Brendan Ryan, managing director of Pest Eradico, shares his experience using Selontra to tackle a severe rat infestation at a national museum with thousands of visitors each day
I was called to a national museum site with a significant food operation and thousands of daily visitors. The site’s bin compound was the main site of the infestation and was located around 200 yards from the kitchens.
Daily rat sightings had been reported to the previous pest control provider, whose records showed no bait take from six external bait stations. When I attended the site, I quickly realised the extent of the problem.
Within minutes of arriving, we witnessed rats moving to and from the bins every 30 seconds or so. The rats were moving calmly rather than hurriedly, which told us they had established the area as their own.
Rats of various ages were observed, indicating a breeding population, and I estimated that there were more than 50 rats on site.
An integrated approach
Rats had established shelter beneath containers and in burrows around the compound, while food waste leaking through open drainage holes in the wheelie bins provided a constant source of food.
Inspection of the existing bait stations revealed untouched bait, despite the significant rodent activity.
Once rats have established a reliable food source, they are considerably less likely to enter bait stations; it was clear that baiting alone had not solved the issue and that an integrated approach would be needed.
Recommendations were made to improve waste management and hygiene practices, including cleaning food residues, replacing missing drainage bungs and temporarily relocating the bins to disrupt established feeding patterns. Vegetation management around the area was also advised to make the habitat less attractive to rodents.
Why Selontra?
I selected Selontra for two key reasons.
Firstly, we believe cholecalciferol helps mitigate the risk of secondary poisoning to birds of prey associated with second-generation anticoagulant rodenticides.
We had already been using Selontra for almost a year and had achieved excellent results.
Secondly, after seeing uneaten bait in the previous contractor’s stations, we knew we needed a product with exceptional palatability.
Nine tamper-resistant PVC bait stations were installed at 10-yard intervals alongside the commercial wheelie bins, each containing seven Selontra blocks.
Exceptional bait uptake
I had recommended that the wheelie bins be moved and food residues removed to interrupt established feeding patterns and encourage bait acceptance. However, when I returned 10 days later, these measures had not yet been implemented.
Despite the continued presence of food waste, all 1.26kg of Selontra had been consumed.
We felt we needed to interrupt their established behaviour if we were to get them feeding on our bait. As it turned out, the bins had neither been moved nor the drainage holes sealed, yet every block of Selontra had been consumed.
What was particularly striking was that the bait left behind in the previous company’s bait stations remained untouched. The logical conclusion for us was that Selontra was at least as palatable as the available food residues, if not more so.
Approximately 1kg of fresh bait was applied during the second visit.
Rapid control
By the third and final visit, bait consumption had reduced to approximately 0.2kg and no further signs of rat activity were present, indicating that the infestation had been successfully controlled.
Across the three visits, approximately 2.5kg of Selontra was used.
One of the most interesting aspects of this case was that one of our recommendations proved unnecessary. We had advised moving the wheelie bins and removing food residues, but neither action had been carried out, and the rats still exhausted every trace of Selontra despite having an established food source.
In the same circumstances, we would always make those recommendations again because habitat management remains an essential part of integrated pest management. However, you can’t escape the fact that the palatability of Selontra trumped food waste.
“Combined with the environmental benefits of cholecalciferol and the reduced risk of secondary poisoning to birds of prey, it makes Selontra a valuable tool for tackling large and well-established infestations.”
