 The most effective way to apply bait is to broadcast it. It is important to apply the correct amount of bait in order to minimize the risk to the environment and to minimize the cost of the bait application. Some of the newer bait products for homeowners can be applied with the same spreader you use for fertilizer. The more traditional bait products, those applied at one to two pounds per acre, need to be applied using a cedar spreader. A traditional bait product applied at one and a half pounds per acre will result in about 20 bait particles per square foot. Small areas can be broadcast using a handheld seed spreader. Treat larger areas using cedars with a larger hopper and a wider swath width. Bait can be spread on even larger areas of five acres or more using an electric hopper cedar. Such cedars can be attached to a truck, tractor, or utility vehicle. Another option is to use a motorized backpack sprayer with a granular attachment. For baits applied at one to two pounds per acre, cedar spreaders operating with a gravity flow gate can generally be set at 3.16 of an inch, about the thickness of three stacked dimes. The width of the gate will vary depending on the bait particle size. The amount to apply can be estimated by knowing the size of the yard and the amount of bait in the container. Any of the larger spreaders should be closely calibrated using the speed or rate at which the bait will be applied. This spreader is being calibrated by applying bait to an area of a known length and width. Bait in the hopper is weighed before and after application to determine how much bait was applied. If too much bait has been applied, it will be necessary to increase the speed of the applicator or decrease the size of the opening in the spreader. Swath width can be determined by operating the spreader over a sheet of black plastic, then measuring where the bait has landed on the plastic. Contact your local county extension office for assistance in calibrating these larger spreaders.