MeKnows

Guide to successful Rodent control on farms.

Step1

The first step when undertaking a pest control problem on a farm should be to have a good tidy up. Reduce the number of places rodents have been sheltering and make the area as unwelcoming to your rodent friends as possible. Clear away piles of rubbish, old pallets and machinery. When the area has been cleared cut back any overgrown vegetation.

Stepn2

The next step you should take is to deny Mr rat access to your buildings. Whenever possible keep doors closed and seal gaps underneath, repair any obvious entry points for example gaps around pipework should be filled in with cement. Expandable filler may be the easiest option but wont last long against a persistent rodent who will chew through it.

Step 3

Clear up any grain spillages immediately, animal feed will be the rats food of choice so unless we can prevent him from eating this we will have little chance of tempting him to eat our rodenticide baits.

Step 4

It it a good idea at this point in our control program to start monitoring rodent activity this will enable us to start to plan an effective baiting program. A good idea would be to draw some plans of the farm and note where you notice rodent activity. Not only look for sightings of live rats but look for footprints in damp soil, burrows and signs of damage such as gnawing marks on doors and holes chewed through sacks. Droppings that are less than a few days old will be softer and darker than old droppings this is a good sign that rats have been visiting the area recently.

Step 5

Before purchasing professional use rodenticide baits you should ensure that you have had training on how to use them correctly, use a pro-only bait without correct training and you will be breaking the law. Also note that some baits are only licensed for use indoors covering them with some old roof tiles is not classed as “indoors” these types of bait can be very toxic if your beloved dog was to eat only a small amount he would be in serious trouble.

Step 6

You will now have an idea of the areas you will be baiting so choose a whole grain bait to start with as this will in most circumstances be suitable, occasionally a pasta bait may be more successful. The simplest way of finding out is to try a few formulations and see which gets the most attention. Before you start throwing handfuls of bait around you should consider restricting access to the bait by other animals and birds, tamper proof bait stations are available to protect the bait. This is usually the safest option. Other methods of protecting the bait is to cover it with old tiles or any other suitable material that may be found around the farm corrugated sheeting makes an ideal cover for bait when weighted down with a suitable heavy material.

Step 7

Never let the bait run out check the bait stations every few days and top up if required also make sure you have used enough bait points if the bait stations are being emptied every night then consider using more of them. Make sure you have a good look around for rodent bodies as leaving dead rats full of poison laying around is not a good idea. Raptors are big fans of nice juicy rats but unfortunately rodenticide is not just poisonous to rats.

If your still not sure you might want to look up a local pro pest controller who should be more than happy to pop around to undertake the work for you.