IPM stands for Integrated Pest Management. Anyone can look up the definition for that, but from the front lines of pest control work, it means using ideas outside of the application of pesticides and rodenticides. This also means a conversation has to take place between the technician and the customer, sometimes addressing sensitive issues.
As you can read in this article New Orleans' Rat Fighters Go Beyond Baiting Traps, a Rat infestation has to be addressed on all sides. When thinking about your home, or business, you can rest assured that it was multiple issues that contributed to Rats entering your structure, requiring multiple solutions to the problem. At the simplest level, three main things have to happen to rid a location of Rats. First, is getting the Rats or Mice out of the given building. This is predominately done by setting traps to catch each rodent. Next is the exclusion of the building, the act of sealing the entry points the rodents were using and those points that are highly likely to be used in the future. Last is the placement of rodent baiting stations, the primary means of reducing the population of rodents around the building.
These are also the main services offered by Pest control companies, yet, as in the article, this is not the entire story. Many of the issues that need addressing are often behaviors of those residing or working at the location. Managing the refuse disposal to more a more frequent schedule, moving stored items away from the building, keeping exterior doors closed when not in use, even such items as not keeping pet food available outside for extended periods. Yes, these all need to be looked at when dealing with a rodent infestation, but the largest issue I know I come in to contact with is the landscaping surrounding the infested building.
Trees that extend near the roof are some of the easiest paths a rodent can take to access your home or office building. Overgrown shrubs not only provide safer travel paths for rodents, but are often locations where Rats and Mice can locate food such as Snails or fallen edible plant material. Even the irrigation of your landscaping contributes to not only rodent activity, but also insect activity. If you’re using more water on your yard or beddings then the plants actually need, the greater the attraction it will be for rodents and insects.
Yes, when you pay for a pest management company to help with a rodent infestation you expect results in exchange for the money you spent, and a good technician will be able to identify issues that need attention outside of the services they offer, but unless they offer those services such as landscape adjustment, irrigation adjustments, or just manual labor to move items away from your home or office building (and most do not), then those items are the responsibility of the home owner or building manager to address. You can of course hire out for landscapers, or laborers but in our experience, most of these issues can be quite easy for a home owner to address, usually over a weekend or two.
A good Pest control company can give you quality work on a rodent infestation issue, so don’t be shy when asking how you can get the most out of it, or how to protect the work you just had done. Just remember that you can be part of the solution too.
Wheeler’s Pest Control
877-595-2847
