Ratastic News: “Exclusion, Exclusion, Exclusion!” Edition

David Bennett

If there is anything we want you to take home with you and remember about us, that’s the importance of exclusion in your rat control program. Because the reality is, rats have been with us for a millennia, and they will continue to be with us. With the issues that LA have been having and the state of California contemplating banning 2^ndgeneration rat poisons, the point we are making is this: Exclusion cannot be overlooked. Setting traps without exclusion or setting poison bait or bait boxes alone isn’t going to eradicate rats. In fact, complete eradication really isn’t realistic. There’s plenty you can do to control rats without using poisons. And we’re going to talk about those exclusion methods while we showcase the infestation news this week.

Last week’s quiz question! Who is the patron saint of pest control?

Answer: St Gertrude of Nivelles who shares a feast day with St Patrick! She patron saint of cats the original pest control plan folks used.

Her novena is to be prayed for nine days and runs thusly: Dear St Gertrude you have long been generated as a patron against rats and mice. Please intercede for us we pray and ask God to rid our homes of all rats and mice.

We ask for your prayers as we work to reclaim our home as ours alone, free from mice and any other pests. May this time sharing our space with mice and rats also strengthen us as a family and be fruitful for us spiritually drawing us ever closer to our father in heaven.

This week’s quiz question: What recent discovery of rat puts the brown rat (Rattus norvegicus and black rat (Rattus Rattus) to shame both in size and ferocity?

Madison, Wisconsin Rat Infestation Teaches Exclusion Practices

City and Dane County officials are teaching residents of a North Madison neighborhood being infested with rats the power of exclusion. Channel3000.com reports that John Hausbeck, Environmental Health Division supervisor, says what we have been saying: You’ve got to make the environment inhospitable for rats. And it’s not just about poison or traps. “By getting rid of the harborage the hope is we open up the space and the rats are less comfortable living in that area and move on to places that are more appealing to them,” Hausbeck said. He says the Public Health

Department identified certain areas where vegetation made a great home for rats, and therefore needed to be treated. “The conditions have supported the rats such that they have been able to essentially explode in their population,” Hausbeck said. Getting rid of harborage means mowing your grass regularly, cutting hedges, long grass, moving woodpiles away from the house, and getting rid of any sources of food or water for the rats including dog waste, because rats love eating doggy doo. Sealing holes around your home and putting door sweeps on potential entry doorsto keep rats out. Contact us for samples of our premium RodeXit proofing door sweeps!

Rat Infestation in Convenience Store In Tokyo Results in Costly Shutdown and Loss of Profit

A rat infestation in Tokyo is something we all can understand, because rat infestations in stores happen here too. They’ve been forced to close and deal with an infestation that saw rats scampering down aisles, along shelves, and down the walls. The company has apologized to the public saying they are sorry for making the public feel uncomfortable, and now they’re losing profits while they look for the cause, because when you’re closed, you’re not making any money. Be sure to watch this video: Video on The Guardian shows at least six rats running around. Broadcaster NHK said the clip had been viewed more than 5 million times. While a pest control company will no doubt get rid of the problem, the rats could return unless exclusion practices are taken, including sealing off outside entry points so that the rats can’t get back in. Exclusion practices are essential. The company says they are disinfecting and considering the environment of the store. This is a good start, now they can put exclusion practices into place that will result in preventing more infestations! They will also be throwing out any products that the rats may have gotten into, which is costly. Rats can destroy inventory, and incur property damage through chewing, defecation and urination, which also brings public health hazards. The damage to their reputation and loss of customer trust can be repaired, in time. What can this store do to exclude rats? They can make repairs. They can, as we have already mentioned, seal off any potential entry points. Focus on trapping the rats that are already there, make changes to the outside environment making the store less attractive to rats (making sure rats can’t get into their dumpsters, keeping trash picked up outside which may be potential food sources to the rats ). Train employees what to look for to catch future infestation early, they should consider door sweeps like the RodeXit premium door sweeps to keep rats and mice out. If you’re a business owner, you can and should do these things too to prevent closures from happening and resultant damage to your reputation and profits! We’re here to help!

