Diane's comments on the use of peanut butter as bait reminded me of some things from my experience as a rodent killer. Peanut butter works well here, too. So does vanilla. Has anyone else noticed how much harder it is to trap rats than it is to trap mice? Rats are a lot more wary. Each fall our house is invaded by two types of mice: house mice and deer mice. Both of these are easily trapped. Rats got into the house once, and it was a nightmare. Warfarin finally got them, but they died in the house and the carcases reeked of a uniquely nauseating vinegar-like odor. And then there was the plague of flies which feasted on the dead bodies in the walls or wherever they were. Does anyone out there grow valerian - and if so, have they tried it for rat bait? Jim McKenney jimmckenney@starpower.net Montgomery County, Maryland, USA, USDA zone 7, where we run a live-and-let-live garden for the most part - but draw the line at rats and yellow jackets.