All posts in “rodents”

Off Label – DANGEROUS

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Off Label – dangerous and extremely improper method to eradicate rodents.

I now understand why the EPA wants to take away these products from consumers. Not all consumers are this reckless. I have even seen Pest Professionals do things that are not wise, spray for weeds in short pants with flip flops on. But I guess that is why they award the Darwin Awards each year for stupidity. That is also why items need warning labels such as “Don’t put your hands under mower when its running”. This is all dangerous, what if a child ran across this bait while on a walk. Bait must be securely installed within a rodent bait box, not accessible to children or pets. These packets are often throw into attic and I have seen rodents attempt to bring it out via the weep holes in the attic. I’ll also mention another pet peeve of mine, moth balls – they are not intended to be throw anywhere you want, they are poisonous to animals and children. Any pesticide can be dangerous, they all have Label directions of use and Safety Data Sheets and should be read each time you use them. Pests pose a significant risk to the public health and that is why I consider myself a Public Health Professional. Pesticides save lives everyday and should be used in accordance with the Label. Things change and pesticides are getting better at doing their intended purposes. The EPA has a very informative site for the safety of pesticides.

Please read the label, it is the law and must be followed for the safety of your community.

DANGEROUS is about all I can say! It isn’t just about yourself, it’s about the general public at large. Just think for moment before doing something. Thank you!

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off label

Rodent Awareness Week – November 16-22, 2014

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I think all of us have seen the cartoons of “Tom & Jerry” and “Speedy Gonzales” and the cuteness of the mice etc but they should be feared if they get into your home. We should be aware that letting rodents, mammals and or birds take up residence within our homes can lead to other problems. If we fail to notice or just let them in we could have secondary pests like fleas or ticks, when we eventually get rid of them. I recently had someone call who had bats in a log home and after they excluded the bats they were left with some nasty batbugs similar to bedbugs.

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Interesting packrat nesting

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At this time of year due to the cooler nights some of the mammals will try to enter structures. They don’t know any different than this looks like a cave or tree hole.

So don’t make your home or business look like their home. Seal any holes or access points and stop them from getting in. They will x0ollect leaves, twigs and anything that will help to keep them warm.

U.S. Forest service shuts down National Forest in N.M. why you ask?

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The National Forest Service shuts down a National Forest in Northern New Mexico and this little mouse also lives in the White Mountains of Arizona. “Forest Lands closed to protect Mouse”

 

Critical areas include portions of the Apache Sitgreaves National Forests in both New Mexico and Arizona.

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Photo from www.fs.fed.us provided for information on advisory

Cooler weather might bring in the rodents.

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Well the heat is finally going away and the cooler weather is right around the corner. Thank goodness – I’m not sure it was the heat or that humidity but whatever I’m thankful it is getting cooler.

Termites continue to pop up around the valley and if the weather doesn’t get real cold the pests will continue. So now would be a great time to tackle those little chores around the house to prevent pests from getting in. What can you do?

  1. Home seal.
  2. Check sheds or other structures.
  3. Repair window screens or door screens.
  4. Install door thresholds or sweeps.
  5. Install garage door seals.
  6. Trim trees away from home.
  7. Repair drip or flood irrigation systems.

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Rats and their gnawing dilema

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Rodents in general need to work down their teeth and this is often done on materials harder than their teeth. Every once in awhile I’ll notice some wiring on pool equipment that looks like it has been chewed on. This last month in Paris, France this habit took on dangerous overtones when a train accident occurred. Rats nibbled on signalling cables and this prevented a light to function correctly. “Rats blamed for rail accident“, luckily no one was killed but 40 people were injured.

 

Photo by Univar

Photo by Univar

All the talk about Ebola, what are the most dangerous viruses?

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With all the talk about Ebola this last month DW author (Helena Schwar)website wrote a very interesting article “Top 10 most dangerous viruses in the world“.

#3 Hantavirus – rodents

#5 Lassa virus – rodents

#7 Crimea-Congo fever – ticks

#8 Machupo virus – may be transmitted by rodents

#9 Kyasanur Fiorest virus – ticks

#10 – Dengue fever – mosquitoes

 

So do you see a pattern here, I do and its related to my job – Public Health Professional. We are very fortunate here in the U.S., we don’t have as many issues with these pests as some countries do. So stop and think about what we could do to protect ourselves even further against these deadly viruses.

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Why worry about the pests?

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Throughout history we humans have done some terrible stuff to each other, wars only to mention one. But did you know that compared to all the wars ever fought the bugs have killed more of us.

  1. Yes number one the list is Mosquitoes, they have killed lots of humans and animals. Malaria, Dengue Fever and Yellow Fever are among the biggest threats to us still to this day.
  2. Fleas probably rank as number 2 and may have contributed to killing 1/3 of the people in Europe during 1340’s  known as Bubonic Plague, still with us today.
  3. My number 3 may not have killed as many as above but worldwide cause more damage to food, foodstuffs including grains and other type products. Rodents including mice and rats may spoil 1/3 of all grains worldwide and may directly lead to food shortages or starvation than any other insect or wildlife.

So yes I worry that as we progress as a society that we consider the wise use of pesticides. Integrated Pest Management (IPM) is very useful within the confines of general pest management but there are reasons why pesticide use must continue. This article “Kissing Bug disease prompts growing concern in U.S.” shows that the concerns are justified. Here is Arizona we deal with Bark Scorpions and there is no magic bullet to stop them. The only method is home sealing and proper use of pesticides, so until that day arrives where we can target this critter I see no alternative than to spray them before they make it into our homes.

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