Integrated Pest Management of Rodents in Swine Facilities - Dr. Danny L. McDonald, Poultry and Livestock Entomologist, MWI Animal Health, from the 2018 Missouri Pork Expo, February 6-7, 2018, Columbia, MO, USA. More presentations at http://www.swinecast.com/2018-missouri-pork-expo Integrated Pest Management of Rodents in Swine Facilities - Dr. Danny L. McDonald, Poultry and Livestock Entomologist, MWI Animal Health, from the 2018 Missouri Pork Expo, February 6-7, 2018, Columbia, MO, USA. More presentations at http://www.swinecast.com/2018-missouri-pork-expo

1. Integrated Pest Management of
Rodents in Swine Facilities
Danny L. McDonald, Ph.D.
Poultry and Livestock Entomologist
MWI Animal Health

2. Biosecurity Risk
 Rodents management is an
integral part of any biosecurity
program
- #1 Vector of diseases
>Reservoirs of 50 known pathogenic
microorganisms
>Found on their hair and feet, in saliva
and blood, and excreted in urine and
feces
>Rat may travel through feces of a
sick pig and contaminate feed or
water 100s of feet away
>Can directly transmit disease if eaten
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3. Diseases
 Bordetellosis
 Leptospirosis
 Pseudorabies
 Salmonellosis
 Swine dysentery
 Swine Erysipelas
 Toxoplasmosis
 Hantavirus
 Trichinosis
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4. General Nuisance
 Consume and contaminate food and
water supplies
- 1 rat consumes 30lbs of feed per year
 Cause structural damage
- Undermine concrete slabs
- Destroy insulation
 Frequently gnaw on electrical wiring
- Equipment malfunction
- Power outages
- Short circuits can lead to fires
> “Fire at Minnesota Swine Farm kills 11,000
animals” –10/26/14
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Biosecurity Risk

5. Rodents
 House mouse (Mus musculus)
- Found in all 48 contiguous states
 Norway rat (Rattus norvegicus)
- Found in all 48 contiguous states
 Roof rat (Rattus rattus)
- Found in coastal states
 Invasive species that have a
commensal relationship with
humans
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6. Rodent Identification
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7. Recognizing Rodent Infestations
 Droppings, tracks, burrows, pathways,
rub marks, and fresh gnawing indicate
areas where rodents are active.
 Rodent nests
- Made from fine shredded paper or other
fibrous material
- Found in sheltered locations
> Insulated walls
> Ceilings
 Burrow into the ground inside and outside
of swine barns
 Most active at night
- House mouse roams 20’-30’
- Roof rat roams ~100’
- Norway rat roams 300’
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8. Rodent Behavior
 Feed on cereal grains, garbage,
insects, meat, and even manure
 Excellent climbers
- Especially roof rat
 Need very little water for survival
- Rat: 0.5-1.0 oz/day
- Mouse: many days without drinking
>Obtain water from food
 Keen senses of taste, hearing,
smell, and touch
 Can jump 12”-36”
 Can squeeze through ½” spaces
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9. Rodent Behavior
 Rats eat ~1.0 oz/day
- Usually only feed once/day
- Hoard large quantities of food
 Mice eat ~0.1 oz/day
- Many small meals
- Multiple food sources
>Nibblers
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10. Reproduction
 Highly fecund
 House mouse
- 19-21 day gestation period
- 5-10 litters/year
- 5-6 young/litter
- Reach maturity in 6-10 weeks
- Live 9-12 months
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11. Integrated Pest Management
 Use a combination of all of the
best parts of control methods
applicable to a pest problem
- Identification and Inspection
- Sanitation
>Removal of Resources
- Baiting and Trapping
- Baits
 Monitoring
- Records of trapping success and
measures of rodent activity will help
to determine the need for additional
control efforts
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12. Cultural Practices
 Remove harborage
- Weed maintenance from outside
wall to drip line of roof
>3’ is ideal
- Keep grass mowed down to 3”
- Eliminate debris around houses
 Remove food sources
- Clean up spilled feed
- Repair leaks in feed system
 Sanitation alone may not prevent
rodent infestations but poor
sanitation is sure to attract them
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Sanitation and Harborage

