Ed Van Istandel
Approach rodent management with all your senses.
■ Vision is critical because not all rodent control signs are obvious. Use a strong light, but move it and yourself around at different angles. Get as much of the scene in your visual range as you can.
■ Hearing is sometimes discounted, but a quiet room often comes alive with scurrying sounds in the walls or under furniture. In some instances, a dog’s whimper or the look of an inquisitive cat is an indicator of a rodent causing the pet distress.
■ I include the sense of taste with smell because the two are so intimately connected. Incidentally, a rodent’s sense of smell can be used against it. Consider the aggregation pheromones that exist in rodent droppings. Placing fresh rodent droppings in rodent bait boxes helps draw more rodents into the box. It makes them less suspicious.
■ Take the time to touch walls, wall coverings, baseboards and switch-plate covers because they might not be as solid as they seem. If you can fit a pencil in an opening, a mouse can get through it.
Ed Van Istendal is National Institutional Sales Manager for Ensystex.
Leave A Comment