Top 10 Things to Know About Rodents

Ed Dolshun

1. Rodents Are Highly Evolved 34-Million-Year-Old Survivalists

For millions of years, rodents have been prey. This has hardwired them to be cryptic, cautious and adept at finding safe harborage. Understanding the pressures that guided rodent evolution is the first step to outsmarting them.

2. They Live and Thrive in the Shadows

Catchmaster developed the 72MB-BLK because rodents feel safest when moving along dark, protected “shadow lines.” Their routes are not random; rodents follow walls, pipes and areas where they feel concealed from threats.

3. Use a Cryptic Device for Cryptic Critters

Pros know every account is different. While the standard glue board is a versatile tool, a black board – like the Catchmaster 72MB-BLK – blends into the shadows, making it a more effective and less alarming interception device.

4. Why You Shouldn’t Bait Rodent Glue Boards

When running, a rodent’s vibrissae (whiskers) are back, close to its body. When it stops for bait, dedicated vibrissae spread forward to sense the environment. If a whisker touches the glue, the rodent is spooked and likely won’t be caught. The goal is interception, not investigation.

5. Avoid Placing Traps Directly in Corners

Rodents naturally slow down and become more cautious when approaching a corner, giving them time to detect threats. Instead, place traps on the straight paths leading to and from corners.

6. Leverage Pheromones to Increase Effectiveness

Before deploying a glue board, place it in a high-traffic area with the release paper still on, if possible. This allows rodents to travel over it and deposit pheromone trails. “Arm” the trap by removing the release paper after it has become a familiar part of their environment.

7. Trust a Glue Formula 70 Years in the Making

The 72MB-BLK uses Catchmaster Pro’s signature non-toxic formula, providing unmatched holding power and the legendary performance and reliability that pros trust.

8. Glue Boards, Flat or Folded?

Folding a black glue board like the 72MB-BLK into a tunnel exposes the white interior and defeats the purpose of its strategic black design Instead, use one of the integral perforations to form an “L” with a short section along the wall and the larger portion of the board on the floor. This gives you added capture area. You can remove the non-glue edge section, utilizing the appropriate perforation to hold the board in place by sliding the thin glue edge to the wall.

9. Take Commercial-Grade Tools into Residential Accounts

This trap is built for any account. Deploy it in any dark space, from commercial kitchens to basements and barns, to effectively capture rodents while also monitoring for common crawling insects like spiders and roaches.

10. Promote Your Brand with Private Label Options

Professional tools can also be powerful marketing assets. Glue boards, including the 72MB-BLK, can be private labeled with your company’s logo, turning every device you place into a reminder of your brand and expertise.