One mouse or 12, if you've got 'em, you sure don't want 'em. In the past, you may just have laid down some rodent bait and called it a day. But you may have noticed that you can no longer buy bait pellets or blocks unless you also purchase a bait station. So what's up with that?

The reason has everything to do with safety. Since loose bait (like pellets or meal) could accidentally be eaten or tampered with by children, pets, or unintended wildlife, the Environmental Protection Agency now requires that all rodent bait for household use be sold only with a bait station.

What's a bait station? It's a tamper-resistant container specifically designed to hold a bait block—the kind mice and rats enjoy gnawing on—in a way that keeps kids and pets from getting access to it. Rodents enter, feed, and leave the station (they don't die there).

So, you can still get bait—it just needs to be sold along with a bait station. The bait station can either be a disposable, nonrefillable one that you cannot open (like the Tomcat® Mouse Killer Child & Dog Resistant, Disposable Station), or it can be a refillable one that comes with extra bait blocks. The Tomcat® Mouse Killer Child & Dog Resistant, Refillable Station comes with 4, 8, or 16 bait block refills, which equals a whole lot of protection from rodents. After all, each bait block kills up to 12 mice*! What's more, all Tomcat® Child & Dog Resistant bait stations meet the Environmental Protection Agency's highest level of station security.

Refillable Bait Station Checklist:

If you've got mice and want to use a refillable bait station to get rid of them, here's what to do:

• Put on a pair of disposable gloves.
• Following directions, remove the bait station from the package and load a bait block.
• Store any remaining bait blocks out of reach of kids and pets.
• Place bait stations along walls, in corners, or anywhere else where you've seen or heard mice or rats. Again, be sure to follow those directions!
• Check the stations regularly to make sure there's plenty of bait left, and replace the bait blocks when needed.
• Realize that mice and rats will gnaw on the bait, then leave. You won't see dead rodents in the station. (If you see them elsewhere, wear gloves and dispose of them in an outdoor trash can.)
• Relax, knowing your rodent problem will soon be no more!

*based on no-choice laboratory testing