Ant and mice are a pain to deal with. While ants aren’t that harmful, they are annoying and they bite. Also, mice can run havoc on your belongings. Wouldn’t it be cool if you could kill both ants and mice with a single poison?
So, you are probably wondering: will ant poison kill mice?
Well, ant poison doesn’t have any particles that may poison mice. But as ant poison is sweet, it can pose an indirect threat to a mouse. Mice can’t consume high amounts of glucose. If consumed, they will enter a state called a hypoglycemic coma and eventually trigger brain cell death.
That’s just an overview of the entire topic. If you are interested to know more about this, you may want to check out our discussion on this topic. In this article, we’ll cover if ant poison kills mice and why mice get attracted to ant baits.
So without any further ado, let’s jump straight in.
Will Ant Poison Kill Mice?
You may often see mice hanging around ant bait stations. The chemical particles used in the making of ant poison attract mice too. The active ingredient of your regular liquid ant bait is an organophosphate.
If consumed in small quantities, ant poison doesn’t pose any major threat to rats. They can easily get away with consuming a bit of organophosphate. But the problem arises when mice ingest ant poison in a larger quantity.
While ant baits don’t have poisonous ingredients such as diphacinone or bromethalin, they contain glucose to attract ants. But mice can’t handle too much glucose. It induces diabetic coma in them and stops their brain function.
So, if you smell a dead rat even though you haven’t set up a rat station, it is probably because the rat ingested too much ant poison. So technically yes, ant poison can kill mice. But the ingestion quantity needs to be quite high.
However, if you are specifically looking for rat bait, here are my recommendations for that:
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Why Do Ant Baits Attract Mice?
Ant traps are not intended to attract mice. But as we mentioned above, sometimes you may see rats hanging around the ant poison. The reasons behind such an incident are the smell and the location of your ant bait.
So, let’s look at them one by one.
Sweet Smell
Ants are fond of sweet treats. So, to attract ants, the ant poison emits a powerful sweet smell. Sometimes these ant baits contain a wafer and peanut butter smell as well. Though it’s all to get the ants to the trap, it attracts mice too.
Mice too love sweet things. That’s why some of the popular mice traps include fruits, grains, peanut butter, candies, chocolate, and such. These baits emit the same sweet smell as the ant traps.
So, if you put a bait that has sugary components, it will attract both ants as well as mice. Even though it is designed for ants, mice will come and visit the bait. If consumed in large quantities, it may induce hypoglycemic coma in them.
If you are looking for a good ant bait, you can check out products from my recommendation list below:
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Location
Location is one of the vital reasons behind a bait attracting multiple pests. Ants love warmer areas. So, to lure them to the trap, you must put your ant bait in a warm place. You should avoid colder places to lay an ant trap.
If it’s winter or the weather is relatively cold, mice look for warmer shelter. So, the number of mice at your home will be more on colder days. That’s Why when you plant an ant trap in a warmer place, the mice may pay a visit.
Also, if you place the trap in a cluttered area, near small openings and cracks, it may attract mice too. So, if you want to avoid mice ruining your ant traps, place them somewhere where mice don’t reside.
How to Set Up Effective Ant Baits?
To remove ants from your home, you must place baits in an efficient manner. There are a few steps that you can follow to set up ant traps effectively. You would need a good bait, good location, and keep visiting it frequently.
So, let’s learn more about it.
Step 1: Choose a Good Bait
To reduce the amount of ants in your home, you must invest in a good bait. The ants must be able to carry this bait to their residence. It will ensure that they kill themselves and everyone too.
You must be aware of which type of ant infestation you have at your home and buy a poison accordingly. There are many poisons of good brands available in the market. Pick one of them and you’re good.
Step 2: Know Where to Put It
The ant bait must be placed in places where there’s enough ant activity. If you suspect an activity in any part of your home, make sure you place an ant station in that area.
Avoid small openings and cracks. Placing bait in those places can attract other pests too, for instance, rats. If you want to kill the ant infestation, you surely don’t want rats invading that place.
Step 3: Clean the Location
Before placing an ant bait, clean the location thoroughly. Ensure you are wiping out any leftover food or crumbs on the surface. This can lure the ants away from your ant station.
So, keeping the area clean is very important. Cut the food sources too.
Step 4: Visit the Bait Frequently
If you want to totally remove ant infestation from your home, visiting the ant bait frequently is important. It ensures that you never run out of ant poison at the bait and replace it when it’s empty.
If you follow these steps properly, you may get rid of the irritating ants from your place.
FAQs
Can I prepare a common trap for ants and mice?
Technically, you can. But it is not advisable. Mice can destroy your bait for ants. So, we recommend separate bait stations for ants and mice.
Do ants eat mice poison?
Ants might eat rat poison if there’s sweet components in it. Ants get attracted to sweet stuff. That’s why all the ant baits contain sweet bits.
Can I keep mice away from ant baits?
Yes, you can. For that, prepare baits in locations where rat infestation is significantly lower. Avoid warm places. Don’t put your ant trap near small openings and cracks.
Conclusion
So, that’s a wrap for today’s segment. Hope you got your answer to will ant poison kill mice? So, if you want a poison that may take care of both ants and mice, ant poison can be a good option. But you should lay separate bait for both.
You can also try contacting a pest control company if you want some more assistance with ant and rat infestation. Professional help is always recommended.
If you have any feedback, let us know in the comments. Best of luck in your future endeavors.