Current technologies for rodent control within the MIR concept

Rodents have been classified as a pest with a very high level of adaptability, resistance to adverse conditions and a high reproductive rate. Important data that illustrate this is that it is estimated that 43% of the mammals in the world are rodents, that a dominant male can mate with up to twenty females in a period of six hours, and that a female goes into heat frequently, even a few hours after giving birth. Likewise, a rat reaches sexual maturity on average at 75 days and a mouse only at 45 days on average.

Data that is very impressive and shows why it is extremely important to control the population levels of rodents in all the different productive segments where there could be impact (professional, livestock, agricultural and industrial segments). Rodents are considered the main transmitting vector of infectious agents (more than 50), thus being a serious problem for public health. The pathogens live in their bodies, they are transmitted through their feces, urine, saliva and fur (in some cases); Therefore, there will always be the risk of exposure and transmission to humans, mainly through synanthropic rodent species such as the Norway rat (Rattus norvegicus), house rat (Rattus rattus) and house mouse (Mus musculus).

On the other hand, the impact generated by rodents in the segments indicated above is large and very frequent. A rat of average weight can consume between 28 and 35 grams daily, so it itself could generate losses of around 14 kg of food per year, and to this we must add that rodents contaminate 10 times (10X) what they eat. For example, if we had an infestation of 100 rats, they would consume approximately 1.4 TON of food per year, then contaminating 14 TON of food; These are undoubtedly data that should be of concern and generate immediate actions to follow to control the pest.

Starting from relevant facts such as those mentioned above, it is imperative to know in detail which species of rodent is generating a certain infestation, its routes of passage, its behavior and then generate solutions according to the available tools, to achieve the objective of reducing the population of the colony.

Importance of rodenticides in the MIR concept

Before mentioning rodenticides, it is important to remember what the MIR (Integrated Rodent Management) concept consists of. The MIR concept involves several stages or steps, which are detailed below in a very specific manner.

Inspection

This is the first step, since you must identify the species of rodent that is causing the problem, its route of passage, the points of greatest infestation and, if possible, identify the burrows. A good inspection is a key point to generate a good MIR plan based on evidence, and will allow you to control the pest and prevent future infestations.

Exclusion

Basically it encompasses all actions that can reduce or mitigate the risk of rodents entering the facilities or their presence near key points.

Baiting and trapping

It refers to the use of chemical products (rodenticides) together with non-toxic products (traps and stations), which in a complementary way can generate a successful MIR program. The correct use of all available tools is essential to obtain positive results.

Reduction and control

It refers to managing the rodent population at levels that are tolerable or acceptable in a given area. We must never forget that rodents are highly prolific animals, so they will soon cause us problems again if we are careless.

Maintenance and monitoring

It is of utmost importance to provide adequate monitoring, with constant recording of the bait stations, to ensure that the infestation does not re-establish itself. Maintenance must be done constantly throughout the year, without exception.

Rodenticides and mechanisms of action

The vast majority of rodenticides today have an anticoagulant molecule as an active ingredient (called chronic rodenticides). Its mechanism of action is to block the vitamin K cycle, by binding to the enzyme vitamin K epoxide reductase and inactivating it, thereby interrupting the formation of vitamin K hydroquinone and preventing blood clotting. This situation will generate internal bleeding in the rodent, causing lethality.

There are first generation anticoagulants, in which the rodent needs to consume them repeatedly to obtain the lethal dose, and its subsequent death will be after 7-15 days. An example of this type of anticoagulant, and one of the most widely used in the industry, is diphacinone, which was patented in 1952.

On the other hand, second generation anticoagulants require a single ingestion by the rodent to obtain the lethal dose, causing death 3-5 days later. The latter are the most used in the industry, with brodifacoum being the most powerful anticoagulant currently available.

There are also rodenticides whose active ingredient is a metabolic inhibitor. They are rodenticides whose mechanism of action is very different from that of anticoagulants, so they are a very good alternative if you want to establish rotation of active ingredients and mechanisms of action. An example of these active ingredients, already available in the industry, is cholecalciferol (vitamin D3).

