Rodent Control

Which baits can I still use after the March 2026 change?

All of them are still available — the change is about how second-generation baits may be used, not a full ban. From 24 March 2026 the APVMA suspended second-generation anticoagulant baits (brodifacoum, bromadiolone, difenacoum) for 12 months; they may only be used in a tamper-resistant station, indoors only for home use, with a 35-day treatment limit and mandatory disposal of dead rodents. First-generation baits such as Racumin were not suspended. Always confirm the current label on the exact product.

Bait or non-toxic trap?

Bait gives the fastest result on an established infestation but commits you to a station and the label conditions. A trap carries no poison risk and suits light or single-rodent problems and sensitive spots — homes with children or pets, food-handling areas — but needs checking more often. If secondary poisoning of pets, poultry, working dogs or wildlife is a worry, a first-generation bait in a locked station or a non-toxic trap is the safer path.

First- vs second-generation baits — and which is which

First-generation baits generally need several feeds; second-generation baits generally work after a single feed, which suits heavy or bait-shy infestations but carries a higher secondary-poisoning risk — the reason for the tighter 2026 conditions. First-generation: Racumin Paste and Racumin 8 Powder (coumatetralyl). Second-generation: Talon, Bromakil, Tomcat and Tomcat II, Surefire, Roban, and Rudduck Rodenticide Paste (formerly Deadline Paste — bromadiolone). Confirm the active ingredient and conditions on the label of the exact product.

Which format — block, pellet, paste, liquid or powder?

Wax blocks are durable in damp spots and sit on a station rod; grain and pellets suit feed sheds; paste is a ready-to-use edible bait that packs into tight gaps and station bait points (first-generation Racumin Paste, or second-generation Rudduck Rodenticide Paste — SGAR station conditions apply); liquid (drink) bait suits dry sheds where rodents are short of water (Bromakil Super Rat Drink); tracking powder is picked up on fur and feet and ingested during grooming, for heavier or professional jobs (Racumin 8 Powder). Pick the generation first, then the format for where you're placing it.

How far apart should bait stations be?

As a rule of thumb, and always deferring to the label: space stations about every 3 m for mice and every 8–9 m for rats, closer where pressure is heavy, and check every few days — daily during a heavy infestation. We stock the Tomcat Rodent Sidekick and a large Bainbridge station for rats, and a lockable mouse station for mouse jobs.

Prefer no poison? Non-toxic traps

To keep rodenticide off the property use an auto-resetting trap like the Goodnature Smart Rat Trap A24 (pair it with the pre-feed lure), or simple snap traps for light jobs. Non-toxic traps avoid secondary-poisoning risk entirely and carry no station requirement, but need checking more often.

Using rat bait safely and legally

Keep bait in a secured station, keep pets and stock away, and search for and dispose of dead rodents so working dogs, cats and wildlife don't eat a poisoned carcass. If an animal may have taken bait or a poisoned rodent, contact your vet straight away and take the product label. The registered label is the final word on how any product can be used.

Full guide: Rat and Mouse Bait, Traps or Bait Stations: Which One Do You Need? →