is during daylight hours. Of course, attics tend to be dark even in the daytime so the raccoons may be moving about during day time. So first you need to get the raccoons out of the area where you plan to install the light.

Today I received this email from Evictor's sales rep. Here is his suggestion:

" For this situation, your customer needs at least 3 of the professional Evictor lights. We do not know how long the raccoons have inhabited the house. The large Evictor lights work well to expel raccoons. With that many raccoons and if they have babies, entering the attic is dangerous unless you are a trained professional exterminator/ Evictor installer as the raccoons are likely to attack.

Not only must the lights be installed but the access holes must be closed and traps set on the outside to catch the raccoons as they leave the premises. The activity in the walls is only temporary as they are exploring their current residence.

If the homeowner plans the installation himself, it would be best for two people to handle the installation. First, make and continue making a lot of noise before entering the attic. Take with you a radio on maximum volume tuned to a talk show. Leave the radio on and bang on a pan or make similar noise while you set the lights and leave as quickly as possible." Mike.

This was my original answer:

"A sonic animal repeller that can be set to be on continuously is the first step. Get a long extension cord, plug in a Yardgard set to the small animal setting, turn the volume to the loudest setting, push the attic access open and place the device on the nearest rafter. The noise should encourage the raccoons to hide or vacate the attic especially if you also have a way to turn on an attic light.

After a few hours, it should be safe to install the Evictor or Evictors if yours is an attic that has an irregular shape. If you have an electrical outlet in the attic, you can quickly install the unit by hanging it onto a rafter and plugging the cord into a timer. Or if the raccoons have temporarily abandoned the area, have the units wired so there is a switch handy to the access so you can turn it off before entering the attic to clean up after the raccoons.

Once the raccoons are gone, do remove overhanging tree limbs and other accesses to your roof and close off the entrance points. "

The only good news is that the damage to your house is probably covered by insurance. At least when this scenario happened to a friend who was then living in Milwaukee, her insurance company paid to have all her upstairs ceilings replaced as the damage was not done rodents.

Thanks for your question and good luck!

Sincerely,
Barbara

Question about the Animal Away Repeller P7810 Product Code:ES-P3-P7810

Q:"Does this work for mice and rats? We need something like this where I work. Thank you!"-Michelle.

Answer: The Animal Away is designed mainly for outdoor use against larger animals like cats, dogs and raccoons. The best choice for attics and crawl spaces is the Evictor Strobe Light Small Animal Repeller. This works for roof rats, squirrels, bats, feral cats and raccoons. Safe Home sells several different devices to catch and repel rats and mice in addition to that product. One problem is that these pest animals have sharp teeth and can chew through wood, mesh screening, etc. to get inside where they then can raise their young. And these animals can multiply very rapidly.

Among the products we sell are ultrasonic repellers that directly plug into the wall, ultrasonic repellers that have a line cord for better placement on the floor, rat and mice zapper traps and a strobe light repeller for attics and crawl spaces.

If the rats get into your attic or crawl space, not only will they leave droppings, bring in fleas, chew on wires, etc, but also they will attract squirrels and raccoons who will also set up housekeeping. A rat can enter through a hole the size of a quarter. The rats tunnel through your insulation, reducing its effectiveness and ultimately your attic will take on an odor that attracts other rats and repels humans. Rats sharpen their teeth on rafters and can get down into your walls. You cannot imagine the odor of a dead rat, a rat who died in your wall.

The direct plug in pest repeller units range from small ones with or without nightlights to larger more powerful ones with one or two speakers. For example, the Lentek Pest Contro 600 have night lights. For these to be effective, plug into unobstructed, un-switched wall outlets in rooms to be covered by ultrasonic sound power.

The corded units such as the Transonic Pro are easier to place and also can be set to repel other animals. These units may be both silent and noise generating. To be most effective, you need to get "bounce" off hard surfaces and also "shoot" the ultrasound down floor edges across doorways, registers and other possible openings for the rodents to enter the rooms.

The electric traps are powered by batteries. There are two models, one for rats and one for mice.

The Evictor strobe light comes in two models, one for homes or smaller buildings and the professional Evictor for larger areas. The Evictor works great to repel black rats

Getting rid of mice and rats once they are nested is difficult and requires a multi-faceted approach. Do remember that all foodstuffs need to be in secure containers both for storage and for trash. All openings to the outside should be sealed after you've used ultrasonic or strobe light applications for several weeks. Look for openings in attics and basements, too.

Professional exterminators may be necessary. Do remember that using poisons means that animals may die in wall spaces, ceilings, etc and the stench can be awful. Glue traps are also effective although some find them distasteful and dealing with live rodents is not pleasant.

Good luck. Let us know if we can help your employer to get these nuisance rodents out of your building. Remember that your home is vulnerable, too.

Sincerely,
Barbara

Question about the product Evictor Strobe Light Squirrel and Rat Repeller Product Code: EP-MB10K

Q: "Squirrels have eaten into our eaves, but have not gotten into the house (yet) Will this or a similiar product work in that type of area? We are not exactly sure where they are, but have seen them go in and out."-Debbie

Answer: The Squirrel Evictor Strobe Light is designed to be used indoors. It is a very large strobe light and will most likely cause the neighbors to complain. You could install one indoors in the attic area in case they do get in. You may want to try Bird Proof Gel or Bird Proof Liquid . You can apply the gel using a caulk gun or the liquid can be sprayed on. This is an EXTREMELY sticky substance and the squirrels HATE it. Once it gets on their fur they can't get it off.

