Don't wait to bait rodents

"With harvest completed and many of next season’s crops already emerging, outdoor food sources for rodents are starting to dwindle and rats and mice are moving inside seeking shelter, warmth and nourishment to take them through the winter," he said.

"Warm, wet conditions this summer provided ideal breeding conditions for rodents, so there are plenty about, even if they are not immediately visible, making it vital to monitor farm buildings, straw stacks, forage clamps and other areas that they might be tempted to call home for the winter. Watch out for the warning signs and be prepared to take quick, effective action using modern, highly-effective rodenticides, as current legislation only allows you 42 days to deal with a rodent issue or prove that it still exists," he advised.

Rodents multiply at an alarming rate. A single breeding pair of brown rats, for example, can become 200 in a year and two mice can multiply to 60 in three months. Controlling them effectively therefore requires a very high kill percentage, because even a small number can repopulate an area very quickly.

Complying with food safety legislation and farm assurance schemes requires ever-higher standards, so rodent control must be a priority, carefully-planned and done pro-actively rather than on a reactive basis. To achieve this you will need knowledge, skill and attention to detail, or employ an approved pest control contractor with those qualities.

Here are some the key points which you need to know to control rodents effectively:

• Rats and mice have different lifestyles and activity patterns. Rats generally live outside in burrows and only venture indoors in search of food. They will generally eat grain end-on, so if you see a lot of half-eaten grains it’s likely they are responsible. Mice often live entirely indoors and chew around grain leaving a lot of chaff.

• The area around buildings must be kept clean and tidy, creating a wide, clear buffer zone which rodents will have to cross to access inside space. Clean up any clutter, piles of straw, etc, as these provide refuge

• Cut any long grass and clear vegetation next to buildings to minimise cover and access points.

• Monitor for signs of activity, such as droppings, urine, rub and tail marks, tracks, new burrows around the site, footprints or damage to the fabric of buildings caused by gnawing. If several rodents are present you should be able to smell them.

• Just because you have not seen rats or mice it doesn’t mean that they are not there. They won't just go away, you’ll quickly be infested – then the problem will be much more difficult, time consuming and expensive to control.

• Consider the use of motion-sensing cameras to monitor activity at suspected sites

• Modern purpose-built grain and feed stores are generally well designed and should be rodent proof, but if poorly constructed may provide multiple access points. Repair any gaps in walls/doors or gutters/downpipes, block potential entry points as soon as possible and implement effective control measures to deal with those that do get in.

• On-floor drying systems make it easy for rodents to access the building, so cover any potential entry points such as fans when not in use.

• Keep doors shut.

• Clear up spilled feed and grain where possible.

• Thoroughly clean machinery which has been in contact with grain, such as combine harvesters and drills, once the season ends.

• Store bedding away from feed where possible so that rodents do not have a one area where they can obtain both.

• Check electrical wiring for damage – a quarter of farm fires are caused by rodents damaging electrical installations.

• Experienced pest controllers will monitor the situation very carefully after harvest, test-bait heavily and if sufficient signs of rodents exist to warrant action they will do so using proven methods, correct techniques and high-quality, fast-acting products.

• The first step is to put down a monitoring bait to confirm the presence of rodents. Lodi UV monitoring blocks or pastes, for example, are non-toxic and contain a substance that makes rodent urine glow under ultra-violet light, allowing much easier detection. If that yields positive results take immediate action to control the problem.

• Many cheap block-type baits are now ineffective and rats often store them away rather like a squirrel stores nuts, so just because bait is being taken don’t assume it is being consumed.

• Use one of the new-generation products which are much more palatable to ensure that rodents consume a lethal dose. A paste-style Bromadiolone-type bait, such as Lodi Jade, is ideal as it contains mulched cereals and peanut butter oils to encourage consumption. Lodi’s Ruby, a Difenacoum-based product containing peanut oils, is proven in the most difficult environments while Sapphire, a Brodifacoum-based bait formulated from premium grade cereals and peanut butter oil, will kill rodents in a single feed.

• Position outside bait containers adjacent to walls well before baiting begins so that rodents become familiar with them. Site internal bait boxes where there are signs of activity, or rodents are likely to track. It is illegal to leave bait out all the time and you should not leave bait stations out if empty, as they make convenient nesting sites. Check, and re-fill active bait stations until fresh activity ceases.

• Burrow baiting – introducing bait into the area where they prefer to eat - is very effective against rats and reduces the risk to non-target species. However, you must follow the ‘little and often’ principle and retrieve unconsumed bait. You should check, and re-fill if necessary, all bait containers until signs of fresh activity cease and the problem has been contained.

Don’t wait for a rodent problem to develop before doing something about it. Start by minimising the site’s attractiveness to rodents by keeping it clean and tidy, reduce its ability to support large populations by minimising sources of food and habitat, monitor frequently for early signs of activity and then take early, action using effective products.

Further information from Lodi UK on 01384 404242 or www.lodi-uk.com