[Rodent Control] The Importance of Rationale Statements

The four lines of defense described in the September issue of PCT will ensure that effective rodent prevention and control are in place. These lines of defense should be summed up in a carefully formulated, written rationale statement. A rationale statement is simply a short document spelling out what you are going to do in terms of devices chosen, spacing of devices and service frequency; and explaining why you are going to do it in that way. How did you arrive at the arrangement of rodent control devices that constitute your program? Spell this out in detail, and include this rationale statement as part of your overall pest management program. Tell how mouse pressure, the plant’s surroundings, rodent catch history and inspection-agency standards figured into your decision about which device options are being employed; how they are spaced; and how frequently they are maintained.

A good place to keep the rodent control rationale statement is in the log book, directly in front of the facility equipment map.

A rationale statement is your defense against inspection demerits due to inadequate rodent control equipment, or an equipment layout that is not exactly in keeping with the standards of the inspection agency(ies) visiting your food-processing or food-storage customer. By showing the "why" and "how" of your plan, you prove that thought and a consideration for both the facility’s unique situation and the biology and behavior of the target pest went into your plan’s design. You show that your program (details follow) makes rational sense.

THE PEST CONTROL SERVICE. At each level of defense (fenceline/remote perimeter and interior), the service consists of:

• The devices themselves.

• Visual assessment of the area. It is crucial that, in order to really accomplish effective rodent control, we get "outside the boxes" and look around for evidence of rodents or conditions that could admit rodents or allow them to survive. We need to build "looking-around time" into our rodent control programs — not just time to look at the boxes inside and outside of the plant. We all have heard the stories of the "trap jockey" who, with perfect precision, ran his trap line and neatly dated all his dating stickers. Directly in front of one of his shiny Ketch-All traps, an inspector found a decaying mouse. Hey, it wasn’t his job to do anything about mice outside of his Ketch-Alls, was it?

• Action to ensure any conditions found that are conducive to rodent invasion or survival are taken care of; and action to ensure that any mice that got inside are completely eradicated.

What this all means is that we must get away from the tendency to become "trap checkers." We must do more, and part of our job is to pay attention to the larger picture within our clients’ facilities.

It is significant that, in even the best-designed rodent management programs, most devices are at ground level outside and floor-level inside. Ledges, false ceilings and other overhead structures are neglected in some pest management professionals’ normal rodent control rounds — not to mention places immediately underfoot that could be infested, such as false floors in computerized control rooms. If we get stuck in a routine in which rodent control consists only of checking devices, we miss a whole world of opportunities to control and prevent rodents.

THE SERVICE VISIT. You’ve got a brand-new food-processing or food-storage account. You, or someone else in a sales capacity, designed an effective program based on rodent pressure, existing inspection standards, the facility’s rodent history, the condition of the structure and good common sense. You’re pulling into the parking lot at your new account. What do you do next?

EQUIP YOURSELF. Carry the things with you that you will need in order to conduct a thorough inspection inside. If you need something later, but it’s out in the truck in the farthest corner of the parking lot, you’ll probably try to get along without it. Make sure you have a fully charged flashlight, an extra flashlight, bump cap, coveralls and access to a ladder. Carry a pen, a notepad for recording device activity and extra dating tags or stickers. Additional equipment should also include a scratch awl or screwdriver (for "liberating" mice or parts of mice that get stuck to our devices); spatula or putty knife (for cleaning traps and bait stations); a stiff brush and a soft brush for cleaning mouse traps and bait stations; damp cloth rag; mouse disposal bags; a spray bottle of cleaning solution (such as Formula 409); and a small hand broom and dustpan for sweeping up droppings. If you are in an area where deer mice (some may be infected with hantavirus) might be caught inside or outside of your accounts, you also need a disinfectant spray (such as Lysol), which you’ll use to wet the mice’s droppings, carcasses or nest material before cleaning them up.

Unless you’re 19 or younger, you need knee pads. Wearing knee pads as a matter of routine will assure that you will inspect all the places you need to — not just the things that you can see from a flat-footed stance.

Consider carrying a supply of snap traps for temporary use in "blitzing" areas in which mice were caught inside. If possible, keep a supply of whatever devices are part of your rodent control program — multiple-catch mouse traps, bait stations, etc. — either in your truck or in some designated location within the plant. These do get damaged, displaced, even stolen; and you want to be able to replace missing or damaged equipment immediately, rather than waiting for the next service or making a special trip.

Don’t forget any safety equipment required by persons working inside your client’s premises — safety glasses, steel-toed shoes, toe guards or ear protection. In conformance with Good Manufacturing Practices, remove any body jewelry (a simple wedding band might be allowed) and empty shirt pockets.

