In the previous issue we’ve spoken about what economic losses may mouse—like rodents cause to a farm. That’s why preventive measures are obligatory for each farm unit, and deratization should be done very seriously. In fact it’s rather difficult to get rid of mice and rats however there are lots of stoppers on the market. We try to describe in brief mechanisms of their actions, emphasizing on advantages and disadvantages.

Control measures with moose-like rodents on live-stock farms are divided into preventive and destructive ones.

Preventative measures

They consist of veterinary-sanitary and building-technological actions, directed on not letting the rodents enter the buildings, to inhibit their access to feeds and deprive of nesting places.

Veterinary-sanitary actions include the systematic clean keeping in service buildings and on farm territory. One of the main rules is to keep feed out of the reach of rodents or in special packing. Remember that cleanliness and tidiness on a farm is a ticket to successful fighting against mice and rats.

Building-technological actions directed on not letting rodents enter the service buildings. Here are several practical pieces of advice:

1. All holes (ventilation, near tubes), cellar windows, manholes etc. should be closed by wire-netting or sheet iron.
2. Party walls should be solid, without cavities.
3. It is necessary to wall up the filled-in pans (caliber more than 5mm) and burrows with mortar of cement mixed with broken glass.
4. The building impenetrability for rodents provide the foundation blind area — a protective covering across the ambit, which is also called shuttering.

Rodents’ depopulation

The remedy toolkit is very wide: mechanical, physical, chemical, biological and integrated.

Mechanical remedies

Ones of the most ancient methods of rodents’ depopulation are mousetraps, live traps, self activating traps and sticky pads for mice catching. Traps and metal mousetraps can catch even rats.

Rodents need to get used to mechanical devices beforehand. For this traps and snares with baits are placed uncharged in the places of the heaviest accumulations of rodents. When they stop fear, devices are charged.

Nowadays there are even electrical mousetraps that kill caught rodents immediately by current. They are considered the most human methods of fighting with these pests. From the point of view of fire security it is better to choose ones that run on battery power.

Biological methods

Include the usage of natural enemies of rodents, in general they are cats and dogs. But, on the first hand, the presence of these animals on the farm infringes the biosecurity and come laden with danger of maintaining the chain of many epizootic diseases, on the second hand, such fighting method is ineffective.

Chemical methods

The usage of toxical agents (rodenticides) is one of the most widespread fighting methods with rodents. Nowadays they are released in form of grain mixtures, powders, mortars, briquettes, pastes, hardtacks, suspensions etc. For convenience and safety, rodenticides should be placed in special containers.

Dusting

Places of permanent habitation of rodents (burrows entrances, ways of moving etc.) are processed by powder poison. Animals engage it on a fur, paws and snouts. Rodenticides hit into their organism when they lick their dress. On the one hand this method is more effective than the poison-bait usage, because it does not depend on the hunger level and taste preferences of pests. On the other hand it is dangerous for all animals and farm staff, because powder can easy hit the breathing organs, however in small doses.

Physical methods

Very often different deratization methods do not have the desirable effect. In general, because the depopulation of separate individuals does not lead to the liquidation of the whole population. More perspective methods considered to be directed on the declining of rodents’ life environment. For this purpose the devices are used that beam electromagnetic and infrasonic waves, hurting the rodents’ nervous system and in such a way make them leave the territory. Their main advantage is the ecological safety. Among disadvantages — the short-term effect (rodents adapt fast to their impact), the necessity of power line connection, lowering the work effectiveness because of mechanical handicap on beaming way that exclude their usage in big service buildings.

As you see there are a lot of different fighting remedies against rodents. Only prices, time, labour expenditures and effectiveness differ. We’d like to emphasize once more: it’s better to prevent the toothed and tailed danger than to try to get rid of it later. Those, who have ever faced this problem, would confirm how difficult and expensive it is. The danger intensifies especially in autumn months when the lowering temperature forces rodents to look for new homes. Take care beforehand so that your farm won’t become such for them!

1. Of course rats are unwanted guests on a farm. What preventative measures should be used to except their entering the farm?
2. Foundation blind area is an effective building-technological remedy for preventing rodents invasion. What material is optimal for such aims?
3. What repellents are effective for notification of rodents forthcoming in to buildings?
4. What methods of mice and rats depopulation are the most effective and secure for swines and staff?
5. What is gas deratization? What are the advantages and results of its usage?
6. How does physics help in mice and rats fighting? How effective are the physical deratization methods?

You can find answers for these and other questions in the full version of the article in the magazine «Profitable Pig Production», № 5 (17) 2013.