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An Ounce of Prevention Can Help Control Rodents
Julia Whittington, DVMDecember 22, 2006
This time of year, many of us are pulling out holiday decorations and cold winter wear that has been packed away since last spring. We look forward to festive lights and bulky sweaters to comfort us on cold nights. But before you slip into that sweater, be aware that it may have been used in the last nine months as hearth and home for a rodent. Critters of all shapes and sizes use the cold weather as an excuse to head indoors and vast amounts of time and effort are spent trying to keep them out.
Rodents represent the largest population of wild mammals in North America. They generally thrive in urban areas due to the prevalence of fields, grains, seeds, and shelter. The rodent family includes squirrels, chipmunks, rats, mice, beaver, lemmings, muskrats, voles, and porcupines. Rodents are unique in that they possess a set of sharp, continuously growing, paired upper and lower incisor teeth. These teeth allow the animal to gnaw very hard substances including wood and hard foods. Rodents produce frequent, large litters of offspring and often find optimal nesting sites in attics, basements, sheds, and garages. Nests are usually composed of paper and other soft materials such as insulation. The most common rodents encountered in our homes are the house mouse (Mus musculus), the roof rat (Rattus rattus), and the Norway rat (Rattus norvegicus).
In addition to the damage rodents can do through gnawing and nesting behavior, they may serve as reservoirs for disease. Viral diseases such as hantavirus and arena viruses are carried by rodents with potential transmission to people via exposure to rodent droppings or urine. Rodents can also be a source of infestation by ectoparasites such as fleas and mites.
Implementing effective rodent control is a multiple step process and involves preventing rodent access, removing materials that encourage rodent inhabitance, and rodent removal.
Prevent Access Mice can enter a through a hole a quarter-inch in diameter and rats can go through a hole a half-inch wide. To prevent access:
- Fix broken windows, screens, vent coverings, or holes in the exterior as soon as possible. Place weather stripping at the bottom of doors.
- Place wire screen over uncovered vents.
- Do not prop open doors.
- Plug gaps where wires and conduits come through walls, ceilings, and floors.
- The best materials to use when filling holes are knitted copper mesh, steel wool, and. cement as softer materials may be gnawed through
- Check boxes and packages for rodents before carrying them inside.
Remove Materials Encouraging Inhabitance Rodents need resources for food and water to survive. Implementing sanitation measures will help prevent rodent colonization.
- Store food in sealed plastic or glass containers.
- Keep the kitchen clean and free of cooking grease.
- Dont leave unwashed dishes.
- Sweep or vacuum floors regularly to avoid food accumulation.
- Dont leave food or water in pet bowls for long periods of time.
- Fix leaky faucets and avoid water accumulation.
- Tightly cover trash receptacles.
- Keep clutter to a minimum.
Rodent Removal Rodents navigate their environment by moving around the periphery of rooms. It is important to strategically place traps or bait to accommodate this traffic.
- Traps offer immediate results, allow for disposal of the rodent, avoid potential hazards associated with bait.
- The three main types of rodent traps are live traps, snap traps, and glue traps
- Live traps use bait to lure a rodent and then trap it inside. The rodent can then be relocated. This is a humane trap if the rodent is not left to starve inside.
- Snap traps use bait to lure the rodent and then induces lethal trauma when the trap is activated. These traps can cause injury to children and pets so must be located in secure areas. The dead rodent must be removed to avoid odor and insects.
- Glue traps should be placed in rodent pathway. The rodent will be become stuck on the trap and can then be removed.
- Rodenticide bait works by interrupting the normal blood clotting ability of the body and are not specific for rodents. Any animal is potentially at risk if it ingests a rodenticide. Be sure to keep these products away from pets and children. Rodents often eat the bait and then return to their nest site where they die. This may result in undesirable odors rodents die in inaccessible areas.
- Keep records of dates and locations that baits are placed
- Rotate baits and implement a preventative baiting program once control is achieved.
For more information contact your local pest control business or the Illinois Department of Public Health at http://www.idph.state.il.us/.
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