Mice and rats are carriers of many infectious diseases
Everything you need to know about rodent control
Until now, you may have often heard someone use the terms disinfection and rodent control in everyday conversation, but to be honest, most people do not know exactly what they mean.
What is rodent control?
Rodent control represents a set of measures or procedures implemented to reduce the population of harmful rodents, most commonly rats and mice. There are three types of control methods: biological, mechanical, and chemical.
- Biological methods – are methods of regulating those species that exist in nature itself and involve the use of predators such as foxes, eagles, crows, cats, and other animals that use rodents as food.
- Mechanical and physical measures – refer to the use of mechanical means such as mouse traps and glue or pouring water into holes and digging protective ditches.
- Chemical measures – which include the use of chemical agents, rodenticides (biocidal products).
Are rodents dangerous to humans and animals?
Although they are part of the ecosystem and have a significant role in it, rodents can cause great economic and health damage to both humans and domestic animals and pets.
From an economic point of view, harmful rodents consume, damage, and contaminate large quantities of food and goods in warehouses or farms, and anyone who has ever had a mouse in their home knows how much damage it can cause to your furniture, cables, and food. The World Health Organization published data in 1995 that rodents caused damage of up to 75 billion dollars.
In addition to economic damage, rodents are responsible for the transmission of many infectious diseases and are also natural reservoirs of many pathogens.
Looking back through history, we can see terrible epidemics that claimed a large number of lives caused by rodents.
Among the most well-known diseases are leptospirosis, salmonellosis, and tularemia.
Because of this, people have been forced to devise ways to combat rodents. The first known methods were mixing flour with ground glass, and they were not entirely successful. Therefore, it soon became necessary to move on to more offensive methods that involved acute poisons such as arsenic trioxide, phosphorus, and thallium sulfate.
However, it turned out that these compounds are toxic not only to rodents but also to animals and humans, so a better solution for chemical control of rodents had to be found, which is why today rodenticides are in use.
Brodisan preparations for controlling mice and rats
HOW IS RODENT CONTROL PERFORMED WITH RODENTICIDES AND HOW DO THEY WORK?
To understand how rodenticides work on rodents, it is necessary to understand their behavior and feeding model.
HOW DO RODENTICIDES WORK?
When taking unknown food, rats first allow one individual to try it, and only if the food is safe do the others take it.
For this reason, rodenticides must have a delayed effect of several days. Death occurs between the third and sixth day, depending on the type of rodent, and in rats, no later than the ninth day.
Setting rodenticides is repeated as long as the rodents are taking them. When they stop taking them, it means there are no more alive in the vicinity. More than 90% of individuals die in burrows, where they seek a place to cool down since they have elevated body temperature due to internal bleeding.
The first modern rodenticides with anticoagulant action, intended for the destruction of rodents, are classified as the so-called FIRST GENERATION PRODUCTS, which used to destroy rats and mice lead to their death only after several consumptions.
Along with first-generation rodenticides, SECOND GENERATION RODENTICIDES are increasingly used, which, unlike the first, cause death in rodents after just one consumption and are used in all places where it has been established that rodents have developed resistance to first-generation products.
Rodenticides are classified according to their mode and speed of action into:
- fast-acting, acute rodenticides,
- slow-acting, chronic, anticoagulant rodenticides,
- repellents – substances for repelling rodents;
- hemosterilants – chemical compounds that cause permanent or temporary sterility in rodents.
In the rodent control process, Ekosan uses rodenticides approved by reference institutions with safety data (solutions and MSDS lists)
All products produced by Ekosan contain a bitter substance Bitrex® which causes vomiting (aversion) in humans and animals, while it does not cause any reaction in rodents.
HOW IS RODENT CONTROL PERFORMED?
It is necessary to assess the entire facility and its surroundings, determine the presence of rodents based on excreta, unpleasant odors, or damage characteristic of rodent activity. Based on the purpose of the facility, the epidemiological situation, or standard requirements, rodent control is carried out as:
- general measures
- systematic rodent control
- based on epidemiological indications
- according to HACCP indications
HOW ARE RODENTICIDES SET?
In open areas and around the facility, rodenticides are placed in rodent control boxes, holes, hidden places, and drainage channels and all other suitable locations, so that they cannot be consumed by non-target organisms (birds, rabbits, wild animals, ...).
During external rodent control, it is necessary to think about environmental protection and properly dose the products. If there is a high infestation of rodents, wait a few days and then repeat the treatment.
External rodent control, setting and replacing baits, is carried out in agreement with the clients.
Rodent control box
IS RODENT CONTROL DANGEROUS FOR HUMANS?
As we have already mentioned, all products that Ekosan produces contain Bitrex®. This is a substance with an extremely bitter taste, which would cause vomiting in both humans and animals.
Thus, it is very difficult to accidentally ingest any of these products without noticing what you have taken.
WHAT TYPES OF RODENTS EXIST IN SERBIA?
Rodents are the largest order of mammals, and about 2,270 species are known to live worldwide in diverse conditions. The largest rodent is the capybara, and the smallest is the pygmy jerboa.
It is important to note that not all rodents are harmful; some are protected by law, and some, like hamsters or guinea pigs, are among the favorite pets.
Regarding harmful rodents, around 30 species are known in our country, which have about 60 subspecies belonging to 5 families.
In homes and on agricultural estates, we most often encounter representatives of 2 families, namely the Muridae family and the Microtinae family.
- MURIDAE FAMILY (mice in the narrow sense) including HOUSE MOUSE (Mus musculus), FIELD MOUSE (Apodemus agrarius), and two rats, the GREY RAT (Rattus norvegicus) and the BLACK RAT (Rattus rattus), as well as
- MICROTINAE FAMILY whose main representative is the FIELD VOLE (Microtus arvalis).
These species of rats and mice are the most fertile among mammals. A female house mouse can give birth 6 to 10 times a year, with 6 to 8 young, or even more.
A female GREY RAT can give birth 3 to 8 times a year with 6 to 12 young, and can even give birth to up to 16 young.
In 3 years, one pair of rats can theoretically produce as many as 250,000 offspring.
It is known that rats and mice belong to the rodent group. The name itself indicates that they gnaw on food, and this is because their teeth continuously grow, and theoretically, rats can grow 13 cm per year (if they were not worn down). This fact imposes the need for them to gnaw on various materials to wear them down and sharpen them, which is why they gnaw on some materials that they do not otherwise use for food, causing enormous damage. The economic damage that rodents cause to the population worldwide is measured in billions of dollars.
PREVENTION OF RODENT APPEARANCE
Although it is impossible to completely prevent the appearance of rodents and other pests, especially if you live surrounded by nature, there are certain measures that should be taken to reduce the chance of such occurrences.
- Maintain cleanliness in the area where you reside to prevent rodents from reappearing.
- Do not leave food outside, especially pay attention to waste. If they do not smell crumbs and food, they will have nothing to seek from you.
- Keep food scraps in containers with vacuum seals.
- Regularly vacuum and dispose of garbage.
- Pay special attention to sewer, heating, and water pipes, which rodents use as a pathway to the interiors of human habitats.
