Integrated Pest Management

Integrated Pest Management (IPM)

IPM is a combination of strategies that modify their environment and make it less attractive for rodents (Himsworth et al., 2012). Environmental modification can be broken down into three steps:

Exclude Rodents: Rodents fit through holes as small as a quarter. Integrated pest management (IPM) starts with exclusion – efforts to keep rodents out of buildings and reduce shelter (harborage). Click to see more...

Sealing gaps and holes with steel wool, cement, galvanized steel mesh, or hardware cloth
Trenching and Screening (burying galvanized steel mesh and or hardware cloth around foundations and porches to block tunneling)
Capping chimneys and covering vents with hardware cloth
Sealing external doors with rodent-proof door sweeps
Trimming vegetation and ivy away from buildings to minimize shelter (harborage)
Using scented deterrents around foundation, vehicle engines, and gardens
Monitoring rodent activity with non-toxic baits such as DETEX BLOX with Lumitrack
Elevating animal enclosures and/or compost (18 inches) to avoid burrowing
Installing layer of concrete, rat slab, to block tunneling, if appropriate

Starve Rodents: Rodents will eat almost anything. Sanitation is an absolutely critical component to integrated pest management (IPM) – efforts to eliminate rodent food sources reduces their ability to multiply and interest in entering the property. Click to see more...

Providing rodent-resistant trash barrels, bins, and dumpsters, and keeping them securely covered
Disposing of garbage regularly to prevent overflowing bins
Implementing a community education program to encourage good trash management
Ensuring grills, food service equipment, and kitchens are well maintained and clean
Limiting food in classrooms and offices
Instituting a “no-drops” garden policy to keep food off the ground, harvesting ripe produce quickly, and providing closed composters (or cement slabs under large commercial compost piles)
Removing exterior pet food and limit filling open livestock feeders to twice a day
Using “no millet, pre-hulled” bird seed to limit ground litter, using a catch tray under feeder to limit drops, only using a small amount of seed at a time,and/or bringing in feeders at night
Rodent contraceptives to limit rodent fertility such as Evolve or ContraPest
Inspections to enforce sanitary regulations and fines for non-compliance after multiple violations

3. Target Rodents: Without food or access, rodents won’t last long. The final step in integrated pest management (IPM) is targeting the remaining rodents – reducing their number with lethal methods. Targeting rodents who have become pests because they are inside a building or at significant infestation numbers outdoors even after exclusion and sanitation efforts. Click to see more...

Gassing rat burrows with CO via BurrowRX machines and/or CO2 tanks
Snap traps (not "glue traps", as they are inhumane)
Mechanical traps with pistons such as A24, SMART Pipe, and Sentinel RCS
Rat-X or Mouse-X with corn gluten meal as the active ingredient
Rat Ice which is dry ice (frozen CO2) with an EPA-approved label and only sold by Dry Ice Corp in Rockland, MA
Cholecalciferol (Vit D3) such as d-CON, Terad3, CADET All-Weather BLOX, or Selontra, only recommended by Mass Audubon as a last resort, short-term & indoors, for serious infestations

Creating raptor-friendly habitat by reducing the use of SGARs and/or providing raptor nesting houses and platforms
Gassing rat burrows with CO via BurrowRX machines and/or CO2 tanks
Snap traps (not "glue traps", as they are inhumane)
Mechanical traps with pistons such as A24, SMART Pipe, and Sentinel RCS
Rat-X or Mouse-X with corn gluten meal as the active ingredient
Rat Ice which is dry ice (frozen CO2) with an EPA-approved label and only sold by Dry Ice Corp in Rockland, MA
Cholecalciferol (Vit D3) such as d-CON, Terad3, CADET All-Weather BLOX, or Selontra, only recommended by Mass Audubon as a last resort, short-term & indoors, for serious infestations

Remember that rodents have been around for a very long time, and it’s not possible to completely eradicate them. However, these methods can help significantly reduce rodents. The Vancouver Rat Project found that exposed garbage, abandoned buildings, and compost are the most important in promoting rat infestations. IPM addresses these root causes.

Check out and share this Integrated Pest Management (IPM) flyer with cost info and effectiveness data!

Integrated Pest Management Providers

Here are some local pest control professionals who use IPM methods, including exclusion, education, and specific targeting of rodents. Their methods are not identical, but all of them avoid reliance on SGARs. We are not endorsing any provider, but think it is helpful to have a place to start your non-toxic pest control efforts.

Banner Pest - 978 453-3660 bannerpest.com Contact: Rick
BestWay Wildlife Control - 603 425-4250 bestwaywildlife.com Contact: Chuck
Bump in the Night Wildlife Services - 603 793-8677 bitnwildlife.com Contact: PJ
Greenhow Pest 617-964-4733 greenhow.com Contact: Sean
NE Wildlife Control 978 494-1261 New England wildlifecontrol.com Contact: Shawn
North Shore Wildlife 978 872-6633 nswildlife.com Contact: Robert
Safer Nature Pest Control 978 325-1325 safernature.com Contact: Ryab
Ultra Safe Pest Management - 978 678-9113 ultrasafepest.com Contact: Justin

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