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Rodent Treatment |
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Return to
Rodent Index |
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Overview |
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Exclusion |
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Sanitation |
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Baiting and
Trapping |
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Baits and
Baiting |
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Trapping |
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Overview |
| To plan
a specific program, thoroughly survey the area to be treated.
This should determine location and severity of rat-infested
areas, major sources of rodent food and shelter, species of rat
involved and other data pertinent to local conditions.
Some toxicants are selective and differ in effectiveness between
the three species. Baits also have varying degrees of
attractiveness to the species. Behavioral differences also
Influence the effectiveness of traps and trap placement.
Thus, species identification is an essential first step in a
program of control.
Poisoning should precede any extensive cleanup or environmental
control, since rats migrate quickly when food and shelter are
removed and create problems at other locations. While the
emphasis on any single phase of rodent control varies with the
building structure, location and species of rodent involved, an
effective control program should start with keeping rodents out
and establishing or maintaining a high sanitation level. |
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Exclusion |
 Whenever possible, exclude rodents from dwellings, apartments,
houses and other buildings by making every opening in outer
walls, at floor/wall junctions and at all exterior doors tight
enough to prevent rodent entry, and by installing guards across runways to prevent
entry through doors. There should be no openings larger than 1/4 inch.
Materials that can be used for rat proofing are:
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Galvanized sheet metal |
26-gauge or heavier |
Galvanized or rustproof
expanded metal |
28-gauge or heavier; mesh openings
no larger than 1/4 inch |
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Perforated metal |
24-gauge or heavier; perforations
no larger than 1/4 inch |
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Iron grills |
As heavy as above materials, slots
no larger than 1/4 inch > |
Galvanized or rustproof
hardware cloth |
19-gauge or heavier; opening no
larger than 1/4 inch |
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Cement mortar |
1:3 mixture or richer |
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Sanitation |
 Proper
control of solid waste is the key to upgrading environmental
quality. As
neighborhoods decay building owners often move away,
lose value and the absentee, or
resident, owners cease
investing in the properties. Rubbish may accumulate,
garbage may be picked up less frequently and residents become
more careless in
their sanitation practices. This attitude,
whether practiced at home or at a business establishment, could lead to
rat infestation in entire
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Baiting
and Trapping |
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Effective rodent
control depends on a number
of factors, including identification of the pest and the
problem, knowledge of rodent biology and habits, an estimate of
population levels, evaluation of the impact on public health and
the control measures available. Eliminating the conditions
causing rodent infestations is paramount in solving the problem;
however, these
methods often are slow and time-consuming. Poison baits
and traps are used to reduce large populations quickly, maintain continuing programs and
eliminate a small number of nuisance rodents. |
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Baits and
Baiting |
| All rodenticides are not equally appropriate for a
given situation. Consider rodenticide characteristics such
as the size of
a lethal dose, acceptability, odor, taste, stability in baits,
solubility, compatibility with baits and type and degree of
hazards.
Anticoagulants are poisons which slow blood clotting, causing
animals to
bleed to death. They may be placed in water bait. Their inherent
safety has
made them a major means of commercial rodent control. Because
anticoagulants
are a slow acting, multidose poison, hazards associated with
their use are
lessened. However, more bait and more time are required before
control is
achieved. Anticoagulant baits may be used in bait stations or
toss-type packets.
Conditions may dictate the choice of a single-dose poison.
Use hazards
are greater than for anticoagulants which call for additional
safety precautions, proper
placement of bait and use of tamper-proof bait boxes are
necessary.
Highly toxic bait should be consumed in the bait box.
To prevent possible hazards, keep bait small to avoid its being
carried back to rat nests. Low toxicity baits may be
placed outside of the bait boxes.
Rats are omnivorous and eat almost any kind of food
available. However, because of taste and/or nutrient
requirements, they show food preferences. Selecting proper
bait materials is important. Ingredients used for making
rat baits should be compatible with the selected toxicant, and
more importantly, readily accepted by rats. Bait must be
as good or better than the rat's local food source.
Norway rats accept cereals, nuts, fruits, vegetables, meats
and fish, but roof rats do not readily eat meats or fish.
Often a change in the kind of food offered produces the greatest
success, although rats occasionally refuse is to touch a food
they are not accustomed to eating. Since rats are color
blind, poison bait may be colored with a warning dye.
Commercial baits are available in several forms such as
granular, cereal, oil based bait, paraffinized bait pellets or
paraffin-impregnated bait blocks. Some rodenticides are
available only in the technical form and must be diluted and
combined with a bait food. |
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Trapping |
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Relying entirely on bait stations
and fumigants for rodent control does not produce desired
results. It is necessary to kill rodents quickly upon
entry into a building, therefore, use traps. Effective
trapping of commensal rodents depends on several factors.
The most important is an understanding of rodents basic traits.
Norway rats, while as agile as tree squirrels when necessary,
are more at home on the ground and normally are caught there.
Roof rats are fond of climbing and are taken more frequently
from their runs along pipes and supporting beams. Habits
of mice vary somewhat from the other two types of rodents.
They are much more inquisitive and explore their environment
continually. It is this drive that causes a mouse to
investigate a newly placed trap, whereas a rat is apt to avoid
it because of the well-known "new object reaction. For
this reason, leave rat traps in place longer than mouse traps. |
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