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Over a quarter (26%) of businesses surveyed, report damage to electrical equipment following a rat infestation[1]
Despite their mini size, rodents are a mighty risk. Whether it’s contaminating food with their faeces, urine and hair, spreading germs with their feet or gnawing their way through food packaging, the enormous impact of these small creatures can be felt throughout the supply chain.
55% of all businesses reported losing at least one working day per year due to infestation, and it’s not just downtime; their mere presence can lead to regulatory violations, brand reputation damage and financial loss. [2]
When it comes to food, rodents are like moths to a flame. They are constantly searching for sustenance to fuel their hunger, and with a metabolic rate 6.4 times faster than humans, it’s a constant battle. Places like food premises, with stored or exposed food, are particularly enticing, providing the perfect environments to poke their noses around and explore potential banquets.
They don’t need much of an invite, either. The smallest gap is all they need to invade — especially mice, with their incredibly flexible skeletons and skulls measuring around 6.35mm, which can squeeze through holes the diameter of a pencil (!) and into the most seemingly secure areas.
Once they’ve penetrated a building’s exterior, effortlessly slipping between equipment or under doors, they can make themselves quite at home using their highly developed senses of smell, taste, hearing and touch. Travelling in and around buildings under the cover of darkness (or as close as possible) behind equipment, in ceiling voids and any available nooks and crannies they can find, their ability to hide and sneak can make them difficult to detect and control.
A new era of proactive pest prevention
In the past, it wasn’t until there was an infestation and obvious evidence of rodents, that businesses knew they had a problem on their hands. So to go as far as tracking rodent movements and understanding their behavioural nuances was incredibly difficult. Control had to rely on snap traps, bait stations and visual sightings to determine the best placements. This, although effective, provided minimal information about the scope of an infestation or the specific routes rodents were using. Rodent activity had to be addressed after it had already become a problem, rather than getting to the root of it and allowing for preventative approaches.
However, we’re indebted to dedicated scientists, field biologists, technicians, innovators and entomologists. A combination of their efforts has revolutionised the industry’s innovations, shifting the focus from reactive to proactive and helping to better protect the food supply chain.
Innovations are making it easier to understand mice’s behaviour, providing powerful insights into rodent activity and behaviour trends that had once been almost impossible. For example, by applying a fluorescent tracking gel, which is invisible to the naked eye, to areas with suspected rodent activity, it’s possible to trace rodent movements, and see where they’ve been and how they got in.
While building proofing of some sort has always been essential, advancements in rodent tracking and behaviour analysis have transformed it. We can now pinpoint exact rodent entry points and understand their travel patterns, sealing and minimising these with effective building proofing to prevent access and contain infestations before they spread.
From doorbells to smart watches, the world is certainly connecting. And it’s no different for pest control. Connected traps are already allowing for faster-than-ever-intervention, and it’s only advancing.
In the latest leap in pest control, AI-connected cameras can even capture rodent activity and use machine learning for accurate identification. These advancements are a far cry from the early days and are helping to make safer environments throughout the food supply chain.
Keeping rodents off your food facility
Pest control is smarter than ever — and it has to be to beat these shrewd opponents. The food industry faces ever-evolving challenges, from stricter regulations to complex supply chains, and pest control technology will continue to adapt and innovate to meet these needs. The opportunities and possibilities are exciting and endless, and by embracing new technologies and industry advancements, businesses can stay one step ahead, safeguarding their products, reputation and consumers’ health.
[1] Commissioned by Rentokil Initial, Cebr (Centre for Economics and Business Research) surveyed over 1000 companies across five developed economies globally
[2] ibid