Thanks for your question. Good luck!

Sincerely, Barbara

Question about the product Product Code: M240, Victor Woodstream Electronic Rat Trap.

Q: "We would like to use this in our backyard to kill the rats that are being attracted to our bird feeder, 1st year we have had the problem in 15 years of having a bird feeder. My questions is, we also have squirrls that we do not want killed. Is the opening only large enough for rats???" -Gail

Answer: The opening of the trap is about 4 inches wide and 3 inches high, tunnel shaped. It is unlikely that a squirrel would venture into this trap. However, anything is possible. Usual bait is peanut butter or peanut butter and bread. Some folks use bird seed. The trap is about 8 inches long and about 5 inches high. A green light goes on when there is a rat in the trap. The unit operates on batteries which should be sufficient to kill about 12 rats.

These traps work well on rats because there is a double shock on the grid as the rat's heart is harder to stop. Voltage applied for up to 2 minutes to insure death.

Good luck with your rat problem.

Sincerely,
Barbara

Q: "Is the strobe from the Professional Evictor Squirrel and Rat Repeller on constantly or does the unit have a motion sensor?"

Answer: Yes, the Squirrel Evictor strobe light must be on continuously to get rid of squirrels, to get rid of rats or for other pest animal control. There is no motion sensor or on/off switch. The 1,000,000 Candlepower strobe light strobes 90 times per minute.

Although the professional squirrel repeller unit is more powerful, often better results come from installation several of the smaller regular Evictors. This is due to irregularly shaped attics or crawl spaces. Squirrel pest control is most successful when the Squirrel Evictor operates in a dark, uncluttered space where its strobe is the only light source and where the light invades all the nooks and crannies. The instruction manual recommends leaving enter/exit holes unsealed for at least one month. Squirrels, attic rats, raccoons, etc. are trained by the strobe to hate protected areas: if you seal the holes too soon, the pest animals cannot get out!

Please contact us if you have additional questions.

Sincerely, Barbara

Q: "What is the total square footage that one Victor Sonic PestChaser PRO Rodent Repeller M792 covers?"

Answer: Unfortunately, there is no simple answer to your question. Ultrasonic frequencies are sound above the normal range of human hearing and act more like light than say sound from a radio or television. See my answer below after you read why the answer is not absolute. One reason for the M792's superiority is that it has two speakers so it fits in corners and sends sound down two walls at once. It is recommended for

Characteristics of Ultrasonic Sound:

• Is Highly directional like FM radio waves.
  
• Reflects from hard surfaces like bare walls, doors, etc. like light from a mirror.
• Is absorbed and dampened by soft surfaces such as carpeting, drapes, furniture and cardboard boxes.
• Can be effected by the humidity of the air.
• Creates a "shadow" of silence behind an object it hits, a sheltered area for pests. Place traps or poison bait in that "shadow" or aim additional PestChasers be aimed at the back of the object and eliminate the "shadow."

For use in large sized rooms, kitchens, garages, attics and basements

• 6' cord enables ideal placement

• Emits high frequency sound waves that effectively repel rodents

• Sound is completely inaudible to people and non-rodent pets.

• Varying ultrasonic sound waves prevents rodents from getting used to the Victor® Sonic PestChaser®.

• Since the sound is inaudible, a red LED light shows unit is working properly.

• Reduction in rodent activity should occur within 6-10 days

• Multiple units required for multiple rooms Note: Best results are with other rodent control methods: Sanitation: Use in a clean area with no spilled foodstuffs or accumulated trash. Exclusion: Reduce access points for rodents. Use hardware cloth to seal pipes, vent screens, A/C ducts and holes in siding. A mouse can squeeze through a hole the size of a pencil. Reduce Populations: For heavy infestations, you may first have to reduce populations of rodents to smaller levels by using baits and traps. Newer electric traps kill humanely, run on battery power, and are easily emptied. Please contact us if you have additional questions. Sincerely, Barbara

Question about the Product Transonic PRO Pest Repeller (DUAL SPEAKER)

Q: "I have a couple of computers and a cordless phone. Do these ultrasonic repellers have any effect on my electronic devices? Adverse effect? Thanks for your help." Kristina

Answer: What is the hz of the phone? I have a unit on the floor that is on continuously. In this room are two computers plus servers and there is no interference at all.. The frequency range of this unit is 3,000 - 45,000 Hz. I don't know of any phones that are over 900hz but then I am not current with all the phone techology.

Response from Customer: "My phone is a 2.4 GHZ giga range. I don't know if that's the right thing you wanted. How does your unit work for you by the way? I just found a mouse in our house and don't want them. Is it good for that?"

Answer: My son the electrical engineer says that 2.4 gHZ and 3 KHz are far enough away in frequency that there should be no interference. Yes, these work for mice on the rodent setting. There is some "chatter" on the higher settings that can be annoying. But then mice are more annoying than that.

Remember to discourage mice, keep all foodstuffs like dog kibble, etc. in closed mouse-proof containers, seal around pipes and exhausts, install new door seals, etc. A cat works, too!

And if yours is an older home, no matter what you do, you may have mouse visitors in the winter. The Victor Woodstream Electronic Mouse Traps kill the mice quickly and humanely. With the old fashioned snap ones and glue traps, you may be dealing with live mice.

Thanks for your questions.

Sincerely, Barbara