Rats and mice are important rodent pests entering homes and warehouses for food and harborage.
Rats contaminate 10 times as much food as they eat, with urine, droppings and hair.
They can carry at least 10 different kinds of diseases including bubonic plague, murine typhus, spirochetal jaundice, Leptospirosis, rabies, rat bite fever, and bacterial food poisoning.
Rats and mice also start fires by gnawing matches and electrical wires in homes.
The Norway rat, roof rat and house mouse are the most persistent rodent populations in need of control.
RODENTS Management
1. Anti-Coagulant Rodenticide
Rodents poisoned with anticoagulants die from bleeding internally.
Anti-coagulants are considered safer rodenticides than the acute poisons, because larger doses are necessary to poison humans or pets and these poisons have a simple antidote, Vitamin K1.
2. Glue Boards
Special glue can be placed in pie tins or paper plates.
Placing a small piece of bait in the center of a glue board can increase effectiveness.
3. Bait Stations
A tamper-proof bait box is designed so that a child or pet cannot get to the bait inside but the rat can.
Bait station allow placement of bait or glue board in locations where it would otherwise be difficult because of weather or potential hazards to nontarget animals.
Most designs are not considered to be truly tamper-proof unless they can be secured to the floor, wall, or ground.
4. Trap
Trapping is advised for use in places where rodenticides are considered too risky or are not working well, if the odor of dead rats in wall or ceiling voids would be unacceptable, or when there are only a few rats infesting a limited area.
Traps should be baited with a small piece of nutmeat, chocolate candy, dried fruit, or bacon tied securely to the trigger.