Vepcon - Valley East Pest Control
Service: (480) 963-4769
  • HOME
  • SERVICES
  • NEWS
  • CONTACT

Success!! Non-Chemical Rodent Control

5/7/2015

1 Comment

 
Setting multiple traps IS an effective method of control!
1 Comment

Rodent Management...Non-Chemical Methods

3/30/2015

0 Comments

 
Picture
Non-Chemical Rodent Management

The non-chemical approach consists of: (1) rodent proofing, (2) sanitation, and (3) traps.

Rodent-Proofing:
Rodent-proofing or exclusion is the process of denying rodents entry into buildings by improving the building's structural integrity. Coupled with effective and ongoing environmental sanitation programs, these two practices provide the best long-term and cost effective component of any rodent IPM program. Fundamentally, exclusion involves the elimination of dead spaces, cracks, crevices, and other openings so that pests cannot hide in, enter, or leave a specific building, room, or piece of equipment (Scott 1991). Regardless of the cost or thoroughness, rodent-proofing programs require continuous vigilance.

Seal cracks and openings in building foundations and any openings for water pipes, electric wires, sewer pipes, drain spouts, and vents. No hole larger than 1/4 inch should be left unsealed, in order to exclude both rats and house mice. Make sure doors, windows, and screens fit tightly. Their edges can be covered with sheet metal if gnawing is a problem. Coarse steel wool, wire screen, and lightweight sheet metal are excellent materials for plugging gaps and holes. Norway and roof rats are likely to gnaw away plastic sheeting, wood, caulking, and other less sturdy materials. Because rats and house mice are excellent climbers, openings above ground level must also be plugged. Rodent proofing against roof rats, because of their greater climbing ability, usually requires more time to find entry points than for Norway rats. Roof rats often enter buildings at the roofline, so be sure that all access points in the roof are sealed. A common avenue of entry for rodents, especially roof rats, into the open eaves of an attic is via a tree limb touching the roof of the structure. Such tree limbs should be pruned back a minimum of 6 feet. If roof rats are traveling on overhead utility wires, contact a pest control professional or the utility company for information and assistance with measures that can be taken to prevent this. Circular rat guards of galvanized metal should be placed around vertical wires and pipes to prevent rats from climbing upward. Rats may wedge themselves between a drain and the wall and thus reach the upper floors of a house; a circular rat guard on the drain will prevent this.

Sanitation:
Sanitation is fundamental to rat control and must be continuous. Based on the biology of rodents, it should be obvious that the overall health of a rodent, and the growth of rodent populations, heavily depends on the availability of food, harborage, water, and nesting materials. When these resources are scarce or lacking, rodent populations cannot proliferate. If sanitation measures aren’t properly maintained, the benefits of other measures will be lost and rats will quickly return. Good housekeeping in and around buildings will reduce available shelter and food sources for Norway rats and, to some extent, roof rats. Neat, off-the-ground storage of pipes, lumber, firewood, crates, boxes, gardening equipment, and other household goods will help reduce the suitability of the area for rats and also will make their detection easier. Collect garbage, trash, and garden debris frequently, and ensure all garbage receptacles have tight-fitting covers. Where dogs are kept and fed outdoors, rats can become a problem if there is a ready supply of dog food. Feed your pet only the amount of food it will eat at a feeding, and store pet food in rodent-proof containers.

For roof rats in particular, thinning dense vegetation will make the habitat less desirable. Climbing hedges such as Algerian or English ivy, star jasmine, and honeysuckle on fences or buildings are conducive to roof rat infestations and should be thinned or removed if possible, as should overhanging tree limbs within 3 feet of the roof. Separate the canopy of densely growing plants such as pyracantha and juniper from one another and from buildings by a distance of 2 feet or more to make it more difficult for rats to move between them.

Rodent Traps:
Trapping is the safest and most effective method for controlling rats in and around homes, garages, and other structures. Because snap traps can be used over and over, trapping provides a quick knockdown of the population and is less costly than baits but more labor intensive. Traps can be set and left indefinitely in areas such as attics where rats have been a problem in the past. The simple, wooden rat-size snap trap is the least expensive option, but some people prefer the newer plastic, single-kill rat traps, because they are easier to set and to clean. Snap traps with large plastic treadles are especially effective, but finding the best locations to set traps is often more important than what type of trap is used. Generally, young rats can’t be trapped until they are about a month old, which is when they leave the nest to venture out for food.

The lure baits used on the snap traps should be varied. The success of any bait usually depends largely upon how much other food is available and what the rodent is accustomed to eating. Nutmeats, dried fruit, bacon, or a piece of kibbled pet food can be an attractive bait for traps. Fasten the bait securely to the trigger of the trap with light string (dental floss), thread, or fine wire so the rodent will spring the trap when attempting to remove the food. Even glue can be used to secure the bait to the trigger. Soft baits such as peanut butter and cheese can be used, but rats sometimes take soft baits without setting off the trap. Set traps so the trigger is sensitive and will spring easily.

