Overview Compatibility Safety Aspects Toxicity Overview Effectiveness

The evolutionary history of rodents extends back to 56 million years. This goes on to show that they have been one of the most persistent species to have survived so far. 40% of all mammalian species belong to the class Rodentia. They multiply very fast—6–9 litters a year with 12–14 in each litter.

Rodents are characterized by two continuously growing incisors in the upper and lower jaws which must be kept short by gnawing. Moreover, it is a universal fact that all animals in general and rodents, in particular, are attracted to plastics products, the plasticizers & polymers. The aromatic odors of polymers, the bright colors & the texture of polymer products are all responsible for animals being attracted to plastic goods.

This has resulted in losses in many applications such as:

Wire and cable industry

Rodents gnawing through wires could result in short circuits leading to fire hazards; whereas damage to optical fiber cables could disrupt the transmission of sensitive communication. Rodents often disturb underground train services and metro rail services. They are often responsible for heavy maintenance cost of duct & direct-buried cable networks.

Agriculture

Rodents are responsible for billions of dollars in lost crops each year. Reports of up to 20% of postharvest losses have enormous economic implications in developing countries. In Asia, a loss of 5% of rice production amounts to approximately 30 million tons; enough rice to feed 180 million people for 12 months. Rodents also cause pre-harvest losses by gnawing away at crops as also tubings used in drip irrigation systems and so on.

Gas pipelines and tubings

Sensitive applications such as gas transfer are also disturbed by chewing of rubber gas tubings and pipelines by these rodents. There have been instances of natural gas leaking out and leading to explosions because of chewed up pipes in which they were hauled.

Besides these, rodents also cause damage to aircraft arrestor systems, automobiles, household appliances, landmines, and the list is endless.

So far the most widely employed methods to tackle the rodent problems are the use of toxic rodenticides or traditional so-called ‘non-toxic’ rodent aversives. Toxic rodenticides which are mainly pyrethroids based while being effective come with their own set of liabilities. Firstly and most importantly since they are toxic they are bound to have a lot of side effects mainly:

  • There could be accidental ingestion by non-target species—which could have been otherwise useful, pets and so on. This can prove extremely detrimental in agriculture whereupon application of such rodenticides there could be an elimination of useful earthworms, honeybees and so on.
  • Having high vapor pressure would mean that they would volatilize easily which would mean that their application in the wire and cable industry would remain limited. Toxic fumes resulting from these being in the vapor form are far more lethal than the rodenticide being in the original state itself.
  • Moreover, most rodenticides have a very fast release mechanism which means that they would leach out to the groundwater reserves as also degrade the soil condition.
  • Accidental ingestion by human beings can also have unpleasant effects.

While these are the threats posed by commercial rodenticides, the traditional so-called non-toxic rodent aversives are nowhere close to being 100% effective. Moreover, there are limitations to their being employed on a very large scale.

Thus, employing innovative concentrate formulation techniques and focusing on environmental issues and safety norms is the need of the hour. That is where Rodrepel™ comes in.

Hospitals

Hospital is a place expected to be with utmost hygiene. But to combat the rodent menace, the hospitals are fumigated, which is a most dangerous method of pest control. Glue boards are used that can be dangerous if a patient accidentally sticks to it. Rat poisons are used which are potential of killing the rodents and spreading the death diseases.

In a place like hospital, effective and eco-friendly measures are necessary to keep these pests at a bay. And hence Rodrepel™ can be an effective solution here.

Hotel industry

Hotel industry is a zero-tolerance zone for pest infestation! The fumigation can affect young children’s neurological development. Food keeping areas must be kept away from hazardous chemicals used in fumigation and rat poisons.

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