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De-Ratting Your House or Business
A control program is started after identifying whether the pests are Norway or roof rats. No two situations are identical so the site and its potential hazards are carefully analyzed. One tool is not a total panacea, several methods are needed to achieve control.

Rodent populations are restrained by eliminating food, water and shelter. This includes naturally occurring water and food. Although the best sanitation never completely eliminates rats, poor sanitation greatly aids their longevity and spread.

Trash and debris should be kept in tightly closed containers and possible nesting materials off the floor. Store food items in rodent-proof containers. Trim weeds and brush around buildings. Roof rat control in many areas requires heavy pruning of ivy, palm trees, berry thickets or any densely growing plants.

The most successful and permanent form of rat control is to "build-them-out," or rodent-proof structures. Obviously, rats cannot survive without food, water or harborage.

Acute baits are one type of poison baits or rodenticides. They are cost-effective and work quickly: death occurs anywhere from a few minutes to a few hours after the bait is eaten. Acute baits should only be used for clean-out situations as there is a danger of rats developing bait shyness.

Bait shyness occurs when rats eat only enough bait to get sick and the symptoms occur relatively soon after the bait is eaten. The rats then correlate getting sick with the bait. Any bait-shy rodent will not eat bait for several months.

Several acute baits have come and gone over the years because they were just as toxic to non-target animals as they were to rats.

Zinc phosphide is an exception. It is an excellent bait for reducing large rodent populations in a short period of time. Zinc phosphide is found in LiphaTech's Ridall-Zinc.®

Anticoagulants are one of the most popular, cost-effective rodenticides that rodent-control professionals use. About 95 percent of a professional pest control technician's arsenal is anticoagulants. Anticoagulants are classified as multiple-feed or single-feed. The single-feed anticoagulants, or second-generation products, include brodifacoum and bromadiolone. LiphaTech's Maki® and Rozol® are two good anticoagulant product lines that meet almost every need.

All anticoagulants work in the same fashion. Rats die from internal bleeding because the blood's clotting mechanism is inhibited. Older, first-generation anticoagulants require rodents to feed several times over several days before a lethal dose is ingested.

Second-generation compounds contain a lethal dose in a single feeding but toxic symptoms do not appear until two to three days later to avoid bait shyness. The single-dose toxicity is the only difference between the first- and second- generation anticoagulants registered with the Environmental Protection Agency, bromadiolone appears to be the better choice. Bromadiolone is toxic enough to kill in a single feeding but is less hazardous to non-target animals, particularly dogs, than brodifacoum. However, both will control rodents that have developed resistance to first-generation anticoagulants.

LiphaTech is field testing difethialone, the first third-generation anticoagulant. It is also the first new single-feeding anticoagulant developed in 13 years. Its exceptional palatability helped difethialone perform extremely will in field trials.

Two other products registered with the Environmental Protection Agency, bromethalin and cholecalciferol, can be used for rat control. Their mode-of-action controls rodents who have developed resistance to anticoagulants. Despite this, they share some of the same attributes of anticoagulants - toxic symptoms do not appear immediately, and a lethal dose can be consumed in either one or several feedings. Keep in mind that these products have no antidote if accidently ingested, greatly increasing the applicator's liability.

A friendly reminder when using rodenticides: Read the label carefully, and be sure that you understand and follow all label directions.

Poisoning is not the only way to control rats. Trapping is an effective and safe way to control rat populations when rodenticides cannot be used. Glue trays on rats' runways between food and harborage site so rats "blunder" into the trays can be used. LiphaTech's Trap-Stik® rat-size glue tray works well in a variety of temperatures.

Snap traps, like glue trays, in rats' runways can be used. Unset, pre-baited traps are put in place for several days so rats become comfortable eating from the traps. When the traps are finally set, their effectiveness is greatly increased.

Both blue trays and snap traps can be attached to pipes and other vertical surfaces and elevated horizontal surfaces such as rafters to capture roof rats.

A frequent mistake is not using enough traps. It is far better to have too many traps set than not enough to capture the entire population. Place traps over a wide area. Remember rats' territory ranges from 100 to 300 feet.

Popular automatic traps that are successful for mouse control are virtually of no use for rat control. Rats fear new objects and will not investigate these traps as readily as mice would.

Ultrasonic devices are based on the principle that certain frequencies of amplified sound irritate rats. Tests indicate rats become accustomed to the sounds in several weeks. It's possible that ultrasonic devices could be used to "corral" rodents to bait placements.

Baiting or trapping sometimes is not effective and time is needed to allow Norway and roof rats to get used to new objects in their environment. Placing bait stations behind objects or in dark areas can help, rats will feel safe eating. If baits are untouched, they are moved to new areas. The first placements may not have been in the rats' territory.

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