Poison Resistant Rats Found In Alton

Over the summer we had a pest control callout in Alton Hampshire, this rodent infestation of rats was taking the bait but we were still recording further rat activity in this Alton resident’s home a week or so after expected.

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As a pest controller, you start to wonder why this could be which leads us to ask ourselves…

• Have we missed a rodent entry point?
• Is there an issue with rats getting in via the drains?
• Are the rats gaining entry via a neighbour’s property or roof space?
• Is there another food source the rats are finding?

These are the questions we typically wish to address with our rodent survey during our first visit.

Anticoagulant Resistance In Rats

Upon closer inspection, it become apparent the rats weren’t dying from the bait. Not as an uncommon phenomenon as one would think, and in the instance of rodents, this is called resistance.

Anticoagulant resistance in rats was first discovered in UK Norway rats (also known as Rattus Norvegicus Berk) in 1958 and has been present in the species and other types of rodents ever since.

Since this time more species of rat populations in the UK and the southwest have built up a resistance to the effects of some commonly available rodenticides.

Choosing The Right Rodenticides

Rodenticides meaning – A poison used to kill rodents

Difenicoum and Bromdiolone are the preferred choices of brand rodenticides this is primarily because the active ingredients of the bait are less toxic. Far better for the environment and less harmful to non-target species and possibly domestic animals too.

Because these Alton rats were still present and we were confident we had placed enough of the Difenicoum bait (which is slightly less toxic of the two preferred brands) we were confident we were dealing with a colony of anticoagulant-resistant rats.

A More Lethal Rodenticide

Once it was known that we were dealing with a species of rat with an anticoagulant resistance we switched to a different (more toxic) rodenticide called Brodifacoum which is effective against rodents carrying one of five resistant genes called L120Q.

Within a matter of days, all presence of rodent activity in our client’s Alton home ceased and in order to reduce the toxic impact on the home and environment, all remaining bait was removed and we recommended our deep clean and decontamination service.

Rodent Control in Alton

Dealing with toxic Rodenticides is hazardous and should be placed with some consideration and experience. There is also the issue of clean-up by removing any rotting carcasses and decontaminating spaces in order to be safe for human habitation.

HW Pest Control, a local (non-national) pest control service can resolve any problem with rodents in Alton and are here to help you with a discrete, competent pest control service.

Useful articles on the topic of Anticoagulant Resistance In Rats

Anticoagulant resistance in the United Kingdom
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22730379/

Pest controllers updated about rodenticide resistance concerns
https://bpca.org.uk/News-and-Blog/pest-controllers-updated-about-rodenticide-resistance-concerns