Mike writes
I'm in Utah, and I'm using the Protecta bait stations (that look like rocks) with Contrac Blox inside. The daytime temperatures have been as high as 100 Fahrenheit, probably much higher inside the stations. Will this affect the toxicity and/or taste appeal to rats? Very little has been nibbled on, although each nibble seems to have produced a dead rat in the yard. We still have lots of rats which we see every evening/morning. Has the bait lost it's taste appeal after sitting in the bait stations in the hot sun for only 1 or 2 days? It appears that some of the bait has melted just slightly. Should I replace this melted bait, or any bait left in the hot sun for just a few days?
The Contrac Blox should not spoil from the heat, though as you have noticed it will start to melt if it gets too hot. We recommend that you replace the bait if it starts to mold or if insects have started to infest it. Rats are notoriously cautious and suspicious of new food items and some can take several weeks, even months before they will accept it. Are other food sources available to the rats? Try to eliminate alternate food sources if at all possible, rats will continue to feed from the "tried and true" food sources that they have used in the past. You also need to be sure that you have offered enough bait stations to accommodate the rat population on your property as rats can also be territorial.
Answer last updated on: 07/08/2010
