Nature loves to hide. Rodents: A case of planetary success. Rodentia: 44% of all mammals Three New Rodent Species Discovered!!

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1 The Economic and Health Significance Of the Commensal Rodents CDC/NEHA Insects and Rodents Workshop Portland, OR March 14-16, 2012 Bobby Corrigan RMC Pest Management Consulting Richmond, IN. Nature loves to hide Heraclitus, Greek Philosopher (c.a BC) Rodents: A case of planetary success. Rodentia: 44% of all mammals 2009 Three New Rodent Species Discovered!! 1

2 About 500 species in just Family Muridae alone. In Oregon: 1. Mus musculus (domesticus) 2. Rattus norvegicus (brown) 3. Rattus rattus (black). A visit to New York City: Empire State Building, Theatre District, Statue of fliberty, etc. Fe getta bout it. No. 1. Pestropolis Heat leaks. Odor leaks. Refuse mgmt. Previous rodent pioneers. 2

3 They are diabolically clever animals A History of British Mammals Thanks LiphaTech and Paragon John Murphy Commensal Rodents of Urban Significance 1. House mouse 2. Brown rat 3. Black rat A cross between E.O. Wilson and Sherlock Holmes The lesson: Pest Management around food handling establishmentsrequires more the investigator than applicator. 3

4 Life On a Little Known Planet by H. Evans 4

5 Daily foraging of R. norvegicus in exterior city environment: ft. from nest GARDNER SANTANA, et.al Commensal ecology, urban landscapes, and their influence on the genetic characteristics of city dwelling Norway rats Molecular Ecology. 20 May. Complete nutritional balance. Nutritional Returns Subadult (200g/7oz) requires 1.4 oz of high caloric food Adult: 400g/14 oz: 2.8 oz Just a few key real world essentials on biology and behavior 5

6 The relationship between rodents, human health, city health inspectors and pest professionals. Mice and rats are wild mammals. Just prior to or during their interactions with us, they may be in sewers, drainage ditches, muddy fields, earthen nests, building voids, and so on. All of which may contain significant ifi amounts of animal excrement and decay. They may be interacting with other wild animals and livestock where blood, saliva, and other fluids are present or exchanged. 6

7 Pathogen Estimated number /potential of rodent borne diseases Table 1: Pathogenic Bacteria and Protozoa carried by Norway Rats in Rural and Urban Areas (after Battersby et al Urban rat infestations and the risk to public health. Vol. 1 (2): Char. Inst. of Envirn. Health. 1-12). Bacteria Disease Rural Urban Listeria spp. Listeriosis Yersinia enterocolitica Yersiniosis Virus 17 Rickettsial 9 Bacterial 20 Protozoan 3 Cestodes 3 Trematodes 1 Nematodes 3 Yersinia pseudotuberculosis Pseudotuberculosis Pasteurella spp. Pasteurellosis Pseudomonas spp. Meliodosis Salmonella spp. Salmonellosis Vibrio spp. Diarrheal disease etc E-coli 0157 Diarrheal disease etc. n.i n.i n.i Protozoa Toxoplasma gondii Toxoplasmosis Coccidia & Eimeria spp. Coccidiosis etc Entamoeba spp. Amoebic dysentery For the most part, an accurate rodent-associated disease potential is unclear in any given area until it is studied in that area. 7

8 PHOTO HERE Be especially alert to ectoparasites associated with rodent infestations occuring within attics, suspended ceilings insulated walls, and crawl spaces. There are several mouse borne diseases that are overlooked and ignored by people, ormisdiagnosed by physicians. Why? Because these illnesses closely resemble common everyday ailments. Or, they are ailments that are not severe in their symptomsor or duration, so people fail to seek the further medical diagnosis necessary to correctly identify the specific illness. Hay Fever or. Mouse Allergens?? The Johns Hopkins research estimates that about 18% of asthmatic children nationally test positive for mouse allergen sensitivity. In just New York City alone, this equates to about 54,000 asthmatic children being MUP sensitive. 8

9 Pests and Food Safety What KFC, Juniors, and the Peanut Corporation America taught us. They are diabolically clever animals A History of British Mammals. 9

10 Photo here Strother, K.O, C.D. Steelman and E.E. Glbur Reservoir competence of lesser mealworm beetles for Campylobacter jejuni. j J. Med Entomol. 42: Indistingushable isolates of C. jejuni have been obtained on the same farm from cattle, flies, rodents, and from the feces of sparrows in a nearby urban area, implying the same source of infection. Adhikari et al., New Zealand Vet. J. 52: Feb 13, 2009 (AP) Dead Rodents Found in Peanut Plant. Texas officials shut down a peanut plant at the center of a national salmonella outbreak and ordered it to recall all products ever shipped from the plant after they found dead rodents, rodent feces and feathers in a ceiling crawl space above a production area. Preliminary tests by a private lab indicated salmonella was present. Doyle, M. P. and M. C. Erickson Reducing the carriage of foodborne pathogens in livestock and poultry. Poultry Science. 85:

11 Salmonella can be recovered in feces up to 86 days old. Thus Salmonella longevity in fecal pellets is sufficienet to present a potential contamination risk in the eabsence of an active infestation. Hilton, et al Int. J. Environ. Health Res. 12. Nature loves to hide. Andthus thus, food safety personnel everywhere must remain vigilant 1. Society s use of smart phones is changing our service obligations and work. Progressive for Rodents: More investigatori than applicator. 11

12 A service for a typical rodent or two in a residential kitchen, or store, etc., is usually no big deal. But when dealing with an rodent infestation that has become established and has history with a building and an area..be careful. Caution in Sales Thoroughness and monitoring in service. The time spent performing pro active inspections should be separate from the actual service time, and recorded as such on the service ticket. Looking vs. Observing 1. Juvenile rodents. 2. Males vs. females 3. Mixed age classes 4. Foraging ranges vary clutter and food dist. 1. Along surfaces yes, but also: Up and Within Along Surface Areas 12

13 Dark Shadowy, corners; out of the way; hard to reach 13

14 UP.Its not just for Rattus rattus! Life On a Little Known Planet by H. Evans 14

15 And, within Rodents are natural void and cavity dwellers Life On a Little Known Planet by H. Evans So, what are you going to do about the pests pests? A New York City client. 15

16 The House Mouse as a Potential Health Pest in Homes and Apartments 16

17 Check any specks you note on your glue traps containing a captured rodent. (again, a hand lens is mandatory equipment of the quality PMP) The RVAs of everyday buildings: How to locate the rodents quickly: Commercial RVAs Rodent Vulnerable Areas (RVAs) of Commercial Facilities 1. Equipment Base Voids (warmth, darkness, HTR, close to food). 2. Warm Walls/Penetrations 3. Ceilings above heat 4. Cooler Walls 5. Manager s Desk /Room 6. Low/high level box clutter 7. Any structural floor/wall gaps 17

18 Warm hollow walls within 50 ft. of food 18

19 Life On a Little Known Planet by H. Evans Residential Accounts 1. Warm areas in the attached garage, basement and kitchen 2. Basement sill plate near lines up 3. Stove, refrig, dishwasher, sink cab 4. Attic 5. Attached garage expert. 6. Laundry room; check vent/closets. 7. Out of sight with everything; not ease of placement. 19

20 Favorite Key Structural Words for finding rats and mice In and around buildings: Shadowy corners Ledges (e.g., sill plates) Lines (heating, conduits). Door thresholds Fascia boards Voids (furniture, equipment, ceiling, etc.) Thick vegetative cover Cavernous shrubs (Taxus) Key Conditional Words for finding rats and mice In and around buildings: *Warmth * Near food *S Stationary items * Let any droppings be your roadmaps.. To baits and traps place Pests and Lines Ants Cockroaches Mice Rats Bedbugs Pests Follow Lines Plumbing Lines Foundation Lines Electrical Lines Landscaping Lines Expansion joint lines Building edge lines Air Handl. Duct Lines Vegetative lines Cement walkway lines Heating Lines By way of a short introduction: New York City: No. 1 Rodentopolis 20

21 By way of a short introduction: New York City: No. 1 Rodentopolis The Take away: To keep annoying (and expensive) rodent callbacks to a minimum, rodent inspections should be targeted to likely population sources within or nearby the building not superficial wall walk alongs. Locate the lines: Locate the shadows Locate the crannies and corners: Be the hunter 30 evenly spaced 30 traps traps STRATEGICALLY PLACED 21

22 Take Home Message You can not run and gun rodent service. Inspect, analyze, and then install equipment Mus musculus musculus Mus musculus domesticus Homo sapiens sapiens Wise man New York Daily News Front Page. Woman sues spinach company for Homo sapiens new yorkus $10 Million Claimed she chewed on rat foot 22

23 Questions are the creative acts of intelligence. Frank Kingdon In a world that is constantly changing, there is no one subject or set of subjects that will serve you for the foreseeable future, let alone for the rest of your life. The most important skill to acquire now is learning how to learn. John Naisbitt The future great PMPs will not be those who are best at using traps, baits or sprays, but rather those who are best at keen observation, source finding, analyzing each (unique) pest situation, and keeping cuttingedge current. 23