Refuse. management. Baiting of City Lots 3/22/2012. Rat IPM Programs for Cities and Muncipalities

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1 Center for Disease Control and Prevention, National Environmental Health Association, & the City NORTH DAKOTA Rat IPM Programs for Cities and Muncipalities Refuse Management is rat management. Baiting of City Lots 1. Tamper-resistant BS; 25, 50, 100 ft. depending on rat severity, and perhaps only in areas of rats!! To supplement burrow baiting. 2. Bait stations checked init.; 14 days; Thereafter EVERY MONTH routine. 1

2 The lay public tends to gravitate towards simple explanations to complex problems. 250 years at war Yes, well whales are interesting, but what about the rat? James Clavell All of the hundreds of thousands of species of animals described by contemporary zoology, the rats seem the most exuberantly successful, even in the face of centuries of concentrated tdconflict flit with humanity. From McLoughlin (1978) The Animals Among Us 2

3 Norway rats Rattus norvegicus Roof rats Rattus rattus MEERBURG B.G, G.R. SINGLETON and A. KIJLSTRA Rodent-borne diseases and their risks for public health. Crit.Rev. Microbiol. 35 (3): On the radar screen: Rats and Bartonella (flea vectored). Brown rats Black rats 3

4 4+ litters/year 6 + pups per litter 3 4 mos.sex maturity 6 12 months 4

5 Daily foraging: ft. from nest Physically capable of traveling 5 miles in one night. (without taking the No. 5 train) Two big secrets to the rat s success do you know? 1. Its ability to live hugger mugger in crowded underground colonies 2. Its readiness to eat anything humans and their pets do, or leave behind and then supplemented with wild edibles 1. In short, it is the brown rat lack of specificity that enables it to thrive in urban environments. Complete nutritional balance. 5

6 Study the city: You study the rat. Study a city: (e.g., Washington DC, New York), You study the rat. Once a city is completed, how much is now inaccessible to us? Subterranean sewers, excavatiions, tunnels, utility conduits, defunct lines left in place, etc? 6

7 Port Cities, high human density and rats: The Perfect Storm The perfect infestation. Its not so much the population, it s the density NYC: 8-12m // 27-40K /sq. mi. London; 8m //12k Boston: 8k Phily 10k Chicago 12k Washington DC 9.0 Los Angeles 8.0 New Orleans; 2.0 A complex pest + complex environment + High visibility Potential 7

8 City Super Rats? City Super Rats? Killing some rats in a few burrows on a particular street Vs. Managing rodent populations to tolerable levels in a NYC neighborhood. Managing rat populations in a large city is a complex undertaking requiring the coordinated efforts among all city agencies and The cooperation of the public (if only ) Tolerance: a train yard, parks, streets.. vs. Schools, restaurants/ Grand foyers, etc 8

9 A stray rat Vs. A rat straying from an established nest or colony. Keen observers trained to think, analyze, associate, and look beyond what appears obvious. Keen observers trained to think, analyze, associate, and look beyond what appears obvious. 9

10 Where food and harborages coincide-- id the zone The harborages of a city Rat 1. Earthen burrows (varied; parks, highways, riprap, yards, school yards, weedy lots, etc). 2. Sub-street/curb slabs 3. Exterior wall voids (low and high) 4. Interior building voids (walls, ceilings, floor) 5. Subway environs 6. Sewers / basins 7. Empty lots with cars, trash 8. Alleyways A Trash Tree Grows in Brooklyn 10

11 Rat burrows and burrow systems A detailed look 11

12 photto 12

13 Burrow baiting for rats 1. Loose pellets into burrows; metered dosages with applicators 2. Do not cave in burrows immediately after baiting 3. Wait about 7 days; cave in; 4. Re-inspect; rebait active Bait Boxes in Parks 1. Landscape Bait Stations 2. Low Profile Bait stations 250 years at war 13

14 17 City Agencies 800 Private PMPs Some neighborhood rat infestations are chronic and have survived and thrived for many year --why? Photo here 14

15 City Super Rats? City Super Rats? Rarely were the previous rat populations completely exterminated Previous tunnels, wall voids all marked Environment often is similar Rats from nearby areas reinfest 15

16 We may have effective rodent baits, bait stations, traps. But in NYC, we have failed to get organized in the battle against the rat. Killing some rats in a few burrows on a particular street Vs. Managing rodent populations to tolerable levels in a NYC neighborhood. Managing rat populations in a large city is a complex undertaking requiring the coordinated d efforts among all city agencies and The cooperation of the public (if only ) 25% of a city population are Litterbugs--- among a Population of 10 million residents is a large number of food fragments for an opportunistic foraging rodent 16