The best places to set traps are in secluded areas where rats are likely to travel and seek shelter. Droppings, gnawings, and damage indicate the presence of rodents, and areas where such evidence is found usually are the best places to set traps, especially when these areas are located between their shelter and food sources. Place traps in natural travel ways, such as along walls, so the rodents will pass directly over the trigger of the trap. Traps are effective when set next to a wall beneath a board leaning against the wall. This creates a shadowy runway, one of the most preferred types of areas for rats and mice.


Picture
Picture
Scott, H.G.- 1991. Design and Construction. Building Out Pests, pp.331-343. In: Ecology and Management of Food-Industry Pests. (J.Gorham, Ed.) Assoc. Anal. Chem. Arlington, Va. 595 pp.
0 Comments

Rats!

3/27/2015

2 Comments

 
Picture

Rats are some of the most troublesome and damaging rodents in the United States. They eat and contaminate food, damage structures and property, and transmit parasites and diseases to other animals and humans. Rats live and thrive in a wide variety of climates and conditions and are often found in and around homes and other buildings, on farms, and in gardens and open fields.

Identification:
Norway rats, Rattus norvegicus, sometimes called brown or sewer rats, are stocky burrowing rodents that are larger than roof rats. Their burrows are found along building foundations, beneath rubbish or woodpiles, and in moist areas in and around gardens and fields. Nests can be lined with shredded paper, cloth, or other fibrous material. When Norway rats invade buildings, they usually remain in the basement or ground floor. Norway rats live throughout the 48 contiguous United States. While generally found at lower elevations, this species can occur wherever people live.

Roof rats, R. rattus, sometimes called black rats, are slightly smaller than Norway rats. Unlike Norway rats, their tails are longer than their heads and bodies combined. Roof rats are agile climbers and usually live and nest above ground in shrubs, trees, and dense vegetation such as ivy. In fact, this rat has extra foot pads on the bottom of its feet to facilitate better climbing of narrow vines and limbs. In buildings, they are most often found in enclosed or elevated spaces such as attics, walls, false ceilings, and cabinets. The roof rat has a more limited geographical range than the Norway rat, preferring warmer climates. In areas where the roof rat occurs, the Norway rat may also be present.


Biology:
Rats, like house mice, are active mostly at night. They have poor eyesight, but they make up for this with their keen senses of hearing, smell, taste, and touch. Rats constantly explore and learn, memorizing the locations of pathways, obstacles, food and water, shelter, and features of their environment. They quickly detect and tend to avoid new objects and novel foods. Thus, they often avoid traps and baits for several days or more following their initial placement. While both species exhibit this avoidance of new objects, this neophobia is usually more pronounced in roof rats than in Norway rats.

Both Norway and roof rats can gain entry to structures by gnawing, climbing, jumping, or swimming through sewers and entering through toilets or broken drains. While Norway rats are more powerful swimmers, roof rats are more agile and are better climbers.


Norway rats eat a wide variety of foods but mostly prefer cereal grains, meats, fish, nuts, and some fruits. When searching for food and water, Norway rats usually travel an area of about 100 to 150 feet in diameter; seldom do they travel any further than 300 feet from their burrows or nests. The average female Norway rat has 4 to 6 litters per year and can successfully wean 20 or more offspring annually.

Like Norway rats, roof rats eat a wide variety of foods, but they prefer fruits, nuts, berries, slugs, and snails. Roof rats are especially fond of avocados and citrus, and they often eat fruit that is still on the tree. When feeding on a mature orange, they make a small hole through which they completely remove the contents of the fruit, leaving only the hollowed-out rind hanging on the tree. They’ll often eat the rind of a lemon, leaving the flesh of the sour fruit still hanging. Their favorite habitats are attics, trees, and overgrown shrubbery or vines. Residential or industrial areas with mature landscaping provide good habitat as does riparian vegetation of riverbanks and streams. Roof rats prefer to nest in locations off the ground and rarely dig burrows for living quarters if off-the-ground sites exist.

Roof rats routinely travel up to 300 feet for food. They can live in the landscaping of one residence and feed at another. They often can be seen at night running along overhead utility lines or fence tops. They have an excellent sense of balance and use their long tails to steady themselves while traveling along overhead utility lines. They move faster than Norway rats and are very agile climbers, which enables them to quickly escape predators. They can live in trees or in attics and climb down to a food source. The average number of litters a female roof rat has per year depends on many factors, but generally it is 3 to 5 with 5 to 8 young in each litter.


2 Comments

    Categories

    All
    Bees
    Rodents
    Scorpions
    Wasps

    Archives

    July 2015
    May 2015
    March 2015
    August 2014

    RSS Feed

Picture

(480) 963-4769

VEPCON – (Valley East Pest Control)
1832 S. MacDonald Suite #105
Mesa, AZ 85210
License # 8532
Service@vepcon.com
AZ Dept of Agriculture
AZ PPO
BBB
All technicians are background checked, drug tested and certified under the Arizona Department of Agriculture