BAIT GUIDE
Use less bait
than feels right.
Peanut butter is not the mistake. The heaped spoonful of it is. The goal is a small, sticky amount the rodent has to work at, directly over the trigger.
THE PRINCIPLE
Bait is a position, not a meal.
You are not feeding the animal. You are holding it still in one place for two seconds.
Pea-sized
Enough to smell, not enough to eat from the edge. A large amount lets a rodent feed from outside the trigger zone and leave.
Sticky, not loose
Loose crumbs get carried away. Something that clings to the cup forces the animal to stay and work at it.
Pressed in
Push the bait down into the cup rather than mounding it on top so it cannot simply be lifted off.
Refreshed
Replace bait every few days. Dried, stale bait stops giving off the smell that brought them over in the first place.
WHAT TO USE
Beyond the jar of peanut butter.
High-fat, high-protein and strongly scented foods perform best. If one option goes untouched for several nights, change it rather than changing the location.
TROUBLESHOOTING
The bait keeps disappearing.
A trap emptied without firing is a diagnosis, not a defeat. It tells you they are visiting.
You are using too much
By far the most common cause. Reduce to a pea-sized amount pressed firmly into the cup.
The trap is not sitting flat
A base that rocks or flexes can absorb the movement the mechanism needs. Move it onto something solid.
The approach angle is wrong
If the animal can reach the cup from the side rather than over the trigger, turn the trap so the bait end faces the wall and the only route in is across the trigger.
You are catching mice with a rat trap
A lighter animal may take bait without generating enough weight to fire a full-size trap. Confirm which rodent you have and switch format if needed.
Important use guidance
Keep bait and set traps away from children, pets and livestock, and place traps well away from areas where food is prepared. Wash your hands after baiting or handling traps.
MORE GUIDES
Keep reading before you set the next one.
Short, practical pages written for the first night of a rodent problem, not for pest-control professionals.