ABSTRACT
The efficacy of a rodenticide is often more dependent on the quality of the bait base than on the active ingredient itself. Liquid or water baits are very important tools, seldom used in many countries. They are used preferably where food is abundant, as in bakeries, food stores, grain and elevators or in dry/arid climates where water may be difficult to obtain for the rodents. Sometimes liquid baits may even be recommended in humid conditions, where dry baits are quickly rendered unpalatable due to molding. Ready-to-use poison baits are now often formulated as pellets, attractive to a number of different rodent species and usually less readily consumed by granivorous birds as normal cereal baits. Bait distribution and baiting strategy is often basically different when dealing with field rodents or commensal rodents. The larger the number of bait points the better and quicker the results.
