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Rodent control programmes often fail because:
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Not enough product is used
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Baiting stops too soon
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The bait is put in the wrong place
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The wrong type of product is used
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Follow-up inspection is too late
Follow this and your farm will soon be rodent free.
Watch Watch Six Steps to Rodent Control with PelGar International
Step 1 – Tidy up
Tidy up the farmyard to reduce the number of places rats might like to nest, feed and drink.
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Remove and destroy rubbish, old pallets, broken machinery, piles of old feed sacks/bags - as these provide ideal areas in which rats can live and hide.
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Repair leaking pipes – inside and out of buildings. Rats must drink every day to survive. Deny them water and they will have to seek it elsewhere.
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Seal the bottom of wooden doors with a metal strip so rats cannot gnaw their way through to feed stores.
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Keep all doors shut to keep rats out.
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Store feed and dry goods away from walls – just a foot will do. This stops rats nesting behind them.
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Clear up food spills immediately. If rats can access high energy animal feed easily, they are less likely to take even the highest quality bait.
Be ahead of the game – give rats a hard time this winter.
Step 2 – Look for signs
Monitor rodent activity so you can plan an effective baiting programme.
Make a sketch of the farmyard and take it with you as you walk the farm at dusk. Date it and make a note of where you see signs of rat activity. This will highlight the area that should be at the centre of your baiting programme.
Look for:
Actual sightings. Make sure your dog doesn’t run ahead and scare rats back into their burrows before you see them.
Footprints in damp earth. These will often lead back to the nesting and burrowing areas in any earthworks that surround the farm. These earthworks may be riddled with burrows, and are a must for treatment.
Signs of fresh damage such as chewing through sacks and gnawing the edges of door and window frames.
Fresh droppings. These will be softer and darker than older drier ones, and are a good sign of recent activity.
Tell-tale smears of grease from their belly fur where they have climbed up and along walls and roof trusses.
Listen for:
Squeaking as rats jostle and fight as they try and establish a territory. Once this has been defined, the rats will settle down into a routine of sleeping in their nests and moving out to feed and drink.
Take time to survey the site so you can plan a focussed campaign
Step 3 – Choose the right rodenticide
There is no such thing as a ‘universal’ rodenticide.
Successful control will be achieved where the best product is chosen for the problem in hand.
Rats like to feed on one food source at a time. Take advantage of this by matching the type of bait to their preferred food source.
Choose the right rodenticide:
Whole wheat – use where rats are feeding on stored cereals
Cut wheat – mice often ‘kibble’ whole grain so cut wheat is particularly good for mice
Pasta bait – will tempt rodents away from other feedstuffs
Wax blocks – safer than loose bait and good in damp conditions
Use enough rodenticide:
The main reason control programmes fail is due to under-dosing. This occurs if:
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Not enough bait is used per baiting point.
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Not enough bait stations are put down in the key locations.
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Active bait stations are not replenished quickly enough.
The bait estimator will help you work out how much bait is needed in one campaign i.e. an initial treatment plus one to two follow-ups.
Step 4 – Follow a sound baiting routine
Follow the ‘Sunshine’ formula for successful rat control.
Securely place the bait and mark the site, with the date, on the farm plan.
Use the correct amount of bait.
Never under-bait, it is a false economy. Place enough baiting points to cover the treatment area.
Service the bait points as often as you can, at least every 2-3 days, preferably every day. The more often you check, the quicker you will achieve control. Replenish ‘busy’ bait stations.
Hunt for any untouched bait points and move them to sites of greater activity.
Inspect for dead rats and dirty or spoilt bait. Collect these for secure disposal.
Non-target protection i.e. making sure wildlife, domestic animals and children cannot touch the bait, is a legal requirement.
End of treatment tidy-up is an often forgotten, but essential, part of a safe campaign. Store un-used bait and any measuring cups/spoons out of reach of children and pets
Ways to bait:
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Spoon bait directly and deeply down active burrows.
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Bait stations can be ‘home-made’ from close-boarded wooden pallets, old car tyres or cleaned-out 25litre drums. Rats often prefer these to commercially made plastic bait boxes, but ensure that non-targets cannot gain access to the bait.
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Bait can be placed under propped sheets of wood, metal sheets or slates to protect it from bad weather.
Step 5 – Stop new rats coming in
A well planned rat control programme that uses enough of the right type of bait, in the right places, at the right time, should achieve a high level of control.
However, in early winter this will not be the end of the story. New rats will soon come in to fill the gap left by the population just wiped out.
This means a follow-up treatment may be needed two to three weeks after the initial baiting.
Most immigrant rats will travel down recognised and identifiable routes such as hedges, drainage channels and field margins. Anticipate their movements and cut off entry into the farmyard.
Permanent bait points are discouraged, as they pose a risk to non-target species. However, if rats are seen coming in this way, place temporary baiting points along their direction of travel.
In-comers will occupy deserted burrows and may soon gain a foothold on the farm if not dealt with swiftly.
The risk of migrant rats will lessen as winter progresses, as any rats left in the fields will generally die there.
Keep an eye out for immigrant rats. Destroy them on arrival.
Step 6 – Remain Vigilant
Don’t give up once the resident population has been eliminated. There will always be new colonies waiting to take advantage of your farm yard. Successful rodent control requires ongoing thought and attention.
Although rats will not breed in the depths of winter – they certainly will come spring time. As each female can produce eight young every 22 days, the population could explode before the rats move back out into the fields next summer.
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If you see new rat activity carry out a new baiting programme immediately. It is easier to kill a few hungry rats than a plague.
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Continue the tidy-up and maintenance schedule.
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Keep your dated sketches in a safe place. These will provide a useful start when it comes to planning next winter’s campaign, and can also form part of your Farm Assurance records.
Rats can be overcome. Follow the ‘Six Steps to Successful Control’ and notice the difference this winter.
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