The label is the law. Read your product's label before you mix or apply; the rates here come from the labels listed under Sources.
- Active ingredient
- Diphacinone (CAS 82-66-6)
- Chemical class
- Indandione anticoagulant; a multiple-dose (first-generation) anticoagulant.[2]
- Mode of action
- Anticoagulant: blocks the liver enzyme that recycles vitamin K, which blood clotting depends on; insecticide resistance groups do not apply to rodenticides[2]
- Signal words
- Ditrac All-Weather Blox: Caution[1]
d-CON Kills Rats and Mice refillable bait station: Caution[4]
How it works
Anticoagulants stop the liver enzyme that recycles vitamin K; once stored clotting factors run out, bleeding follows. First-generation anticoagulants such as diphacinone usually require multiple feedings to kill.[2]
Because rodents must keep feeding, the label calls for an uninterrupted supply of fresh bait for 10 to 15 days.[1]
Where it is used
Rodenticides on the consumer market come as ready-to-use bait stations with block or paste bait; pelleted baits are no longer permitted in consumer products. EPA's restrictions page lists bromethalin, chlorophacinone and diphacinone as the baits in registered consumer stations.[3]
The d-CON station is for indoor use only, inside homes; its label rules out outdoor use and any area pets can reach.[4]
This professional block may be used only in and within 100 feet of man-made structures, may not be used for burrow baiting, and may not be sold in containers of less than 4 pounds.[1]
For rats: 3 to 16 one-ounce blocks per placement, 15 to 30 feet apart, kept supplied for 10 days or until there are no signs of new feeding. For mice: 1 block per placement every 8 to 12 feet for at least 15 days.[1]
Tamper-resistant bait stations are mandatory outdoors above ground and wherever children, pets or non-target animals could reach the bait.[1]
Products and registrations
Label rates
| Product | Use | Pests | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| d-CON Kills Rats and Mice refillable bait station | Inside homes (d-CON child-resistant station) | Norway rats, roof rats and house mice | 1–2 bait blocks (14 g each) per peg in the station[4] A station holds up to 6 blocks. Space extra stations 15 to 30 feet apart and keep fresh bait in them for at least 15 days or until rodent signs stop. |
How to apply it, step by step
1. Protective gear
- Wear long pants, shoes, socks and barrier laminate gloves when you handle the station or bait, and put the gloves on again to pick up dead rodents or leftover bait.[4]
- It carries the CAUTION signal word: harmful if swallowed or absorbed through skin, and moderately irritating to the eyes. Wash the outside of the gloves before taking them off, launder them apart from other clothes, and wash your hands before eating, drinking, chewing gum, using tobacco or using the toilet.[4]
2. Before you spray
- Use it only inside homes, against Norway rats, roof rats and house mice, never outdoors or anywhere pets can reach. The station resists tampering by children, and the label allows it in indoor areas they can reach.[4]
- Keep stations away from food and from surfaces that touch food.[4]
- Pick spots where rodents will feed: along walls by gnawed openings, in corners and in concealed places where you've seen rodents or their signs.[4]
3. Mixing
- There's nothing to mix. Wearing gloves, open the station with both hands (push down the outer latch with one thumb while squeezing the other latches and lifting the lid), put 1 or 2 bait blocks on each peg, up to 6 in all, and press the lid down until all 4 latches click shut.[4]
4. Applying
- Set the station along a wall or in a corner with its entrance holes exposed, where activity is heaviest, and place more stations 15 to 30 feet apart.[4]
- Keep fresh bait in them for at least 15 days or until signs of rodents stop, replacing blocks that are eaten or spoiled. If the bait is untouched after 3 days, move the station to where rodents are active.[4]
5. After you spray
- Wearing gloves, collect and dispose of dead rodents and emptied stations, then cut off the rodents' food, water and hiding places to discourage a new infestation; if they come back, repeat the treatment.[4]
- Throw away the gloves after loading or refilling, and wash your hands thoroughly.[4]
First aid
- If swallowed, call a poison control center or doctor immediately, have the person sip a glass of water if able to swallow, don't induce vomiting unless told to, and give nothing by mouth to an unconscious person. Diphacinone can reduce the blood's ability to clot, and the label tells physicians to give vitamin K1.[4]
- On skin, take off contaminated clothing and rinse with plenty of water for 15 to 20 minutes; in the eyes, rinse gently for 15 to 20 minutes, removing contact lenses after 5. If a pet eats bait, call a veterinarian or 1-800-228-4722 at once.[4]
Storage, spills and disposal
- Store bait in its original container in a cool, dry place that children and pets can't reach.[4]
- Bait waste can go in the trash or to an approved waste disposal facility. Don't reuse the carton: trash or recycle it when empty, ask your local solid waste agency about a partly full one, and never put unused bait down a drain.[4]
Safety and environmental hazards
People
Signal word CAUTION: harmful if swallowed or absorbed through the skin and causes moderate eye irritation. Swallowing it may reduce the blood's ability to clot; the label tells physicians to give vitamin K1.[1]
Pets
If a pet eats the bait, call a veterinarian at once; vets give vitamin K1 for bleeding or abnormal clotting tests. NPIC rates diphacinone a high secondary-poisoning risk to mammals, so pets can also be poisoned by eating poisoned rodents.[1][2]
Bees and pollinators
The label lists no bee hazard; its warnings are about mammals, birds and other wildlife.[1]
Fish and water
The label says it is extremely toxic to mammals, birds and other wildlife, and that dogs, cats and other predators and scavengers might be poisoned by eating animals that ate the bait; NPIC rates its secondary risk to birds as moderate.[1][2]
Common questions
- Is diphacinone safer than brodifacoum for pets?
- It is a multiple-feeding anticoagulant, but NPIC still rates its secondary-poisoning risk to mammals as high, the same category as brodifacoum. Keep all bait in tamper-resistant stations.[2][1]
- What is the antidote?
- Vitamin K1, given by a doctor or veterinarian.[1]
- Can I put d-CON bait stations in my garage or outside?
- Inside only. The label limits it to indoor use in homes, never outdoors or where pets can reach, and lists garages, basements, attics and kitchens among the indoor sites. The station resists tampering by children.[4]
- How long does a diphacinone bait station take to work?
- Several feedings: d-CON's label says rodents may eat a lethal dose over multiple nights, with the first dead ones appearing four or five days after feeding begins, and calls for fresh bait for at least 15 days or until activity stops.[4]
Sources
- U.S. EPA Pesticide Product Label System, “Ditrac All-Weather Blox label, EPA Reg. No. 12455-80 (EPA-stamped, July 29, 2020).” www3.epa.gov/pesticides/chem_search/ppls/012455-00080-20200729.pdf (accessed 2026-10-06)
- National Pesticide Information Center, “Rodenticides Topic Fact Sheet.” npic.orst.edu/factsheets/rodenticides.html (accessed 2026-10-06)
- U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, “Restrictions on Rodenticide Products.” www.epa.gov/rodenticides/restrictions-rodenticide-products (accessed 2026-10-06)
- U.S. EPA Pesticide Product Label System, “d-CON Kills Rats / Kills Rats and Mice bait station label, EPA Reg. No. 3282-117 (EPA-stamped, Jan. 19, 2018).” www3.epa.gov/pesticides/chem_search/ppls/003282-00117-20180119.pdf (accessed 2026-11-08)