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RODENT EXCLUSION – Add On Service & IPM

Obviously, in our industry, we are no strangers to dealing with rodents. Some companies bait, while others trap and still others do both depending on the circumstances. However, I have recently found that some do not provide an exclusion service to complement their program.

Why not provide exclusion work? Many companies believe they have to have a contractor's license to perform the work. This is not true when it involves standard exclusion work. Usually, all you need is some wire mesh, some attic or subarea vents, maybe some copper gauze, screws, expanding foam, wood putty, and a stapler. Keeping a tool box with all the essentials is a good idea because you can grab it and go.

Typically, you should do a full inspection on the house, looking for possible entryways. The most obvious are missing attic or subarea vents, unsealed pipes entering the house, broken dryer exhaust vents, space under garage doors or just holes in the siding. Other areas to check are where one roof pitch meets with another roof pitch.

Whatever materials you use to seal out rodents, make sure the final patch is smooth. An uneven surface will trigger a rodent to gnaw. Rodents use their whiskers to feel gaps where their bodies might fit. Their whiskers let them know where to try to fit. From there, they gnaw and dig to make the gap big enough. If a rat or mouse's skull can fit through a hole or gap, the rest of the body can squeeze through — 1/4" for young mice; 1/2" for rats.

Common points of entry include where pipes/wires go through walls and under doors.

For the gap under doors, install door sweeps that touch the ground and go the entire length of the bottom of the door. If properly installed, the sweep will brush the ground, but not hold the door open (a fire hazard). Another test is to stand inside the door with the lights off and see if any light shines through gaps in the bottom. Pay attention to the corners.

For utility penetrations, small gaps can be filled with some kind of foam, spackle or caulking. Larger gaps will need reinforcement. Cover the hole with wood or a metal plate (escutcheon plates around pipes) or stuff the hole with wire mesh and cover that with a hardening compound. Some experts say expandable foam will work even though rodents can easily chew through it. If the repair is done well, the surface will be smooth so rodents won't be triggered to start chewing. Use low expansion foam — it's easier to be accurate and a lot less messy. I personally always stuffed the hole with copper mesh first then use expanding foam to prevent rodents from getting through.

Where one roof overhang connects with another, check with your flashlight to see if there is any opening. Typically builders will not fully connect the plywood sheathing underneath. This allows rodents to get into the attic area. A little wire mesh staples to the outside or stuffed into the hole will prevent this. Usually these areas are not visible from the ground, so you probably will not have to do any major cosmetic surgery.

Also, look for trees that touch or overhang the roof. This provides rodents with easy access. Often times rodent problems were solved just by having a tree service cut a tree back from the roof and away from the house.

There are always instances where you may wish to turn a job down. For example, if a roof has Spanish tiles, the curvy "S" looking tiles, with skip sheathing. Rather than using full sheets of plywood, builders with sometimes use 1x4 or 1x6 planks for the tiles to hook on and grab. However, this leaves spaces between the planks and rodents can often times find ways to get under the tiles, because they are not flat, and gain access to the attic. Sometimes the only way to fix this is remove the tiles, plywood the roof, and replace the paper and roofing. This is outside the scope of any pest control license.

After all the exclusion work is done, you will want to make sure you have not trapped any rodents inside the house. Usually, I would set traps at the entry point where I know they were getting into the structural. They have created the habit of going through that opening. I would typically go twice a week to check the traps. Once there was no activity for a week or two, I could feel confident that the problem was solved.

NOTE: Many technicians instantly go to baits because they do not want to take the time to checks the traps. This is a mistake. A rodent can die inside the walls or somewhere in the attic, leaving the homeowner to deal with the odor. Also, with the recent scrutiny of second generation rodenticides, they should be used as a tool in your IPM tool bag rather than a first step. Following up with the homeowner to check the traps builds loyalty with that customer. Some of my best and longest customers had previous rodent problems that I solved with exclusion and trapping.

I can think of one person in particular who was not a customer and did not wish to go on service. She just wanted me to take care of the rodents. I signed her up on a 30-day warranty, performed the exclusion work, and set traps at the entry point. I checked the traps three times the first week and trapped about six rats. After that, there was no activity. The second week, I went out twice to check. The third and fourth weeks I just went out one time and still no activity. I charged a few hundred dollars, and her problem was fixed. About five months later, when she had ants, she called, and I was able to sign her up on service. I called my previous employer before writing this article. She is still a customer after several years.

Now if I had thrown bait into the attic space and walked away, what impression would I have left in that homeowner's mind? She would have had six dead rodents in the attic and had to deal with the odor. Maybe one would have chewed through the drywall. Worse yet, what if a rodent chewed through the wall and dragged some bait out with it or the dog had eaten the rodent and gotten sick — something to consider.

Having exclusion work in your arsenal allows you to add value to your service and help give a more permanent solution to a homeowner's rodent problem increasing customer loyalty. This will also help with your regular customers because you do not have to keep sending a technician out to deal with the rodents. In addition, you can add another revenue source.

SPCB TESTING WORKSHOP

The Structural Pest Control Board staff has been working with the Office of Professional Examination Services (OPES) for the last few months on improving the Operator and Field Representative exams and has removed a number of questions that performed poorly. Branch 2 testing in August had a passing rate of 34 percent.

To help further improve the exams, the SPCB will be conducting Field Rep branch 2 workshops on November 6-7, December 4-5 and January 15-16 in Sacramento. Individuals that attend exam workshops receive: Continuing Education Credit (6 hours technical Branch 2 & 2 hours Rules and Regulations); $125 per day; reimbursement of hotel stay, meals, mileage, tolls and parking; and airfare and rental car, if you live in Southern California

For more information, take a look at this link: WORKSHOP FLYER.Interested industry members can contact Dave Skelton at 916-561-8704 option 9. Dave will start gathering a list of interested licensees.

Pest Control Operators of California
www.pcoc.org

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