Check in with your contact person. This might be a quality assurance manager, maintenance supervisor, plant manager or someone else designated to serve as a liaison to the pest management professional. If it’s your first time at the account, spend the time it takes to get to know this person. Your contact person will be responsible for getting the things done that you need, such as repairs and sanitation improvements. Without him or her, you have no say in how things are done. With his or her support, you can move mountains.

And here’s a hint from someone who learned it the hard way: the time to make an ally is not when bullets are flying at you — it’s beforehand. And the time to forge a healthy relationship with your client contact is not when you need a million repairs done and the world is crashing down around you; the relationship should be flourishing from the very first day. Keep the lines of communication open and do not avoid your client contact. If you do the service in the early morning hours or at night, make a point to stop by during normal business hours from time to time to keep your client contact abreast of how things are going.

WHAT IF I CATCH A MOUSE? As stated earlier, if you catch a mouse inside, that’s a big deal. Endeavor to find out how that mouse got inside — can you find some raw ingredient that has evidence of mice (usually droppings) on the tote or pallet? Is there a door propped open? A door with a faulty sweep? Don’t just record the mouse catch; investigate to find out how this event managed to happen. And report this to your contact person, both verbally and in writing (in the daily log report).

Make sure your response to a mouse caught inside is in "3-D." You might not see everything you need to see on the same flat plane as the device you caught the mouse in. Look up above and down below the level you’re on.

It might be a good idea to install additional equipment on a temporary basis — until you can "close the loop" and verify that no further mice are present. If you do this, be sure to indicate the locations of the extra equipment on your facility map. Remember that the most frequently made error in rodent control is underestimating the size of the rodent population and using too few devices. Even in a relatively limited area within a food plant or warehouse, you need a large number of temporary traps in order to adequately "blanket-trap" the area in response to a mouse caught in a permanent trap. Rodent territories and hiding refuges exist in "3-D" and make sure you look high and low for suitable trap locations.

What if the mice persist? Bring in a second set of eyes — you might be missing something. Involve a supervisor or manger — if possible, someone who has more years of experience than you do.

Sometimes, mice just don’t go into traps. In rare cases, it might be necessary to ask your client for permission to install some temporary tamper-resistant or inaccessible bait placements. These must be temporary only; approved by facility management (and USDA, if the plant is inspected by USDA); installed only where needed; monitored daily; and removed as soon as their purpose has been achieved. They should contain a bait formulation that cannot be easily translocated, i.e. bait blocks, not pellet or meal bait. Keep careful records of any bait placements installed indoors and show the location of these temporary placements on the facility map.

INSPECTING. Everyone agrees that it is important to avoid becoming a "trap checker." But how does one discipline oneself to look beyond the confines of the trap line inside the plant, and the perimeter and fenceline devices outside? Here are a couple of ideas for making this work:

• Design inspection time into the service, and assign a separate service ticket to inspection time. This service ticket is to be used for inspection only!

• Divide the plant up into zones, and assign a portion of the plant to be inspected on each regular service visit.

• Hang dating tags or punch cards in some out-of-the-way areas off the track of your trap line, and let these direct you to inspect plant areas, warehouse racking, etc., that would otherwise not get looked at. You’ll go to the tag to initial and date it, and then receive a reminder to inspect the area. Such tags can be moveable, allowing you to program yourself to go to new areas every so often.

• Do your routine backwards from time to time.

TRACKING VS. ACTING. Don’t just track rodent activity — read and act upon it! Every pest management program in a food plant or warehouse includes a rodent catch report and activity summary for bait stations. We dutifully record the number of mice caught, and if we’re good, we record the species caught. (And if we’ve been to a couple of Dr. Bobby Corrigan’s talks, we go a step further and tell whether the mice were juveniles, adult males or adult females.)

It is important to thoroughly read our rodent control reports, though, and to notice trends and what they tell us. A lot of mice caught in trap No. 105 by the dock tells us more than the fact that trap No. 105 is doing a great job. It might be that more devices are needed to adequately protect an area, or that there is a structural deficiency or personnel practice going on in this area that is admitting mice to the plant.

Both on an ongoing basis and by the way of a yearly, twice-yearly or quarterly program review, make sure you use the information in your summaries. It can help you track your progress, and might enable you to suggest modifications of the program. You collected all that information — don’t let it go to waste!

The author is technical director at Plunkett’s Pest Control, Fridley, Minn. He can be reached at jbruesch@giemedia.com.