Rodent management typically requires a multifaceted approach using a variety of baits, traps and other tools. Nearly all — 97 percent — of PMPs told PCT they use some type of baits, and 90 percent use some type of traps.
“You can’t just show up, put out some rodenticide and call it good,” explained Wilson Christner, co-owner of Whitmore Pest & Wildlife Control in Denver, Colo. “Depending on what our inspection turns up, our protocol may incorporate exclusion, trapping and a rodenticide program. We also provide the customer with a report that includes site-specific recommendations, such as habitat modifications, to help prevent further infestations.”
Some accounts — restaurants, for example — can be more challenging than others. Whitmore co-owner Richard Christner described one of the challenges in the restaurant sector: “We often find that the staff is focused on efficiency, and so they leave the back door and the dumpster lid propped open. That makes it much more difficult to gain control of rodents. That’s one of the reasons commercial work needs to be structured at a higher frequency rate than residential.”
Caleb Fabry of Town & Country Pest Solutions in Rochester, N.Y., added that technician selection and training can help a pest management company achieve greater success. “The employees you choose are the No. 1 consideration in a successful rodent program,” he said. “We’re very particular about who we bring in and train; it takes a very special kind of person to handle a rodent job. They need to be a problem solver who is willing to investigate, spending time on their knees, crawling under decks and up into attics. Not everybody can do this job, so you need to be very careful in your hiring process.”
