THE IMPORTANCE OF RODENT CONTROL

Rodent (rat and mice) control is important in preventing disease and costly damage. 

Rodents need to keep their incisors (front teeth) at the correct length and therefore they have to gnaw on things. 

This causes costly damage to cars (wires and hoses) and household furniture, wooden joinery, insulation, alarm wires, electrical cabling and structural elements of a building.

This poses a risk of fire and compromises the integrity of your property.

There are 14 diseases that are directly spread by rodents as per the “Centre for Disease Control and Prevention”.

These diseases can spread to people directly through handling of rodents, contact with faeces, urine or saliva (such as through breathing in air or eating food that is contaminated with rodent waste) or through rodent bites. Rodents can also carry ticks, mites or fleas that can spread disease between rodents and people.

Signs that rodents are present:

• Seeing rodents, which is usually in the evening or at night (as they are nocturnal)
• You may hear noises from the roof at night as they move around
• Rodent droppings can be found anywhere that they are active including cupboards and behind fridges, stoves etc
• Gnaw marks. Rats and mice gnaw on wood and other surfaces to create an entry point but also to keep their incisors (front teeth) at the proper length

Rodents reproduce very quickly. They are sexually mature in 4 -5 weeks. A female rodent can have between 6 -12 babies per litter and has up to 6 -10 litters each year. This means you could potentially have a large rodent infestation in a very short period of time.

Rodents live wherever they can find food, water and shelter. Measures you can take to prevent a rodent infestation are to remove sources of food including animal (dogs and birds) food. Remove plants or branches touching your property’s roof and walls which the rodents can use to access your property. You can also block up access holes.

Whether you need to effectively eliminate an existing rodent problem or would like a preventative program, Pest Shield can assist. We use various rodent bait formulations and also make use of tamper proof rodent boxes for safety in areas that are accessible to the public. For commercial and industrial rodent control we offer a full safety standard (HACCP) program where necessary.