PPC111 | Technical

Laurence Barnard, from BPCA member company BASF, talks about non-toxic rodent monitoring blocks and how they fit into an IPM programme.

Every professional pest controller will be familiar with the challenges of tackling tricky rodent infestations, whether in a rural, residential or urban setting.

Often, pest controllers are called after the infestation is already well-established, and have to compete with issues such as neophobia, behavioural resistance, rodenticide resistance and environmental factors. 

One of the most under-used tools in a pest controller’s armoury is monitoring bait. Usually formulated (but not exclusively) into blocks, non-toxic baits are made from food-grade ingredients.

They are designed to be appealing to rodents, thus making it easier for pest controllers to monitor their activity. These non-toxic tools are becoming increasingly popular within the industry and with auditors alike.

Many are formulated using the same highly-palatable ingredients as their chemical counterparts but without the active ingredient, ensuring that when switching from the non-toxic to the toxic, the rodent is more likely to think it’s the same food source.

To a certain extent, the use of monitoring products has been considered a waste of time and money by many pest controllers and only used when required by auditors.

However, as the industry becomes more considerate of rodenticide use, many are discovering the numerous benefits of adding monitoring products to their integrated pest management (IPM) programmes.

Previously, pest controllers may have relied on permanent baiting, customer reports, or physical evidence, such as droppings, runs and signs of damage. Some may even have used tracking dust, sand, or flour along suspected activity areas.

So, what are the benefits of using a monitoring bait?

Detect infestations early

Monitoring products are key to the detection of early signs of rodent activity to get ahead of potentially challenging infestations.

When an infestation is just taking hold, and little may be noticed through a visual inspection, non-toxic monitoring products allow easy tracking of activity to determine the extent of the infestation.

Monitoring blocks act as a first indicator that a site has early signs of rodent activity, with rats and mice making the most of having a highly-palatable and easily-accessible food source. This allows treatment to be put in place quickly to prevent the infestation from establishing.

Monitoring encourages rodenticide uptake 

Rodents are notorious for being wary of new objects in their environment, so putting a rodenticide down when early activity is detected can result in a delayed take.

By using monitoring baits, rodents in the area will become more familiar with the object, reducing neophobia when the monitoring baits are replaced with rodenticide, should a chemical control method be required.

Save money on wasted bait 

Before an infestation takes hold, it can be difficult to know where rodents come from and how they move around a site. Historically, many pest controllers chose to permanently bait in all boxes.

These actions, from an environmental perspective, can be difficult to justify and are also very costly.

Over time, if there is no activity onsite, the rodenticide will have to be replaced as it will go mouldy and be unappealing to rodents, or worse, be demolished by slugs and snails. By using monitoring blocks, rodents will readily eat them if they appear, giving the pestie an early indication.

If they don’t appear, then the cost of replacing mouldy monitoring blocks is low when compared to the toxic counterpart.

Target your baiting programme 

Plenty of pest controllers have sites where they never get activity or, when they do, it is usually around the same areas.

By changing their approach to monitoring and having toxic bait at those regularly affected areas, they are able to target treatment appropriately rather than blanket treating the whole site.

This can allow a more targeted approach when treating an infestation, while saving money and reducing the exposure of non-target rodents as per CRRU guidance.

Monitoring options and placement

There’s no real right or wrong way to place your monitoring blocks. Trained professionals will have a good idea of where rodents travel around the site and will place stations accordingly.

You could also choose to discreetly wire or place monitoring products outside of stations, but it is worth bearing in mind that when you do get activity, you’ll need to place the toxic bait in the same manner for speed of control, which may not always be practical when placed outside of bait stations.

Therefore, if the monitoring blocks are placed in bait boxes or are ‘covered and protected’, then they can be directly replaced with the toxic bait when and if necessary.

Of course, monitoring blocks are not the only tool at the pest controller’s disposal. With technology becoming increasingly sophisticated, there is also the option to monitor activity digitally using cameras, trapping systems and box sensors. However, this technology in pest control is early and can be unreliable at times, and investing in this kind of equipment can be costly for your customer.

Instant take by using the right pairing

There are a number of monitoring products that have the same ingredients and construction as a toxic counterpart. Monitoring Paste by BASF features a non-toxic soft block formulation based on the highly palatable, award-winning rodenticide Selontra®, with the active and dye removed. 

Using a monitoring block that has a sister toxic product will ensure you get rapid control if an issue occurs. In all of BASF’s testing and field trials, there was instant uptake from rats and mice when Monitoring Paste was switched to the toxic product, as the rodents assumed it was the exact same food source. 

This approach to monitoring can mean your treatment time is massively reduced when compared to starting from scratch or using alternative products.

Want to learn more about something in your toolkit?

From monitoring blocks to tracking dusts to rodenticide formulations, PPC has access to the manufacturers that make the products in your toolkit. Want to learn more about specific types of products? Ask and you shall receive!  
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