 Rats and mice are more than just a nuisance.
At a minimum they cause damage to furniture and timber in the home. More alarming is their capacity to trigger electrical fires by gnawing on cables and wires or transfer disease by contaminating food, food preparation areas and utensils through contact with their fur, urine and droppings.
Rodents act as carriers for disease.
These include Salmonella food poisoning, rat-bite fever - bacterial infection, trichinosis worms, and murine typhus fever.
Control Methods
Control methods for rodents can be non-chemical or chemical in nature. These methods range from the do-it-yourself snap trap and 'Ratsak' options to professional treatments including baiting and sophisticated traps/bait boxes for more stubborn infestations. Sanitary handling and destruction of rodents is essential.
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Female rodents have between 4 and 10 litters per year.
Each litter consists of 5-8 individuals (depending on the species). This, combined with their exceptionally brief life cycle (as short as 40 and 45 days from birth to sexual maturity), means infestations can increase rapidly if not detected early. Rats and mice often nest in roof and wall cavities or burrows close to the building.
Because rats and mice are most active at night, detection can initially be difficult.
The easiest way detect the presence of rodents is evidence of droppings and urine, signs of damage from gnawing, locating nests - usually of paper/rags, and identifying sounds of their activity at night. Once rodent activity is detected, the approach to treatment is based on the species present and local conditions.
Three species of pest rodent are found in Australia ... the Norway rat, the roof rat and common house mice. |
Preventative Measures - Rodent Infestations