Pest Management Professional, May 2010

Rodent Tales PMPS SHARE THEIR WILDEST RODENT MANAGEMENT STORIES New York NY Joe Sheehan Colony Pest Management By Marty Whitford Editor in Chief S erving New York City the rodent capital of the country Joe Sheehan of Colony Pest Management has battled armies of rats and mice and lived to tell his story Q Whats the largest rodent infestation youve battled and howd you win Sheehan The largest rodent infestation weve battled took place at a high rise office building 52 floors There were rats from the fourth floor down to the subcellar and mice were scattered across the rest of the floors Rodenticide alone was not going to win this battle First we conducted a thorough inspection We followed our regular integrated pest management IPM approach identifying all access points conducive conditions food sources and potential harborage areas We pinpointed hot spots and determined which technologies and techniques to deploy where We altered the rodents environment For instance planters on the first floor had burrows all over so we installed a mesh barrier they were unable to chew through We also used stations with a soft bait engineered for strong infestations along with pellets tracking powder and a lot of snap traps and glue boards We serviced the property every day except weekends for two weeks and then twice per week for four weeks It took us six weeks to knock down the rodent population We got rid of the rats in four weeks but the mice took a little longer We now service the property once per week Every now and then they will see a rat by the loading dock or a mouse on a floor but hey its New York City Q In the vein of the classic cartoon Tom Jerry can you recall the single smartest rodent or few rodents youve run into and how you in the end ensured you got the best of it them not the other way around Sheehan There were a lot of rats in the basement of this one multi family housing unit We had gotten rid of most of them but the last couple would not eat the bait and we couldnt catch them in snap traps Nothing seemed to work The crafty critters even pushed material on top of a homemade glue board so they could grab the food it was blocking Eventually by removing food sources and altering their environment we were able to get the last two rats One ate rodenticide and the other we finally caught in a snap trap after 11 days of baiting it and not setting it PMP You can reach Whitford at mwhitford@ questex com or 216 706 3766 Joe Sheehans Rodent Management Tips DO Ensure you and your staff are trained on the latest techniques Spend extra time during estimates inspections to uncover everything youre up against This way you can justify a fair price and keep the customer happy by providing quality service Embrace new products Technology has advanced leaps and bounds since I began in this industry at the age of 5 accompanying his father in 1981 Take advantage of it We employ several gadgets that help us provide a quality service DONT Dont be lazy Check every door crack crevice manhole crawlspace sewer etc Never underestimate rodents They will come back to bite you no pun intended Dont be afraid to try new things Web Exclusive Visit www mypmp net rodenttales1 to listen to PMPs complete interview with Joe Sheehan president of Brooklyn N Y based Colony Pest Management brought to you by 28 PEST MANAGEMENT PROFESSIONAL MAY 2010 www mypmp net