Different types of rodent. Enjoy!

Vector and Pest Management: Rodents.

Characterized by single pair of incisor teeth on each jaw and by absence of canine teeth.Have tail with fine scales and few hairs.

PROBLEMS?

• Spread serious disease such as salmonellosis which is food poisoning, leptospirosis, ricketsialpox and etc.
• Carry fleas, which is potentially spread disease such as bubonic plague.
• Consume and contaminate about 20 percent of the world's food supply.
• Gnaw, expensive structural damage, start fires if they gnaw on electrical wires.
• Cause a great deal of anxiety for occupants of infested building.
• Pose serious risks for food facilities.

RODENTS IN MALAYSIA.

Species of rodents we deal most are:-

• Roof rats (Rattus Rattus)

Sometimes called as black rats 

Appearance: 16-24cm in lenght, with a tail longer than head and bodies. 150-200g in weight and pointed nose, large ears, slender body when compared to the Norway rat.

Life cycle: 5-10 young per litter, 3-6 litter a year. Gestation period about 3 weeks and 12-16 weeks from birth to sexual maturity.

Habits: Rarely in Malaysia. Can climbs, agile and rarely burrowing and outdoor in Malaysia. Preferred food is moist fruits. Will eat around 15g of food and drink 15ml.

• Norway rats (Rattus norvagicus)

Sometimes called as brown or sewer rats. Usually found along building foundations, beneath rubbish or woodpiles and in moist area in garden or fields. May be lined with shredded paper, cloth or other fibrous material.

Their appearance is up to 40 cm in lenght, tail shorter than the head and body. Their weight is 350-500g and they has blunt nose, small ears and a thicker body when compared to the Roof Rat.

Lifecycle: 7-8 young per liter, 3-6 litter a year. Gestation period about 3 weeks and 10-12 weeks from birth to sexual maturity.

Habits, usually ground living and burrowing, but sometimes climbs. The only species to occur in sewers in Malaysia. Preferred food is cereal and will eat around 30g of food a day and drink 60ml.

• House Mice (Mus Musculus)

Called as domestic house mouse which is live and thrive under a variety of condition in and around homes or farms. In addition, contaminate food preparation surface with their feces, which can contain the bacterium that causes food poisoning such as Salmonellosis.

Appearance: 7-9.5 cm in lenght, with a tail around the same lenght. 12-30 g in weight and has small feet & head and large eyes & ears.

Life Cycle: 4-16 young per litter, 7-8 litter a year. Gestation period of about 3 weeks. 8-12 weeks from birth to sexual maturity.

Habits: Usually ground living and burrowing but often climbs. Preferred food is cereals. Will eat 3g of food a day and can survive without any additional water and they will drink up to 3 ml a day if their diet is particularly dry.

COMMENSAL RODENTS.

• Members of Rodentia, Family Muridae.
• They destroy property, frighten people & compete with human for food.
• These rodents are "commensal" because they tend to live in close proximity to humans and eat the same food as we do.
• Rats plague many store owners and farmers.
• undesirable in feed and seed stores because destroy the seed, corn and etc.
• Destroy & contaminate structure as well as harm young birds and chicks.

DID YOU KNOW?

• In some areas of the world, rats destroy as much as one-third of entire harvest.
• Rats gnaw and burrows, they can cause structural damage of buildings.
• Also gnaw insulation off wiring which has started fired in building.

BIONOMIC FACTORS OF RATS.

SENSORY ORGAN 

• long mustache and other fine hairs on their body.
• sensitive hair helps them.

SMELLING ORGAN

• Very sharp.
• When active, they shake their head and smell.
• Leave special odour as movement guide such as urine and genital fluid.

HEARING.

• Detect sound up to 100kHz
• House rats-90kHz.
• Afraid of high level noise.

VISION.

• Useful for night vision.
• High sensitively of light.
• Can see as far as 15m distance.

TASTE.

• Very good tasting organ.
• Ability to different between a plain bate and a poisonous bate.

PHYSICAL ABILITIES.

• A good swimmer and diver.
• It can swim up to 1.4km/h.
• It can climb anywhere.
• Can fall from 15feet without any injury.
• Good balancing.

SIGNS OF RATS PRESENCE.

• Feces.
• Footprints.
• Runway.
• Smears.
• Bitemarks.
• Burrows.
• Smell.
• Urine.
• Live rat.
• Carcass.
• Nest.

WHAT IS PUBLIC HEALTH ISSUES FOR RATS?

- Rats play an important role as host for certain infectious disease and its can spread directly or indirectly.

• Directly: Rat carry germs inside their body. Organism eg: bacilli, nematodes, viruses and etc.
• Indirectly: Rats being host for fleas, mites and etc.

RODENTS AND HUMAN HEALTH.

Disease related to rodents such as.

1. Hantavirus Pulmonary syndrome.
2. Haemorrhagic Fever.
3. Leptospirosis.
4. Human Lymphocytic Choriomeningitis.
5. Plague.
6. Rat-Bite Fever.
7. salmonellosis.
8. Murine Typhus.

RODENTS CONTROL MEASURES.

• Eliminating sources of food.
• Eliminating breeding and nesting places.
• Rat-proofing buildings and other structures.
• Killing them.

Vector and Pest Management : Cockroaches.

WHAT IS COCKROACHES?

Cockroaches is member class of Insecta and three-stage life cycle consisting egg, nymph and adult. In addition, harbor in cracks and crevices in and around human habitats, they travel between sources of disease pathogens such as toilet, sewers, garbage and food intended for human consumption. Cockroaches carried Salmonella typhimurium, Entamoeba histolytica and virus for poliomyelitis. they also carry the organisms on their feet, body hairs and mouthparts and their intestines. They eat almost anything such as cereals, bakery products and bookbinding's and they also upon beer, cheese and dead animals. 

