Put The Freeze On Rodents This Winter Because mice, rats and other vermin are eyeing your property as a safe haven, you need a program designed to keep them out in the cold. T By: Patrick Copps Patrick Copps is Technical Services Manager for Orkin’s Pacific Division. A Board Certified Entomologist in urban and industrial entomology, Mr. Copps has more than 35 years’ experience in the industry. For more informa-tion, email Mr. Copps at [email protected] or visit www.orkincommercial.com. Temperatures continue to drop as winter approach-es and commensal rodents such as rats and mice will be looking for refuge from the cold. Just like humans, these warm-blooded animals depend on maintaining their body temperatures in order to survive. To deter rodents from making your facility their personal cold-weather shelter, work with a pest management professional to implement an inte-grated pest management (IPM) program. Rodents pose a threat to your facilities for a number of reasons. In addition to being a deal-breaker for customers and/or tenants due to the mere ick factor associ-ated with their presence, they are also capable of causing serious structural damage. In fact, these pests are among the most destruc-tive vertebrates in existence because they will gnaw on whatever they can sink their teeth into, even if they aren’t hungry. Rodents will gnaw on wood surfaces, paper and drywall. Additionally, mice and rats will gnaw on the wiring for electrical equipment; be aware that this can be a major fire hazard. In addition to causing structural damage, rodents pose a serious health hazard to humans. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), rats and mice are known to spread over 35 diseases worldwide, including hantavirus, Salmonella and jaundice. These diseases can be transmitted to humans through rodent bites, by coming in contact with feces, urine or saliva and by handling the pests. If not addressed properly, rodent problems can spiral out of control very quickly. for more info Visit www.cmmonline.com and type in search keyword: Maintenance . For more information on related products, visit www.cmmonline.com , select SUPPLIER SEARCH from the main navigation bar, and enter keyword: Pest Control . Some consider mice and other rodents cute and harmless, but the vermin can carry diseases, cause major structural damage to your facility and ruin your public image. 38 CM/Cleaning & Maintenance Management ® • December 2012 Image courtesy of Orkin LLC
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