Eastern Wildlife Damage Control Conferences
Date of this Version
September 1985
Abstract
With "preventive control" of pest rodents, by using rodent bait boxes (stations) on a permanent basis, there is no longer any biological, ecological, or economic reason for rodent pests or health problems to occur in villages, cities, and intensively cultivated agricultural areas, but not pastures or forests. Such pest rodents can usually be eliminated without endangering non-target species, quite inexpensively, simply, and in a more environmentally desirable manner than most current practices, where the pest rodents are not controlled until populations have built up, which requires large amounts of rodenticides. With preventive control, once the pest rodents have been controlled they are never again permitted to flourish, but to be effective the monitoring scheme using nontoxic bait must be supervised by a health, agricultural or other official, since the public loses interest once rodents are no longer a problem. Bait boxes should be placed at the most favorable rodent harborage sites, because rodents usually find these places long before any large infestation can develop.