As If Rats Weren’t Enough, Here Comes the Nutria Invasion to California

As if the state of California hasn’t been through enough with the highly publicized infestation of rats in Los Angeles, they now have an problem with nutria, also called the Lousiana swamp rat. The invasive species can grow as large as 20 pounds (that’s almost the size of a cocker spaniel!) and has large buckteeth and they

breed like crazy. The state of California has issued a warning about the influx of nutria, and they are asking for the help of landowners in dealing with the issue. Breeding populations have lately taken hold in the San Joaquin Valley, just outside San Francisco. They are extremely destructive to the environment and can eliminate a whole lot of important flora because they eat the whole plant, including the roots, meaning the plant can’t grow back. They can devastate agriculture in this way. Their burrowing can weaken infrastructures. They have recently been discovered in four counties, meaning their range is expanding. Before 2017, according to National Geographic, nutria hadn’t been seen in California for 50 years. They were imported in the late 19^thcentury to California as a result of the fur trade. And now the reason for being called the Louisiana swamp rat: National Geographic explains: “They first took hold when they were brought to Avery Island, a swampy coastal part of Louisiana 30 miles south of Lafayette and the production site for Tabasco brand hot sauce. Many were bred and kept in fur farms or released and regularly trapped. Then the fur industry crashed. No longer able to maintain

facilities, hundreds of nutria were released into the wild.” The article says that they are prolific breeders and that one female can lead to 200 offspring in just a year. They can breed at four to six months old! And they have several litters a year. National Geographic says that Maryland was able to eradicate them by “removing tens of thousands of them from wetlands over a 15-year period.” California is asking people to help: “Suspected observations or potential signs of nutria should be photographedand immediately reported to CDFW’s Invasive Species Program online, by e-mail to [email protected], or by phone at (866) 440-9530. Observations on state or federal lands should be immediately reported to local agency staff on the property. Reports will be followed up on by the interagency nutria response team and will help in their eradication effort. If possible, photos of animals should include views of the whiskers, front or hind foot, or tail; for optimal photos of tracks, include an object for size reference (e.g., pencil, quarter, wallet) and take the photo from the side, at an angle (≤ 45º) to cast shadows into the track.” California has classified nutria as a non-game animal and can be taken at any time by any legal means to protect property and crops. The state is working on an eradication plan: The state site explains, in addition to the previous link: “Currently, there is a small window of opportunity to successfully eradicate the population of nutria from California. As time progresses, the population size and geographic area of infestation are increasing, along with the effort, resources, and funds required for successful eradication. Over time, the probability of successful eradication decreases, and California would be left to manage and mitigate the devastating impacts of nutria on wetlands, agriculture, and water conveyance/flood control infrastructure. The interagency Nutria Response Team includes representatives from CDFW, the California Departments of Food and Agriculture, Parks and Recreation, and Water Resources, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and local county agricultural commissioner offices. The team is currently preparing an eradication plan, the first stage of which is determining the full extent of the infestation. Assistance from local landowners and the public throughout the Central Valley, Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, and beyond is critical to successfully delineating the population. “

Designed with purpose, easy to install effective results use RodeXit proofing strips for rodent exclusion.

The spacing between the wires was designed, so it can prevent the entry of mice.

The distance between the edges and first wires is 3 mm.

The diameter of the wires is 1 mm.

The distance between the wires is only 5 mm.

*According to Robert Corrigan a small mouse requires a crevice opening of 6 mm (Page 108 in “Rodent Control – A Practical Guide For Pest Management Professionals”) so the 5 mm is too little for a mouse. *

Cross section of strip including position of steel wires

Grade of Stainless Steel wires

The stainless steel is acid resistant stainless-steel.

It is a welding wire used for welding acid resistant stainless-steel.

The grade is 316 LSi. Link to the data sheet:

https://www.esabna.com/us/en/products/filler-metals/mig-mag-wires-gmaw/stainless-steel-wires/ok-autrod-316lsi.cfm

Commercial grade RodeXit Proofing strips for exclusion now available in: