No rodents

Oct. 15 – 21, 2023 is Rodent Awareness Week, an annual designation recognized by Chase’s Calendar of Events, which recognizes the threats rodents pose to health and property. This Rodent Awareness Week, the National Pest Management Association (NPMA) is sharing key information commercial facility managers need to know about preventing these pests. 

6 Tell-Tale Signs of Rodent Infestation: 

• Droppings: Finding mice or rat droppings around the facility is one of the most common signs of a rodent infestation. These pellets are often left behind in places where food is stored, such as commercial kitchens storage areas, as well as under sinks, inside chewed cardboard boxes, along baseboards and on top of wall beams.

• Gnaw marks: Rodents can cause serious property damage by chewing through almost any type of material – including plastic and lead pipes – to obtain food or water. House mice and Norway rats are also known to gnaw on wires behind walls, sometimes causing fires.

• Nests: Rodents prefer to nest in dark, secluded areas where there is little chance of disturbance. House mice, specifically, like to build their nests out of shredded paper products, cotton, packing materials, wall insulation and fabrics. If facility managers find these materials scattered around guest rooms or common areas, it might be a sign that rodents are nearby.

• Tracks or rub marks: Rats tend to leave dark grease or dirt marks along walls and floorboards as they follow a trail throughout the building between their nest and food sources. Facility managers should keep an eye out for these rub marks, which are actually caused by the rat’s oily fur.

• Strange noises: Getting complaints that employees or customers are hearing strange noises in the walls? Chances are these sounds can be attributed to a family of rodents scurrying about the facility, between the walls and up in attics. Rodents are especially fond of storage spaces because they provide dark, secluded spots to build nests.

• An actual rodent: Mice can breed rapidly, so if a facility manager or a customer spot one mouse in the building, it’s likely there are others playing hide and seek. In fact, a female house mouse can give birth to a half dozen babies every three weeks, up to 35 young per year.

Rodent Prevention Tips for Commercial Facilities: 

• Perform regular rodent inspections: Knowing where to look and what to look for can help solve a rodent issue before it gets worse. The top sign of a rodent issue is seeing a live or dead rodent. Some other common signs of a rodent infestation are droppings, gnaw marks, nests, urine stains, and tracks or rub marks. It is also important to inspect any packages for pests before bringing them inside your facility. 

• Remove any potential food sources regularly: Rodents are attracted to food which allows their populations to survive and thrive. Removing garbage in and outside your building regularly, cleaning high traffic areas, and storing any food products in sealed containers can keep rodents out by eliminating food sources that may attract them 

• Eliminate potential rodent harborage areas: Along with food, rodents also need shelter and they can find it in some obscure places including stairwells, shelves, lockers, worktables and machinery. Storage areas make the ideal home for a rodent as they are attracted to moist, dark places. Ensure that materials are not stored packed together, easily providing cover to pests. Outside your facility, overgrown lawns and other vegetation can also become potential home for rodents, so regular landscaping is extremely important. 

• Reduce possible entryways: The best way to prevent a rodent infestation is to stop them from getting inside. Rodents, however, are difficult to completely exclude as mice can fit through holes the size of a dime and rats a hole as small as a quarter. Help prevent access by ensuring areas where utility lines enter are sealed, sealing any cracks or holes in the outside of buildings, screening vents and windows, repairing any broken doors or windows, and installing door sweeps. 

• Work with a licensed pest control professional: NPMA recommends that businesses work with a licensed pest control professional to handle any pest issues. They can assist in implementing an integrated pest management plan (IPM), a pest control practice that focuses on eliminating pests’ needs like food, water and shelter, to ensure pests are managed properly as they quickly adapt to the current changes in their living environment. Partnering with a pest control professional during these times will help to protect our food supply and our critical national infrastructure, while also continuing to decrease the threat of pest-borne disease.