A rodent bait station has a base with a hinged cover which is lockable to the base to define an interior volume which can receive a ballast weight of three to twenty-four pounds which biases a floor of the base against a support surface. At least one rodent access opening in the bait station allows a rodent to pass into the interior volume. A bait or a rodent trap is positioned within the interior volume such that a rodent can move freely within the interior volume so as to access the bait or rodent trap.