Rats are considered harmful for several reasons. Their activities result in economic losses due to their consumption, contamination and/or damage of foods intended for people and domestic animals. Besides the amount of a particular foodstuff they can ingest, rodents can additionally contaminate, in the form of excrement and shed hair, up to nine-fold greater amounts of the foodstuff.
Rodent pests damage and destroy raw materials and products (Mushtaq and Khanam, 2017). The presence of these rodents is of epidemiological/epizootiology importance since they are not only natural reservoirs but also transmitters of a broad array of causative agents of diseases in humans and animals, i.e., pathogenic bacteria, rickettsia, viruses, protozoans, fungi, helminths, and other parasites (Bijelić-Čabrilo et al). These negative effects of rodents render their population control indispensable.
Epidemiological and Economic Importance Of Regular Rat Pest Control.
- Epidemiological Reasons For Rat Control
Living in livestock facilities, in human residences and outside areas inhabited by people, pest rodents, especially rats and mice, can act as transmitters of a wide array of infective agents that cause diseases affecting humans, livestock and wild animals
The causative agents of infections are shed in faeces and urine and can contaminate water and foodstuffs. In some instances, fleas, ticks, and mosquitoes transmit pathogens from rodents to people and domestic animals. Pest rodents can transmit some diseases both mechanically and by biting their prey.
Bacterial diseases, some of which are of the utmost importance, that are transmissible by rats to humans and animals are tularemia, brucellosis, leptospirosis, salmonellosis, tuberculosis, plague and Pasteurella’s.
Diseases caused by rickettsia and viruses which are transmissible by rodents are foot-and-mouth disease, hemorrhagic fever, rabies, spotted fever and typhoid fever.
- Economic Reasons For Rat Control
Besides epidemiological reasons, rodent control is necessary due to the enormous economic losses resulting from some mouse-like rodents, which feed on, and are contaminated with faeces, urine and hair, stored foods of plant or animal origins. Rat pests damage material goods and inflict damage in textile, fashion, and other industries, in agricultural lands, in abattoirs, in facilities for rearing domestic animals etc. There is no industry that does not experience rat problems if specific measures are not put in place.
The damage is most frequently caused by the brown, or Norway rat (R. norvegicus), the house mouse (Mus musculus) or the black rat (R. rattus), but the culprits can also be some of the other species of synanthropic and Hemi synanthropic rats. It is almost impossible to assess and precisely evaluate all the damage made by rodents. Nevertheless, according to the World Health Organization, about 3 million tons of food (5% of total global food production) is destroyed by rodent pests annually. Food destroyed by rodents could be sufficient to feed 200 million people (Fredericks and Henriksen, 2012).
- Preventive Measures For Rat Control
Although preventive measures are not intended for direct suppression of rodent pests, the only effective way to deal with rat problems is hiring professional help but there are preventive measures one can put in place in combating rats. These methods should be deployed as part of the complex process of rat control.
When planning and conducting rat control, it is necessary to devote assiduous attention to preventive measures. The aim of prevention is to block the entrance, settling, feeding, and survival of harmful rat species in closed areas, using technical and hygienic means.
Here is a list of prevention methods that can help you temporally deal with rat problems.
- Technological and manipulative measures
Architectural-technical measures
Sanatory and hygienic measures
Repellents
- Mechanical methods
Obstacles
Traps
Glue
- Physical Method
Use of Electromagnetic sound
Use of a noise-producing device
Use of Light
- Chemical Method
The use of chemicals is by far the most rapid and effective means of suppressing overgrowing populations of Pests and even rats, which is why in practice the term derealization is frequently identified with only the use of poison-containing baits to control these animals. These chemicals have an advantage over other means of rat control as they can be used over wide areas (in large cities and/or huge land areas), which is impossible with other methods.
We cannot over-emphasize that Rat Control must Be carried Out by Professionals that are trained and experienced in using g these chemicals in a way that is not harmful to you.
Green Safety Limited Fumigation services is who you need to get rid of these rats for good. We use the best tools and trusted techniques to tackle rat problems and flush them out of their hiding before they overtake your home.
Our experienced professionals can deal with both home and industrial pest control.
Contact Us Today. Fumigation is what we do best.