How To Keep Rats Out Of Yard – Field mice can damage your lawn. First of all, no one wants to see mice scurrying under their feet enjoying your green lawn. Second, these rodents can damage your lawn through their holes. Third, if you have a garden next door, these field mice can eat your vegetables and contaminate your food. Finally, rodents that live in your lawn, especially mice and rats, may not be happy to stay there. A backyard infestation can turn into a home invasion very quickly, and no one wants that! So how do you keep rodents off your lawn? We’re glad you asked!
Mice don’t like to be outside. This makes them vulnerable to predators such as foxes and birds of prey. Therefore, whenever possible, they crawl into bushes, tall grass, and anything that can be used as cover.
How To Keep Rats Out Of Yard
To get rid of field mice, or to keep them off your lawn, first, keep things trimmed. You want to make your yard and lawn as uncomfortable for field mice as possible. Discovering them is one way to do that. If the grass is cut (we recommend TifTuf for Bermudagrass 1/2 to 2 inches), mice have nowhere to hide. If the mice can’t hide in the long grass, chances are the mice won’t try to cross your yard.
Rats In The Garden? Found Rat Holes?
This refers to the tendency of rats to seek cover whenever possible. Garden waste, even more than tall grass, is a great hiding place for mice. Long-standing piles of yard waste can also provide the warmth and shelter that mice need for nesting. So keeping yard waste out of your yard is a great way to keep field mice out of your lawn.
Composting is a great way to reduce your contribution to the landfill and make great organic fertilizer for your lawn. However, a compost pile that is not properly maintained can also be a haven for field mice. In addition to providing cover and shelter for fearful farm mice, a compost pile can be a food source. Food scraps that can rot make it easy for a hungry rat.
So if you plan to compost, forget about the open compost pile. Instead, invest in a sturdy plastic composter. A composter lifts the compost off the ground and places it in a protective, rodent-proof chamber. It can also reduce the time it takes to create a nice, rich fertilizer for your lawn.
A wood-burning fireplace is a warm and welcoming addition to any home. Of course, you’ll need a log full of meat to keep the fire going. It’s often tempting to lean this pile against the outside of your home. This makes stacking easier and keeps the wood within reach. But a pile of wood is a warm, sheltered home for a field mouse, and that’s the last thing you want next to your house.
What Smell Drives Rats Away?
Instead, move the woodpile at least twenty feet away from the house if you have room. If not, move it as far as you can. And if you need extra support from a wall, try stacking wood against a shed or other outbuilding.
It’s not just a woodpile that can provide a home for field mice. Shrubs and other gardens are also good hiding places for mice. We know that the idea of a beautiful fence right in front of your house is appealing. But it’s best to keep this fence at least two feet away from the foundation and exterior walls. This two-foot space should be paved, gravel, or other material where nothing will grow. Even this small clearing will make it less likely that mice will move from your lawn into your home.
While we’re talking about rat havens, let’s talk about litter. If you’re serious about your lawn, you’re probably protecting your yard from too much debris. But even with the best of intentions, loose ends can start to pile up. Whether it’s old playground equipment and patio furniture or overflowing pool supplies, even lawn enthusiasts can sometimes collect trash. So if keeping your yard looking good isn’t enough motivation, here’s another reason to clean up all that extra stuff. Garbage can become a home for field mice. And even if the debris around your yard isn’t suitable for a home, it can certainly provide cover that makes field mice feel more emboldened when they roam your lawn. So, remove the unnecessary items and remove another field mouse hideout.
An open compost pile is an attractive feast for a field mouse. But even if you don’t have a compost pile lying around, we all have bins. If your trash isn’t rodent-proof, you may be leaving a steady stream of food for field mice. The worst thing you can do is leave the garbage bags outside. Rats can smell packaged garbage and easily gnaw through the plastic to get food waste inside. Other small animals such as squirrels and some larger animals such as opossums and raccoons may also eat garbage. Therefore, be sure to store all waste in designated heavy-duty containers.
How To Keep Rats Out Of The Garden?
Standard household trash cans are usually sufficient to keep out small rodents. Just make sure there are no mouse holes. Remember that a mouse can fit through a hole no bigger than a dime. So look for even the smallest holes. And if you find a hole in the bin that a rat could get into, just contact the waste collection service. They can usually provide you with a replacement deposit at no extra cost.
If you find that larger, stronger rodents like raccoons get into your trash, you may need to use a container specifically designed to keep the animals out. These containers have latches to hold the lid in place and can even be made so that they can only be opened by human-shaped hands.
If you feed the birds or your pets, you are also feeding the field mice. Field mice are versatile omnivores and eat a wide variety of foods. They like seeds and vegetables, but they can also eat pet food and many types of garbage. So if you feed birds, make sure your bird feeder is not accessible to mice. The best way to do this is to hang the feeder on a metal pole. A bird feeder hanging from a tree or eaves is easy for a field mouse. They climb well. But not even a field mouse can climb a metal pole. So keep this birdseed out of the reach of rodents you don’t want to feed on.
Pet food is another goldmine for field mice. They will eat whatever is left out. So if you must feed your pets outside, and we recommend that you don’t, be clean. Let the pet eat, then pick up the bowl when it’s done. And be sure to clean up any spills your pet may have missed.
How To Get Rid Of Rat Holes In Yard And Garden
Orchards are a rich food source for field mice. Farmers have been dealing with these pests almost as long as there have been farmers and field mice. So keeping them out of your garden is definitely a challenge. By following the other tips we’ve mentioned, you can make your yard less friendly to these rodents. Hopefully this will deter them. But avoid planting a vegetable garden too close to your house. If rats are eating your vegetables, you don’t want them congregating right outside your house. Your home is a great source of warmth and shelter, and you don’t want mice getting ideas.
It may come as a surprise to many, but field mice really like to eat tree bark. They especially prefer the soft bark of young trees. So if you have some plants in your garden, don’t let them become rodent food. Instead, protect them with metal mesh or even a hard sheet of plastic. This will protect against rodents and allow your seedling to grow unhindered.
Keeping your yard mouse-free is very important, but having a strong, healthy lawn starts with the right turf. If you find that your lawn is patchy or not growing well, it may be time for another sod. TifTuf Bermudagrass is perfect for warm southeastern climates and will keep your lawn thick and green all season long. Learn more about the science of Tif Tuf here. Mice are not only unattractive, they can also cause serious damage to your home and surroundings. If you have a rat problem but don’t want to use poison or other lethal measures to exterminate the population, you need a natural outdoor rat repellent. Or, more accurately, you’ll need a combination of tactics to repel or prevent a colony of backyard mice.
Rat extermination is of course the fastest and safest way to get rid of outdoor rats, but there are a few reasons why you might not want to.
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