13. Build Them Out
 To prevent rodent entry, seal all
holes with durable materials
 Steel wool, packed tightly into
openings, is a good temporary
plug
 Concrete
- 2” if reinforced
- 3 ¾” if not
 Galvanized sheet metal
- 24 gauge
 Brick
- 3 ¾”
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14. Barriers
 Discourage burrowing under
foundation with coarse gravel
- 1” diameter
- 2’-3’ wide
 Install a buried curtains
- ½” hardware cloth
- 12”-18” deep
- Extending outward 12”
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15. Trapping
 Usually works best for light infestations
 Advantages
- No poisons used
- Success if easily visible
> Way of monitoring population
- Allows disposal of carcasses
 Snap Traps
 Live Traps
 Glue Traps
- Catchmaster® Bulk Glue
 Place traps along walls, against
objects, in dark corners
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16. Rodenticides
 Modes of Action
- Anticoagulants
>3-8 days
- Neurotoxins
>2-24 hrs
- Hypercalcaemics
>4-6 days
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17. Anticoagulants
 Cause internal bleeding
 Brodifacoum
- Jaguar®
- Havoc®
 Bromadiolone
- Hawk®
- Boothill®
- Revolver®
- DecimaxTM
 Difethialone
- Fast Draw®
- Hombre®
- Renegade®
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 Difenacoum
- Di-Kill®
 Diphacinone
- Tomcat®
- Ramik®
3-8 days

18. Neurotoxins
 ATP inhibitor
- Disrupts energy cycle
 Bromethalin
- Rampage®
- Cannon®
- Gunslinger®
- CyKillTM
 Zinc Phosphide
- ErazeTM Ag
- ZP® Tracking Powder
- Prozap® ZP Tracking Powder
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2-24 hrs

19. Hypercalcaemics
 Cholecaliferol
- Vitamin D3 overdose
- Multiple-feed
- Selontra®
- Agrid3
®
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4-6 days

20. Bait Rotation
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21. Bait Matrices
 Chunks or Blocks
 Soft baits
 Pellets
- Burrows
- Clean Outs
 Meal Baits
- Burrows
- Clean outs
 Place (pitch) packs
- Attics
- Inside walls
 Liquid
- Liquid bait stations
- Best for rats
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22. Rodenticides
 The key to a successful baiting
strategy:
- Bait must be available
continuously until all rodents stop
feeding and rodents are no longer
present
 When rotating to a new bait
check stations
- Daily for the first 3 days
- Then once every 2-3 days for a
week
- Finally you can back off to once
per week
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23. Rodent Stations
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 Tamper-resistant bait stations
- Protect the bait from weather
- Exclude non target organisms
 Stations should be placed where
rodents are nesting
- Closer than their alternative food
source
- Next to walls (with the openings
close to the wall
 Attach stations to the floor or walls
to prevent them from being moved
 Secure the lids

24. Rodenticide Placement
 Outside bait stations
- 30’-50’ apart
 Inside bait stations
- 30’-50’ apart for rats
- 8’-12’ for mice
 Replace when empty or old
- Failures caused by inattention and
not enough bait
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25. Clean Outs
 When no domestic or livestock
animals are present
- Fill trays with Hawk® Meal Bait
 Place them on the interior of
barns only
- Near nesting sites
- Rats 30’-50’
- Mice 8’-12’
 Pick trays up and sweep up
spilled bait before new animals
are introduced
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26. Maintaining Control
 Once control is achieved don’t let
your guard down
 It is unlikely that 100% mortality
has been achieved
 Rodents will migrate from nearby
fields, residential areas, and
other structures
 Take 1-2 hours per month to
check and refill bait stations
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27. Safety
 Rodenticides are poison
 They should be handled with
caution and kept out of reach
from non-target organisms.
 Dispose of rodent carcasses
immediately
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28. Conclusions
 Eliminate or reduce the number
of places rodents can use for
shelter
- Sanitation and Harborage
 Use traps and/or rodenticides to
reduce numbers
- Place them 30’-50’ apart for rats
and 8’-12’ apart for mice
 Maintain fresh bait diligently until
control is achieved
 Continue to maintain stations
once per month after control is
achieved
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29. Questions?