December 13th, 2018
This manual is for classroom use and for field training of program managers, environmental health practitioners, inspectors, outreach workers, and others who work in community-based rodent integrated pest management programs. The manual is also a reference for survey techniques and for the preparation of reports and maps.
Introduction
For centuries, people have recognized that rats and mice are not only a nuisance but are a public health problem. Rats and mice damage and contaminate food, damage structures, and carry diseases that threaten health and quality of life, and they can cause injury and death. This manual describes techniques to help us protect ourselves from these disease vectors by gathering information (surveillance) about infestations and about the causative conditions of infestation. Accurate record keeping by public health officials provides the information needed to manage rodent and other pest problems.
Urban rodent surveys of exterior areas are the primary means for obtaining information on rodent infestations and on premises with environmental health deficiencies that support commensal rodent populations in housing and on premises. Survey areas should include residential, commercial, and civic buildings; vacant lots; and public areas. The rodent species primarily targeted in surveys are the Norway rat (Rattus norvegicus), roof rat (Rattus rattus), and house mouse (Mus musculus).
Urban rodent surveys, as well as surveys for other pests, fulfill an essential surveillance requirement for every integrated pest management (IPM) program, which is the need for detailed information about conditions in a defined community. IPM is a long-term, effective, and holistic approach to managing pests of all kinds by carefully combining various interventions (e.g., education, code enforcement, rodent proofing, poisoning) in ways that minimize environmental hazards and deficiencies that affect people’s health.
The focus of this manual is on how to conduct a survey, although the other IPM components are covered briefly to establish their link to the survey. This manual is for classroom use and for the field training of program managers, environmental health practitioners, outreach workers, inspectors, and others who work in community-based rodent IPM programs.