Rodent Problems…How can you tell?

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There are five broad aspects of rodent integrated pest management (IPM). (1) Inspection and monitoring, (2) Exclusion; (3) Sanitation, (4) Nonchemical control, and (5) Rodenticides.

The most successful rodent control program begins with thorough inspections and should always be conducted before any control work is started.  Rodent signs are important for the professional to look, smell, or listen for: feces, runways, tracks, grease marks, gnawing damage, burrows, urine stains, odors,  visual sightings of live or dead rodents, and rodent sounds.

Fecal Identifications:
Mouse fecal pellets measure between 1/8 to 1/4 inch long, and have usually one - and sometimes both ends pointed.
Roof rat fecal pellets average length is 1/2 inch long, and are pointed or spindle shaped. Norway Rat fecal pellets average length is 3/4 inch long, and have blunt ends.

Runways, Tracks, and Grease Marks:
Rodent runways are usually evident in rat and mouse infestations because rodents repeatedly use the same pathways between their nests and food sources. Outdoors, fresh runways of rats are smooth, well packed, and free of vegetation. Indoors, runways along floors or rafters are identified by clean paths through dust or dirt. Grease marks (or rub marks) from the oil and dirt of rats and mice often appear along wall areas next to runways. Grease marks may also occur around bottoms of joists where rodents have been traveling along beams or sill plates, on stairways, or around burrow openings in walls, floor or ceilings.
Tracks from rodents are sometimes seen in dusty areas or outside in the mud near water puddles. The presence of tracks during an inspection is usually a strong indication of an active infestation , because most tracks are not likely to remain visible for long before they are wither swept, washed, or blown away.

Gnawing Damage:
Evidence of recent gnawing and or damage is an excellent sign fro determining the presence of rodents. In fact the word rodent means "gnaw."
Rodents may gnaw on many different objects within their activity range, including aluminum, motor, lead, and more commonly electrical wires wood. When rats gnaw boles into cartons and boxes, the holes typically measure about 2 inches or more in diameter.

Burrows:
Burrows are an obvious sign when dealing with the Norway rat in outdoor infestations. Rat burrows measure about 3 inches in diameter and may be found next to walls, along foundations, or beneath debris or shrubbery. Around the outside of residences, two of the most common areas to inspect rat burrows is nearby bird feeders and or dog houses. Fence rows, woodpiles, and storage sheds are prime suspects.

Urine stains and odors:
Rodent urine is usually deposited on rodent runways and other areas rodents frequent. Rodent odors are often detectable in well established infestations because both rats and mice produce characteristics odors from their urine and various body glands. Under ultraviolet light, rodent urine will glow yellow on burlap bags and pale, blue-white on various packaging paper. PMP's will often then use black lights to inspect for rodent urine, the key to an accurate diagnoses is to notice a pattern of the area glowing. Because rodents often urinate while moving, their patterns appears as a line of fine drops or streaks.

Rodent sightings and sounds:
Most rodents are nocturnal and tend to be very secretive animals, especially in high-activity area. Generally, rodents seen regularly during the day in different locations, indicates a heavy infestation. Most rodents in urban environments become active within one or two hours after sunset.
Sounds produced by rodents and their young such as high pitched squeaks, gnawing, sounds, scratching, and digging can be heard if the inspection is conducted quietly. With rats, the best time to hear their sounds in during a night inspection.

Rodent Proofing ( Exclusion) :
Pest exclusion is the process of denying rodents and other pests entry into buildings by improving the buildings structural integrity. Used in conjunction with effective and ongoing environmental sanitation programs, these two practices provide the best long term component of any rodent IPM proliferate

Sanitation:
The overall health of a rodent, and the growth of rodent population heavily depends on the availability of food, harborage, water, and nesting materials. When these resources are scarce, rodent population simply cannot proliferate.

Rodent Traps
Trapping is appropriate for situations where using rodenticides might pose a hazard. The key to success with traps is to use many, and place them close together (approximately 6-foot spacing) in double sets in areas of activity.

Rodenticides
The anticoagulant rodenticides comprise about 90% or more of the baits used by PMP's. Anticoagulant rodenticides cause death as a result of internal bleeding which occurs as the animal's blood loses it's clotting ability and capillaries are destroyed. All anticoagulant rodentcides are relatively slow acting; death ranges from three days to 10 days following the ingestion of a lethal amount of bait.