Rodents are intelligent mammals and related with mankind from hundreds of years. They depend on man and its property for food and shelter. They can easily climb on pipes, cables and enter into structures.
Why to control Rodents?
Rodents cause more damage by contamination with urine, feaces and hair, which reduces the sales value of the product. Rodents have compulsive gnawing habit & because of this habit they destroy many articles like packing material, clothes, electric cables etc. They normally lives in borrows and due to their burrowing habit they destroy structures such as floor, buildings etc. Rodents are carriers of various pathogens causing diseases like Laptospirosis, Salmonellosis, Plague (Epidemic disease), Trichinosis etc.
Important species observed in India
House mouse are the most widespread species of rat in the world. The house mouse is a good climber and lives in social group. It is not only a serious pest in agricultural field and building, but has also been recorded in natural vegetation.They have a characteristics of musky odour
Roof rat -The tail is longer than body. They are good climbers and prefer food like seeds, vegetables, fruit and cereals. Most often they are found in seaport, so called as ship rat.
Norway rat arc large sized,. The tail is shorter than body. They are also known as brown rat (Rattusnorvegicus) and house rat. They live in close social group and are responsible for transmitting diseases to man.
Bandicoot are the largest and most aggressive rat in India. They are sized active burrower and is responsible for much structural damage to the storage buildings and also spoils stored products. They are very good swimmers able to live in deep water rice fields, where they can cause much damage to the crop.