Environmentally Safe Rodent Repellent

Written by Lee Wyatt (last updated August 5, 2013)

While the traditional methods for repelling and disposing of pests and rodents are fairly effective they are also generally not very eco-friendly, and they can also be potentially dangerous to people, small children, and even pets. If you are concerned about this risk, you can always go for a method that is not quite so dangerous. There are a number of environmentally safe rodent repellent methods available, and all are fairly effective as long as you are willing to do a bit of research and put in a bit of effort.

  • Ultrasonic. One of the more effective environmentally safe methods that are currently available is the use of ultrasonic devices. By emitting a sound at a frequency high enough that it is rarely heard by the human ear, these devices create a sound that is unpleasant (sometimes physically so) to rodents and pests. This then "encourages" the rodent to find a different place to live.
  • Herbal. Another fairly effective method of rodent repellent is a herbal solution, which in this instances means anything that is plant based. For example, planting some wintergreen, clove oil, or rosemary can help prevent many types of rodents. One of the more effective examples is to grow some clover along the outside of your yard to help encourage rabbits (a common rodent and pest) to focus on that instead of on what is inside the yard. Or you could always try creating a distilled spray from jalapenos or other chili's, and spray that along the areas that you don't want the critters to get into. One way is just a little "nicer" than the other.
  • Mechanical. There are several different kinds of mechanical environmentally safe rodent traps which will "humanely" capture the rodents for later release. These types of traps are very effective, and when used correctly very rarely harm the animals that they catch. However, as with most things in life, if you aren't careful, you can easily find a dead animal in the trap instead of a live one. When utilizing these kinds of traps, they must be checked on a daily basis to avoid starving, and unnecessarily harming any animals that it does trap.
  • Natural predators. Perhaps one of the most natural and environmentally friendly methods for repelling rodents is to introduce some natural predators to the area. For example, for the garden, you can introduce or encourage some ladybugs, spiders, and other similar creepy crawlies to help keep away the dangerous or annoying ones. Additionally, if you have a cat or two, or a couple of dogs, many other rodents will avoid coming into the area since they don't want to be eaten either.

Author Bio

Lee Wyatt

Contributor of numerous Tips.Net articles, Lee Wyatt is quickly becoming a regular "Jack of all trades." He is currently an independent contractor specializing in writing and editing. Contact him today for all of your writing and editing needs! Click here to contact. ...

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