Seems to be a lot of rats this year and they tend to steal the bait if I use dog food. What have you had good luck with?

pbj

Try mustard!

Put an egg on top of your trap and that will stop

Marshmallows

Also have some luck adding a fruit flavored food additive, almond extract, vanilla, ect tra, just a drop or two is what I have used. I like the mini marshmallows, easier to work with

Marshmallows with a little syrup

Fruit Loops, miniature marshmallows and dry fishy smelling cat food. Works like a champ.

Fish oil and syrup

we always use old sticky halloween candy like tootsie rolls so they stick to the inside and have a strong scent.

Dry cat food with a small amount of fish oil premixed and shaken up. Not enough fish oil to make it mushy.

Canned sardines in water or oil. It works like a charm, but it is probably more expensive than other alternatives. Also, I use Z-Traps with the little Z-Cap, so that might have something to do with leaving out the rats... but ants are bad sometimes due to the protein

Marshmallow . Gets them every time

I have had the best luck with hal sullivans dp bait sugar berries, holds up well in the rain as well.

Corn sprayed with vanilla,
cant beat it!

I used regular corn and spicy peanuts this past weekend and caught 6 coons off both

I have used all the above and will also use cotton ball in the bottom sprayed with fish flavored scent attractant or oil from sardines. I have also used aluminum foil on the brighter moon nights with a little fish attractant.

If you are trapping at a feeder, coons go there for corn, so we use corn. Over 400 coons now on corn alone.
Corn is cheap, not slimy, stinky and it doesn't attract 100,000 ants. And it is readily available right there at the feeder.