Effective Rodent Baiting: What You Need to Know
With colder weather and accessible food supplies running short, many farmers find rodent infestations start to take hold in autumn, as rats and mice search for new sources of food. All too often the go to response is the repeated and increased use of the same off the shelf bait with unsuccessful results, as rodents are left unchecked and continue to breed.
Effective rodent baiting calls for a proactive strategy that accounts for the variations in the environment and problem species, plus an understanding of which products will work best and why.
Best Practice for Rodent Baiting
With legislative and environmental developments, Pest Control Operatives (PCOs) and farmers must adopt a sustainable approach to rodent management, both inside and outside buildings. When baiting methods are used it is essential to follow industry best practice and the most up to date guidance. Always follow the product label when using any rodenticide. This is a legal requirement and gives you all the information to use the rodenticide correctly and legally.
Environment First
At the first sign of an infestation, best practice is to thoroughly assess the environment and site, as part of an overall Integrated Pest Management Strategy before reaching for any chemical based controls. PCOs can advise and farmers can minimise rodent problems and the intensity of infestations by taking a range of actions. From proofing buildings, making food sources more secure and clearing away rubbish and overgrown vegetation around buildings that make attractive harbourages for rodents.
Monitor Rodent Activity
Using a monitoring paste will help detect rodent activity before an infestation takes hold. Harmonix® Monitoring Paste is a non-toxic monitoring bait offering full traceability day and night. A further advantage of using monitoring paste is that it reduces neophobia if the paste is later replaced with a rodenticide such as Harmonix Rodent Paste.
Review All Options
Once remedies have been made on site, non-chemical control methods should be considered before reaching for a rodenticide in line with the Rodent Control Hierarchy and best practice. PCOs can help farmers choose the most appropriate and effective non-chemical options for the site and target species.
Safe and effective - Fit for Purpose
To help ensure baiting options are still available in the future, consider factors that will control an active infestation and also ensure longer term success by keeping chemical controls to the absolute minimum.
A site-specific Environmental Risk Assessment is essential to assess which rodenticide and formulation should be used for the particular problem. Initially, choosing the right bait and then deploying strategies to ensure effectiveness is key. Essentially, consideration must also be given to safeguarding livestock, crops, non-target species and public health. The Campaign for Responsible Rodenticide Use (CRRU) offers a Code of Best Practice , training and information to help ensure safe rodenticide use to protect wildlife and the environment.
Envu offers a range of rodenticide products that can be used to target the UKs most common rodents; Black Rats, Norway (common, brown) Rats and House Mice. Rodenticides are often concealed within bait, a food source to lure rodents into consuming the active ingredient, and are produced in many formats including pellets, pastes, pastas, blocks, grains and gels. Contact preparations are also available like Racumin Foam which sticks to the rodents’ fur and is consumed as the rodent grooms.
When properly used, baits are the most cost-effective option for eliminating rodents. Bait dispensers help keep bait fresh and are recommended for the safe delivery of all bait to prevent ingestion from non-target species.
There are different rodenticide options available for rats and mice. Rats tend to eat at familiar places and eat for longer than mice making Rodilon and Harmonix Rodent Paste effective options. The recommended dosage of bait should be placed next to walls or in boxes next to their pathways. As mice tend to nibble at food and then quickly move on, smaller amounts of bait distributed more widely in base stations will be needed for optimum results. Envu offers a range of baiting options for tackling house mice.
Bait Choice and Rotation Essential
Bait Shyness and Rodenticide Resistance are the main problems for farmers and PCOs when rodent baiting. Research carried out by the CRRU found genes for resistance to anticoagulant rodenticides in 78% of rats and 95% of house mice. This is why bait choice is essential to effectively control immediate problems and prevent possible future resistance developing in the local rodent population.
You can check Rodenticide Resistance Action Group (RRAG) website, which gives up to date information on where rodent resistance has been recorded. There are interactive maps so you can check the area that you plan to bait in and see if there is any record of resistance. If you are ever unsure if you are encountering resistance at a treatment site then use a kill trap to catch a rodent and send a tail sample and send it off for Free DNA resistance screening. Links for this service can be found on the CRRU and RRAG websites.
Attractive ingredients!
Similarly keeping a bait attractive to rodents is essential to combat bait shyness. Bait shy pests are those that have developed a learned aversion to a particular bait. This can be overcome by choosing highly palatable rodenticides and rotating baits more frequently.
Envu offers a range of baiting options and active ingredients to help combat the problems of shyness and resistance. Whichever rodenticide is chosen it is essential to always follow the product label instructions. Labels will give details to confirm the target rodents, safe areas of use, quantity of bait per bait point, minimum follow up requirements, and also the areas where the product cannot be used and is not suitable.
For the future, the industry aim is to keep the use of chemical rodenticides to minimum to protect the environment and ensure that problems of resistance don’t manifest to a level where chemical control becomes largely ineffective. This is why using bait as a last resort and only as part of an overall Integrated Pest Management Strategy is more important than ever.