Cockroaches vomit partly digested food from their mouth and defecate while feeding, both of which are loaded with microorganisms. They also do not fly but can move by gliding motion and most of cockroaches are active at night, appearing during daylight only if disturbed or very hungry.

DID YOU KNOW?

• Cockroaches have been around since the time of dinosaurs.
• They can live almost a month without food and two weeks without water.
• Some of female cockroaches only mate once and stay pregnant for life!
• They also can live for up to one week without head! and hold their breath for up to 40 minutes.
• Can run up to 3 miles an hour.

TYPES OF COCKROACHES.

Has many type of cockroaches, some of them is American cockroaches, German cockroaches and Oriental cockroaches.

American Cockroaches.

• The largest of the cockroaches pest species, the body of an adult American cockroaches is 1.5 to 2 inches in length. Color of American cockroaches is reddish brown, with a yellowish band behind the head. 
• Habitat for American cockroaches is subfloor, basement, in sewers and other warm, dark, moist location. They avoid cold areas but will thrive outdoors in temperatures above 80F. Indoors they often congregate around hot water pipes, fridge motors, boilers and other heating appliances.
• Rapid breeding cycle, the female life span up to 1.5 years and incubation period of eggs 6 to 8 weeks.

German Cockroaches.

• Most common found in restaurants, homes and hotels. German cockroaches are "brought in" usually on man's belongings, luggage, boxes or packages.
• German Cockroaches adult are 1/2 inch- 5/8 inch long, light to medium brown with 2 dark distinctive stripes behind the head and the young are wingless, smaller and much darker color with a light stripe on their backs.
• will eat anything and will stay close to food and water sources.
• usually occur in bathrooms and kitchens, they like to hide-out during the day in tight secure places.
• Daytime haborages areas are usually near a food and moisture source such as inside wall cavities, behind baseboards, crack and etc.

Oriental Cockroaches.

• Dark brown or black species, less domesticated than most species.
• They habitats include sewers, damp basement, outbuilding etc. They have strong and repulsive odor.
• Longest life cycle.

"Never be upset that it didn't work out, be glad that you learned something to make you better for the next time"

THANK YOU!

Vector and Pest Management : Introduction.

HISTORY...

Salt, smoke and insect repellent plants can keep away organism and preserve food. 5,000 years ago the Summarians controlled insects and mite with sulphur. In addition, Greeks and Romans used oil sprays, ash, sulphur ointment and lime to protect themselves, livestock and crop pests. Romans also burned field and rotated crops to reduce crop diseases.

2,500 years ago, Chinese used mercury and arsenic to controlled body lice and other pest. Besides that, Chinese plant desired insecticides and predatory ants to control caterpillars 1,200 years ago. Next, ducks and geese were used to catch insect and control weeds. To control and catch rats and mice, Malaysia used cat.

TYPES OF PEST.

• WELCOME PEST.

Welcome pest such as bees, flies and butterflies that carried pollen from plant to plant and that also help to pollinate flowers and crops. Next, ladybirds to eat caterpillars that kill plants. Moth, dung beetles can clean up animal dropping and the rotting bodies of dead animals. other example is honey bee, provide honey to eat and beeswax to polish furniture.

• UNWELCOME PEST.

Unwelcome pest such as mosquitoes can spread diseases, eg: malaria, dengue fever and etc. Secondly is bees, wasps and hornets, its painful sting and dangerous to some people. other unwelcome pests is termites and woodworms, damage furniture and buildings and Colorado beetles can eat and ruin potato crops. Next, Cockroaches can infest food stores and spread germs and Rodents can transmit disease and destroy material, eg: Leptospirosis, food poisoning and etc.

WHAT IS VECTOR?

Vector is any insects or arthropod, rodent, or other animal which capable causing discomfort, injury or capable of harboring or transmitting the causative agents of disease to humans or domestic animals. Example of vector are such as, mosquitoes, cockroaches, flies, fleas and ticks are vectors of disease.

WHAT IS PEST?

Pests are living things which can be troublesome and unwanted. Some of pets called "vector" because they transmit disease and cause public health concern such as rodent, cockroaches, mildew, algae, plants insects, flies, bacteria, ticks, weed, weevil larvae, birds, bedbugs, fleas and etc.

PEST AND VECTOR CONTROL.

Identify, reduce or eliminate pest or vector populations in any given situation.

WHAT IS INTEGRATED PEST MANAGEMENT (IPM)?

IPM is an effective and environmentally sensitive approach to pest management that relies on a combination of common-sense practices and sound solutions for treating and controlling pests. Three basic steps is inspection, identification and treatment. Treatment options vary from sealing cracks and removing food and water resources to pesticides treatments when necessary.

IPM DEFINITION.....

"Optimum combination of control methods including biological, cultural, mechanical, physical or chemical control to reduce pest populations to an economical acceptable level with as few harmful effects as possible on the environment and non-target organisms."

R.L. Hix, CA Agric. Magazine, 55:4 (2001)

CONTROL METHOD.

• Physical control such as fly screens or trapping.
• Cultural control such as improving ventilation, hygiene and sanitation.
• Biological control such as parasites or predators to eradicate a particular pest.
• Chemical control such as appropriate pesticides.

WHY USE INTEGRATED PEST MANAGEMENT (IPM)?

• prevent the spread of disease.
• to prevent wastage of food.
• to prevent damage.
• to comply with the law, eg: Pesticides Act 1974 ( Pest Control Operators ) Rules 2004, Plant Quarantine Act 1976, Plant Quarantine Regulations 1981.

THANK YOU!