Alternative Rodent Control Tools

No pest management professional likes a toolbox that is full of promise and half empty on delivery. Today’s successful rodent IPM programs deploy an array of tools to secure control of rodent issues facing home and business owners.

Tackling a roof rat infestation in a poultry processing plant or a stubborn mouse infestation in an apartment building requires innovation and a willingness to adapt to new approaches.

Why Are Alternative Tools Rising in Use?

The pest management industry has been accused of being slow to change but increased rodent pressure is quickening the pace of the adoption of alternative tools.

“Pest management professionals are looking for solutions to help them do rodent management more effectively,” said Tom Boyd, vice president of sales for Agri-Turf Distributing in Santa Fe Spring, California. “They are also looking for tools that will set them apart from the competition and give them an advantage.”

Boyd added that in California recently passed legislation banning the use of second-generation anti-coagulant baits has forced PMPs to change their approach to rodent management out of necessity.

Among the alternative rodent management tools being deployed in the fight are remote sensing devices, rodent contraceptives, cameras and repellents.

Boyd works with several forward-thinking PMPs who have added alternative tools to their rodent management programs with growing success.

Rodent contraceptives are one tool Boyd has seen deployed with greater frequency as PMPs look to offer creative options to clients.

“The market is ready for contraceptives,” said Boyd. “Communication with the customer is important since they take longer to work than other methods, but the long-term results will be there.”

Seeing Is Believing

Cameras are a tool that Boyd has witnessed firsthand having a positive impact. A PMP client installed cameras at a high-end residential property and discovered it was dealing with two species of rats – roof and pack rats.

“The cameras allowed the PMP to get their heads around exactly what species they were dealing with, the size of the infestation and their movements,” said Boyd. “As PMPs better understand the value of cameras and how best to deploy them they’ll gain a valuable rodent management tool.”

Janet Hurley, A.C.E., M.P.A., an extension program specialist with the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service in Dallas, said pest management professionals must disrupt a rodent’s habitat or they’ll keep coming back.

“Game cameras have changed the dynamic when it comes to rodent management,” said Hurley. “PMPs are seeing how rodents really travel within a structure or gain access. Seeing is believing.” 

Drones are another tool PMPs are turning to for inspections of properties for rodents, birds and other pests. Hurley said PMPs can uses drones  to identify access points on roofs or other hard to reach areas where roof rats could gain entry to a structure.

“We are sitting on so much more in terms of technology that can help PMPs battle rodents,” said Hurley. “There is always a better mouse trap that can be added to the fight.”