RODENT PRESENCE

The vast majority of respondents (89%) stated that a rodent or rodents had been seen in or around their facility (Figure 6). More than half (55%) said that the rodents were seen outside the facility, but with respondents able to select all answers that applied, it is likely that some of the rodents from the outside were able to get inside.

Rodents will be attracted to food facilities in their hunt for food and shelter, with unclean exterior trash areas being a significant draw. Rodents can enter from the exterior through open doors or small gaps and may hitch a ride on incoming goods — as indicated by those sightings in interior dock areas and on incoming goods. Once inside, rodents are likely to quickly scurry to hidden areas with easy access to foods, as the 22% of sightings in warehouse/storage areas indicates.

Additionally, 99% of all respondents have set policies for what is to be done if a rodent is sighted by a facility worker, with the vast majority (92%) requiring that the worker inform a supervisor (Figure 7). Many facilities also require that the sighting be written in a logbook (53%), or even that the pest control technician be directly contacted (32%).

Although rodent sightings ranked high, overall rodent presence in the food facility was typically measured by the information in the pest service provider’s reports (83%), interior (81%), and/or exterior (80%) monitors and traps (Figure 8). Only 1% of all respondents did not measure rodent presence.