Wacky Weather and Aging Infrastructure Have Rodents on the Move

Dale Kaukeinen, consultant for d-CON:

Every year rodents make their way into more than 21 million households across the U.S. and that number isn't expected to decline anytime soon. Today's crazy weather patterns, aging infrastructure, and urban sprawl are contributing to pervasive rodent activity throughout the nation, leading to the spread of diseases like Hantavirus and the plague, along with the billions of dollars in property and crop damages that can be incurred by these rodent pests.

This fall, as rodents seek shelter from cold and wet weather by invading homes across the nation, an extensive study of multiple scientific data points including weather patterns, population growth, and urban planning has been conducted to chart rodent infestation. This study highlights risk factors and vulnerable spots throughout our nation. By making public the causes of extreme rodent infestation, municipalities, concerned citizens and businesses can work together to rid our neighborhoods of troublesome and dangerous rodents which are critical components to the development of a sustainable, actionable, local-level community-based rodent control program.

With the loss of federally funded programs for rodent control, most municipalities can no longer afford to conduct area-wide surveys and instead operate on a complaint-by-complaint basis. Locations selected for treatment have typically received short-term baiting or code-enforcement campaigns, or one-time efforts such as the adoption of new trash containers. However, these limited efforts are not enough and do not provide long-term resolution.

Rats and mice are a particular problem in urban housing, destroying property and increasing residents' risk of asthma and allergies in addition to many other pathogens. They carry diseases that can lead to infection, liver failure, diarrhea, rash, arthritis and other conditions that can be fatal. Additionally, rodents cause nearly $19 billion in damage to buildings, homes and crops.

We need to be prepared as homeowners and commit to having our trash cans sealed tight, foundation cracks caulked and a supply of traps and baits at the ready. Though we may not have the ability to completely eradicate rodent pest issues, we can come together as communities and municipalities to implement real and sustainable rodent control programs to minimize the spread of these harmful invasive species in and around where people live, work, and play.

Additional sources: National Pest Management Association, 2007. Ashton, A.D. & W.B. Jackson, Anticoagulant Resistance in the House Mouse in North America, In: Organization and Practice of Vertebrate Pest Control, Conf. Proc. (A.C> Dubock, Ed.), Hampshire, England, pp. 181-188, 1984. Pimental, D.L. Lach, R. Zuniga & D. Morrison, Environmental and Economic Costs of Nonindigenous Species in the United States, BioScience 50 (1): 53-65, 2000.