Rodents are a structural problem as much as a pest problem. A house mouse fits through a gap the width of a pencil and a young rat through a two-centimetre hole, so as long as the route stays open you are managing a queue, not a population.
Effective work therefore pairs proofing with baiting or trapping, and puts the emphasis on where they get in and travel.
Reading the signs
- Droppings concentrated along one wall or behind an appliance — the runway
- Gnaw marks on cabinet edges, wiring insulation and plastic packaging
- Dark smear marks along skirting where oily fur rubs repeatedly
- Shredded paper, cloth or coconut fibre in a loft or false ceiling
- Night-time scratching in the duct, ceiling void or behind the fridge
The entry points people miss
- Unsealed sleeves around plumbing and AC copper pipes
- The gap behind and beneath the kitchen platform, into the drainage shaft
- Open bathroom floor traps and broken WC pipe collars
- Door under-gaps in shops, kitchens and godowns
- Ventilation grilles, duct openings and damaged false-ceiling access panels
- Shared shafts and cable risers in older buildings
Traps, glue boards and baiting
Inside a home kitchen, snap traps, cage traps and glue boards placed on the runway are usually preferred — nothing is left to decompose inside a cavity and there is no toxicant near food. Placement matters more than the number of traps: against the wall, on the travel line, not in the middle of the floor.
Rodenticide baiting has its place in outdoor perimeters, basements, garbage areas and shafts, always in tamper-resistant stations. Baiting inside an occupied kitchen is generally avoided.
Proofing closes the loop: seal pipe sleeves with mortar or steel wool, fit door sweeps, mesh the ducts and repair floor traps. Without it, catching rodents becomes a subscription.
For shops, kitchens and godowns
Commercial kitchens and warehouses need a mapped station layout, a service log and periodic checks — both because pressure from outside is constant and because food-safety audits ask for the record.
Frequently asked questions
Will poison be used inside my kitchen?
Normally not. Home kitchens are handled with traps and glue boards on the runway; bait stations are reserved for perimeters, basements, shafts and garbage areas.
What if a rodent dies inside a wall or duct?
That is exactly why we avoid toxicant baiting inside occupied interiors and use trapping there instead, so the catch is removed on the visit.
Is proofing part of the treatment?
Entry points are identified during the inspection and the practical ones — pipe sleeves, floor traps, door gaps, duct mesh — are sealed as part of the work. Structural repairs are flagged to you.