It is essential to regularly and thoroughly inspect buildings for signs of rodent infestation. It may be helpful to have a map or plan of where rodents have been seen or where there is evidence of infestation.

Did you know these? • Rodents can gnaw materials such as steel, concrete, plastic and electric cables. • Rodents' incisors are constantly growing. • Rodents need to gnaw constantly in order to file their incisors. • A female sewer rat and her offspring could theoretically produce 2,000 rats a year. • A female house mouse and her offspring could theoretically produce 15,000 mice a year. • A rat produces 15,000 feces, 6 liters of urine and 300,000 hairs each year. • A mouse produces 30,000 feces and 1 liter of urine per year. Rats and mice can spread salmonella with the feces they leave. • Leptospirosis or Weil's disease is transmitted through infected rat urine mixing with food and water supplies. • When rats and mice eat 1 Kg of food, they also contaminate 3 Kg of it.

• While rats need a separate source of drinking water, mice can survive with the moisture in food. • More than 20% of fires in buildings occur as a result of rodents gnawing electric cables. • Rats and mice have developed behavioral or physiological resistance to many new anticoagulants for survival. • A rat can fit into an adult's thumb-width gap (25mm to 30mm). • A mouse can fit into space the width of a pencil (10 mm to 15 mm).

OBSERVATION • It is essential to regularly and thoroughly inspect buildings for signs of rodent infestation. It may be helpful to have a map or plan of where rodents have been seen or where there is evidence of infestation.

How are rodents detected? What are the points to consider? • Sounds: Gnawing, noises of climbing walls, squeaks • Falling: Look along walls and trusses, behind objects, and near food sources • Holes: Rat holes are identified by new excavations along foundations, floorboards and into wall areas. • Track: Look at the dust-free areas along walls and behind storage materials. • Gnawing signs: Look at wood chips around panels, storehouses, and crates. New gnaw marks will be pale in color. • Rodent odor: Persistent musky odor is a positive sign of infestation. • Appearance: Mice often appear in daylight. Rats are visible in daylight only if their population is high. • Stain marks: A greasy layer of dirt and oil from rat fur can be found on pipes or ridge pieces. • Tracking cards: To watch the mice in the pastures, place cards dipped in canola and linseed oil and observe from how many cards the animals ate the next morning. How are rodents detected? What are the points to consider? • Sounds: Gnawing, noises of climbing walls, squeaks • Falling: Look along walls and trusses, behind objects, and near food sources • Holes: Rat holes are identified by new excavations along foundations, floorboards and into wall areas. • Track: Look at the dust-free areas along walls and behind storage materials. • Gnawing signs: Look at wood chips around panels, storehouses, and crates. New gnaw marks will be pale in color. • Rodent odor: Persistent musky odor is a positive sign of infestation. • Appearance: Mice often appear in daylight. Rats are visible in daylight only if their population is high. • Stain marks: A greasy layer of dirt and oil from rat fur can be found on pipes or ridge pieces. • Tracking cards: To watch the mice in the pastures, place cards dipped in canola and linseed oil and observe from how many cards the animals ate the next morning.

It is very important to use the right product with the right application to control rodents. Implementing an integrated pest management system is the best way to achieve effective rodent control in and around your commercial facility.

The use of rodenticides should be a part of the planned Integrated Rodent Management strategy as feeding alone will not be sufficient. In order to get an invasion under control, there are six golden rules to follow:

1- INSPECTION Look carefully and try to determine exactly where the invasion is coming from so you can fix the problem at its source. Typical signs are traces of fluid left by the rodent's greasy hair, feces, or damage to things or structures.

2- RECOGNITION & DETECTION By observing the rodent-defining features and examining their feces, you will know what species you are facing with so you will be able to focus on the right tactics to eliminate the problem. Mice and rats have different behaviors and need to be controlled in different ways.

3- CLEANLINESS Removing food sources is a key factor in successful rodent control. Garbage, food, or feed should be stored in insulated containers as much as possible. Outdoor rubbish and grasses close to the buildings should be removed. Reduce and control water resources available to rodents, such as empty buckets, unused troughs, silage tires.

4- INSULATION & REPAIR Keep rodents outside the buildings by tightly blocking the typical places where they can get in. Try to close all holes in the exterior walls, reinforce the undersides of wooden doors with metal strips to prevent rodents from gnawing and getting inside, install self-closing devices on frequently used doors.

5- EFFECTIVE RODENTICIDE USE Using poisonous feed is one of the most important and effective steps in getting rid of rodent problem. For example; Rodilon contains the active substance Difethialone and no known resistance developed in rats or mice. It is extremely effective against all of them.

6- BEING CAUTIOUS Once an invasion is under control, there will always be new rodents waiting to arrive in the same area. Always pay attention to new activity and start a feeding program as soon as possible.

TROUBLESHOOTING TIPS - Aren't the rodents eating the bait? Be sure to use gloves when handling baits. Make sure the bait doesn't get too dusty so it doesn't lose its flavor. Using gloves, place the fresh bait in the station and check again after a few days. Make sure that the bait used is attractive.

- Are you still seeing rodent activity after three days? No (anticoagulant) rodent bait will kill within three days. The delayed effect prevents fed or unfed rodents from associating the feed with apparent deaths. Wait three to eight days for the first deaths to occur. As with all feeds, you may need to wait up to three to four weeks to achieve full control.

- What if the bait disappears but you still see rodents after two weeks? One of the rodents may be stealing the bait and hiding it from the rest of the population. Place the bait along the length of a wire and place it in the bait station or tie the bait to a pole out of the reach of children and dogs. Of course, there could be a very large rodent population that will re-emerge as the rodents die. Increase the amount of bait at the stations where feeding is strongest.

Bayer Environmental Health Turkey: https://www.environmentalscience.bayer.com.tr/