Editor’s note: This is part two of a six-part rodent management series.
PMPs should keep abreast of all new rodent management technologies, techniques and regulations.
Optimizing rodent bait station efficiency requires pest management professionals (PMPs) carefully study, select, place, and regularly inspect and maintain all bait stations — as well as the bait, glue boards and/or snap traps inside each of the devices.
Thankfully, there are myriad innovations to help PMPs combat these crafty critters. PMPs should talk to suppliers, distributors and colleagues, and read industry trade publications, to keep abreast of all new rodent management technologies and techniques, and related regulations.
Recent advancements have brought PMPs bait stations with concrete blocks already attached for anchoring, and at least one device with a custom molded concrete block hidden discreetly within the unit. There’s a bait station made of PVC tubing that houses a liquid feeder or blocks of rodenticide, and it’s designed to fit snugly against walls. There’s also a dual-action unit that houses bait blocks and liquid bait. These are just a few examples of the hundreds of innovations available to PMPs. The list of options seems to grow daily. An entire periodical could be devoted to bait stations and related rodent management tools, techniques and trends. Each of these innovations is designed to put PMPs in a better position to manage rodent populations and help optimize the protection of people, public health, structures, food stores and other assets.
Bait station placement
Before we PMPs place bait stations, we need to consider the biology and behavioral traits of the target rodents. Rats, for example, are neophobic (afraid of new things in their environments), and mice are hyperactive. Biology and behavioral traits vary widely by species. This species-specific knowledge is key to control.
We also need to consider the lines and shadows of the structures we’re protecting, both on the interior and exterior.
We need to get away from the “I have to place one bait station exactly every 50 feet or 75 feet” mentality and instead look at the specifics of each account. For instance, on the exterior, if there is a shadowy spot in a corner — a rodent “comfort zone” — this would be a prime spot to place one or more bait stations. We need pest rodents to feel comfortable, so they will enter our bait stations.
When I train new technicians I relay the following anecdote: In the fall, I spend my Saturdays sitting in front of the TV, watching my beloved Fightin’ Irish (Notre Dame University) play football. Although I have my tense moments, I am in my “comfort zone” and content. Thus, I tend to eat and drink more while watching the game.
The same holds true, for example, when deciding where to place bait stations on the interior of a client space in a restaurant (food-handling), a school (food-handling and children) or a zoo (food-handling and animals). We have a responsibility by the law and the label not to use rodenticides in certain areas — where they can possibly contaminate a food prep area or where children or other non-targets can reach them. In these cases, we should place snap traps or glue boards in these bait stations.
To best place bait stations, search for the lines and shadows of spaces and structures. Neither a rat nor a mouse typically will feed in the open spaces of a room, at walls with no clutter, or in well-lit areas. They usually feed and travel in the shadows and run along the lines of the walls, pipes and equipment.
An efficient rodent bait station program initially might not look logical if drawn on a map. To place bait stations in areas where we will have successful feeding, we must place the devices against walls, behind boxes, in corners, under shelves — in the shadows and along the lines of walls that have hidden runways.
Don’t forget about other integrated pest management (IPM) strategies, such as excluding food, water and harborages through lighting, sanitation and similar efforts. Until the rodents’ food or water sources have diminished or been made inaccessible, it likely will be a challenge getting the pests to feed on bait. During that period, it’s wise to place glue boards and/or a snap traps inside bait stations as well.
Maintenance tips
Now that we have decided where best to place rodent bait stations, we have the obvious responsibility of maintaining them to a standard that will increase efficiency (see “Rodent account maintenance kit” sidebar).
There are several reasons to maintain bait stations, including among others:
■ Monitoring: Determine activity levels between services; clean up droppings and debris, and note all activity.
■ Cleaning: Clients do not like eyesores on the interior or exterior of their properties.
■ Competing: An unclean bait station is a competitor’s chance to point out a lack of service detail when trying to win the account.
When maintaining bait stations, we should remove all dead rodents — they should never be left in clients’ trash receptacles — and clean any morsels of bait left behind from feeding, plus rodent dirt, urine and fecal matter that has built up between services. I’ve heard techs maintain that we clean bait stations so the rodents will enter and accept the units. But in reality, the opposite often would be true: The dirt, urine and fecal pellets could increase our chances for feeding and catching the rodents. Bait station sanitizing is needed to determine activity between services and to satisfy third-party audit criteria.
Regular bait station inspection and maintenance also should uncover signs of wearing plastic lids or cracks or breaks in the devices. If we are correctly inspecting and maintaining our bait stations each service, we should be proactive and replace these worn or broken parts or install new bait stations.
Documentation & communication
Whether we document on handwritten tickets or handheld devices, all of the details of each initial placement and each subsequent bait station inspection/maintenance needs to be gathered — and acted upon. The importance of detailed documentation, and constant communication with clients, cannot be overstated either. Clients’ rodent sightings can help alert you to new rodent activity and lingering sanitation and exclusion issues.
In a nutshell, optimizing bait station efficiency requires we team with clients and deploy several technologies and techniques.
Rodent account maintenance kit
In addition to bait stations, rodenticides, snap traps and glueboards, every technician servicing rodent bait stations also should carry the following:
■ a digital device, or pen and paper, to document placements, technologies and techniques used where and when, exclusion issues, activity, etc. Tech-savvy PMPs should have pen and paper handy as a backup.
■ a small garbage bag
■ a rag
■ a paintbrush and spatula for maintaining the inside of the units
■ a sanitizing cleaner that does not have a lingering odor.
You can reach Hendricks, A.C.E., director of training for New York-based Assured Environments, at thendricks@aepest.com.
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