Common Food Pests - Rats

There are two rats which commonly infest food premises in the United Kingdom:-

1. Rattus norvegicus (Brown rat, Common rat or Norway rat)
2. Rattus rattus (Black rat or Ship rat)

Food stores provide ideal conditions for rats to multiply very rapidly with food, shelter and no predators.

Why control them?

• To prevent the spread of disease
  • Apart from food poisoning rats may carry as many as 35 diseases. Remember they managed to wipe out 25% of the population of Europe in the Middle Ages - they could do it again!
• Disease may be spread by:-
  • Eating food contaminated by rodent droppings or urine
  • Contact with rat urine Parasites which live on rodents
  • Rodent bites
• To prevent the wastage of food
  • Rodents eat a lot of food, particularly in grain stores, and more food has to be discarded that has been contaminated with hairs and droppings.
• To prevent damage
  • Rodents are capable of gnawing a variety of materials including electric cables, aluminium fittings and concrete.
• To comply with the law

Have you got a rodent infestation?

Have a look around your premises (inside and outside), common signs of a rodent problem are:-

1. Droppings
2. Footprints in dust
3. Gnawing damage to food containers and to buildings
4. Smear marks from rodents fur (distinctive dirty marks particularly along skirting boards and around doors)
5. Holes
6. Nesting sites
7. Rat runs in undergrowth
8. The rodents themselves

Ways to prevent an infestation

• Good housekeeping
• Correct storage
• Good building design and maintenance
• Use of a contractor

Rodent control

• Poisoning
• Traps
• Sticky boards
• Tracking powder

The Brown Rat

The Brown Rat (Rattus norvegicus is the predominant rat in the UK, it normally lives in burrows in the soil but will also nest in sewers, under buildings, food stores and rubbish dumps. It will eat meat but has a preference for cereals and tends to remain close to its nesting site when foraging for food.

The Black Rat

Omnivorous but prefers fruit and vegetables. An excellent climber so may often be found on the upper floors of buildings and in roof spaces. The Black rat is rare in the UK but may occasionally be found near ports and airports.