Rodents
Services
Cost
- $225.00 - This is the minimum initial charge incurred for most properties (with five bait stations).
- Maintenance after the initial knock-down for regular customers will be a minimum of $19.00 per service (with two bait stations). Additional stations add $9 each.
- Maintenance for non-computer scheduled customers without a pest control service, after the initial knock-down will be a minimum of $49.00 per service (up to five bait stations).
Procedure
We are normally called when a rodent has been observed. Any observation usually means a large population lurks nearby.
Rodents are not normally observed unless the population has grown large enough to force some of the individual rats to the outside perimeter of their territory. This is known as population pressure. Our job is to reduce this population as soon as possible.
Rodenticides usually provide the most cost-effective approach to rodent control when the situation permits. Generation bait works extremely well for our particular environment in Southern California. Proper bait station placement ensures rapid rodent control and protects children; pets and non-target animals. We place generation bait in properly installed, tamper-resistant bait stations. These bait stations not only provide added security for children and pets, but also protect bait from the elements and provides a comfortable place for rodents to feed. Rats are neophobic, fearful of changes or new objects in their territory. Sometimes it takes several days for rats to accept the placement of anything new in their environment, including bait stations.
Our Residential Rat Service
Several bait stations (usually five) will be installed near where the technician believes the major rodent population exists. After the initial placement, we will service these stations once per week for three weeks or until the bait stations are not empty each time we visit. The technician will move bait stations from low feeding areas to high feeding areas to facilitate control. Your maintenance program for rodent control begins after the initial population has been reduced. The longer you have had rats, the larger the population, and the longer it will take to gain control. For every rat you see on your property, there can be 50 to 100 more that you don't see. A small rodent population usually consists of 50 to 150 rats and can develop in as little as six months.
Cost Explained
Let us assume the initial service will involve five bait station placements. The initial cost for the placement of bait stations and the three follow-up services to maintain these stations is $225.00.
The breakdown is $90 for the initial placement of 5 bait stations and $135.00 for the three weekly follow-up visits (each week is $45, that’s 5 bait stations at $9 each).
Total minimum initial charges (covers first 4 weeks): $90 + $135 = $225.00*.
If you are a regularly scheduled pest control customer we can reduce the number of stations located on your property as the amount of bait consumed between visits decreases. As the rodent population is brought under control, we will begin a maintenance program which will accompany your regular pest control service. We will also remove any unnecessary bait stations as the population of rats is reduced – minimum charge of $19 is for maintenance on two bait stations.
*If the total price involved in the customer’s rat service turns out to be less than the $225.00 initial charge, the remainder will either be credited to their account or refunded.
History
We recently performed a Rodent Service on one of San Diego's favorite resident's home. While performing this service we learned even more about how to effectively treat a property with a significant rodent problem. No traps were used during the service. Very simply, the initial placement of more bait stations then would later be needed was the procedure of choice. These stations were refilled twice a week for the first two weeks. Once the rat population had decreased, they feed less and less on the bait we were leaving, and we were able to remove some of those extra stations. Initially 25 rodent bait stations including about 125 bait blocks were placed throughout the property. The rodents had consumed approximately 35 bait blocks between visits, which was on Tuesdays and Fridays (twice per week for the first two weeks). When you consider a maximum of two blocks per rodent death, this would indicate there were about 70 to 100 rodent deaths over the first two weeks. The property is rather large and spans approximately two acres with approximately one and one-half acres of treatable area. There is a quite a bit of thick foliage on this property.
It is my belief we killed more rats on this job using bait than we could have with traps. Using this method, we weren't limited by time restrictions. Having to be there the last job at night and the first job in the morning no longer presented a problem. From now on we are going to do more baiting and less trapping. Our goal is to have most of our technicians doing their own rodent bids in their own geographic areas very soon.
