Rodent Revelations

Anyone who has ever come face-to-face with a severe rat infestation knows it takes ingenuity and perseverance to get the situation under control. Whether the infestation is in a warehouse, a food plant, a grain elevator or someone’s home, the pressure is on to identify the right tools for the circumstances. Sometimes, according to Jay Swann, owner of Appalachian Pest Control in Barboursville, W.Va., those tools include a strong stomach and a snow shovel or two.

“A lot of the sewer systems in West Virginia are dilapidated, which makes them a playground for rodents. Commercial buildings, especially those in downtown and suburban areas, pay the price as rodent pressure is a constant concern,” Swann said. He shared the story of a warehouse so badly infested that Norway rats and mice brazenly scurried over his service technicians’ feet on their first visit. On their second visit, the team caught a sickening whiff of their success as they approached the building. Vast numbers of carcasses piled in the surrounding field needed to be shoveled away to clear the client’s property.

A similar situation arose when Swann’s team treated an elderly couple’s garage apartment, which had become overrun with rats due to their unchecked activities of feeding and breeding what they apparently viewed as pets. “You couldn’t put a count on these rats. Animal control got involved, and we needed to put out 18 pounds of rodenticide in one day,” he said. When all was said and done, the pest management team needed to grab their shovels again.

Today, dramatic scenarios like these are playing out across geographic markets, as pest management companies that seldom received rodent calls five or 10 years ago are suddenly finding themselves deeply embedded in the rodent business. Consistently delivering effective solutions depends on their commitment to conducting thorough inspections, accurately identifying species and prescribing the right mix of mechanical and chemical treatments.

PCT asked PMPs about their approaches to rodent control through the 2025 State of the Rodent Control Market survey. The highlights presented in the following pages offer insight into what’s happening nationwide.