“We think like a rodent and understand what a rodent likes. We’ve researched different flavours, different textures; wheat bait, gel bait, block bait, with different shapes to encourage gnawing. Different bait boxes to provide the ideal feeding environment. It’s all about out-thinking rodents, and our competitors.”

Growing Control Problems

As if this wasn’t enough, rats and mice both appear to be becoming more difficult to control in many cases these days, even with modern second generation anticoagulants

For mice physiological resistance is not the widespread problem it is with first generation anticoagulants like Warfarin.

For rats, there is clear evidence that low rates of bait uptake are the main reason for poor control, particularly where alternative food sources are relatively abundant.

Behavioural resistance in house mice is now widespread in many urban areas, with populations refusing to feed on cereal-based baits because they are unable to digest them.

More commonly in rats, the key problem is their great natural wariness of new and unfamiliar objects – neophobia.

This can lead them to delay the consumption of a new food for 10 days or more and even then only take small amounts until they are confident of its safety; especially so, if it is presented in an unfamiliar place or way and alternative foods are readily available.

Extremely poor bait uptake has, indeed, been associated with survival rates of more than 50% in some treated English brown rat populations in recent years.

With eight young rats produced every 3-4 weeks under favourable conditions, survival rates of only 20% allow treated populations to re-establish themselves in approximately one month, underlining the scale of the problem.

Extended Control Periods >><< Modern Control Pressures