The mechanism of action of vitamin D3 has an impact on the metabolism of calcium and phosphorus, resulting in a metabolic imbalance in the rodent. In other words, the effect of vitamin D3 has a decalcifying effect, generating the death of the rodent within a period of 5 days after ingesting its lethal dose.

For practical purposes, this imbalance can be explained in four steps: 1) the rodenticide is ingested and vitamin D3 is activated in a two-step process, both in the liver and the kidney; 2) active vitamin D3 causes greater mobilization of calcium and phosphorus from the bones, increases their absorption in the small intestine and decreases their excretion by the kidneys; 3) this results in an increase in the concentration of calcium in the blood plasma, which is called hypercalcemia; 4) this increase in the concentration of calcium in blood vessels also generates its deposition in soft tissues throughout the body, which is known as mineralization.

Mineralization of the heart, lungs, kidneys, gastrointestinal tract, skeletal muscle, blood vessels and ligaments produces structural damage and therefore a decrease in the functional capacity of said tissues and organs, leading to lethality. Vitamin D3 is currently the only rodenticide active ingredient (under the brands Agrid3 Blox® and Terad3 Blox®) that is currently on the USDA (United States Department of Agriculture) NOP (National Organic Program) list. This product is the only one in the world that has OMRI certification, which allows it to be used in the organic industry and in areas where there is restriction on the use of conventional rodenticide molecules (anticoagulants).

Likewise, this product does not cause secondary poisoning, which is when species such as pets or wild animals ingest dead or dying rodents that previously consumed the rodenticide. Certifications are increasingly common in the industry, so this rodenticide represents a very good option for the pest control professional.

An important aspect to take into consideration when we refer to rodenticides is to try to ensure that the active ingredient contains the appropriate degree of purity. From my personal experience at the field level, I encounter many active ingredients of varying degrees of purity, which do not generate the desired results. Suddenly there is consumption, but it does not generate a decrease in rodent infestation. It is worth noting that there are very few companies in the world that do synthesize their own active ingredients, so the degree of purity is close to 100%, generating high effectiveness at the field level.

As for the different formulations, there are very varied and of varying quality on the market. A key aspect when deciding which rodenticide bait to use is to be clear about its degree of palatability, acceptance, ingredients present in the formulation, block shape and resistance to all types of environmental conditions. You should always ensure that the bait you place or replace is fresh, so that it is attractive and palatable to the rodent. For this, it is advisable not to leave a bait unreplaced for more than 15 days as a general rule, although there are always variations.

Pulse baiting and remote monitoring systems

The concept of pulse baiting and remote monitoring systems have become an essential part of the maintenance and monitoring phase in MIR programs. Pulse baiting, or pulse baiting, consists of the use of baits without active ingredients to monitor activity and obtain information about the passage routes of rodents. In essence, what is done is to place baits without active ingredients, but with high attracting power, within the baiting stations. This, added to remote monitoring systems, provides information on which priming stations the most activity is occurring. Once this activity has been determined, the bait without active ingredient is replaced by rodenticide bait, normally second-generation anticoagulant rodenticides.

The DETEX® product meets the ideal characteristics for this purpose, since it contains a food matrix with a high variety of inert ingredients and this generates high palatability and acceptance; It is also available in perforated blocks and also in paste. One of the fastest growing remote monitoring technologies in the last 5 years is, without a doubt, the iQ devices from Bell Laboratories. These devices are designed to identify the presence of rodents through Bluetooth, thus generating the exact time at which there was activity.

Likewise, once the technician visits the priming point and updates the information, which he can do through a downloadable app on his cell phone, the data is uploaded to a portal. This portal is 100% customizable and you can define the type of tables, graphs and heat maps that you want to establish for that specific client, priming point, district, region, etc.

In reality, this technology has revolutionized the way in which rodent control is carried out, since now we can have data that was not available before, it is possible to show the client where the problem is and how the treatment is progressing, and, above all, the use of time can be maximized since we will attend to the stations or traps in which there is actually activity. Controlling the plague of synanthropic rodents has increasingly become a more challenging issue, due to the great capacity for adaptation that they have, added to how quickly they can colonize a certain place. This is why the use of innovative tools, in which technologies are used to generate valuable data for the establishment of an adequate MIR program, is truly imperative and is revolutionizing rodent control throughout the planet.