Rats can contaminate our food, damage structures, and spread diseases. To help residents and urban pest professionals safely and effectively manage rats, UC IPM has updated the Pest Notes: Rats publication. This revised fact sheet is authored by UC Cooperative Extension Human-Wildlife Conflicts advisor Dr. Niamh Quinn, a recognized expert in urban rat management. Updates include additional information on rat damage, specific sanitation tactics for both Norway and roof rats, tips for rodent-proofing your home, and new illustrations to clearly show correct placement of traps. Rules and regulations regarding rodenticide use in California are...
- Author: Niamh M Quinn
Where is rodenticide exposure in wildlife coming from? Is it from use by residents or farmers? Applications by marijuana growers? Or from applications by qualified and trained structural pest control professionals? These questions are being asked by state legislators and regulators, special interest groups, and state pest associations across the country.
However, even though we don't fully know where all the exposure is coming from, action is already being taken to restrict the use of rodenticides in urban areas. In 2020, California legislators placed a moratorium on almost all uses of second-generation anticoagulant rodenticide. And local jurisdictions have also added restrictions to rodenticide use. For example, in...
- Author: Karey Windbiel-Rojas
If you are battling with ground squirrels or tree squirrels around your home or property, join us on Thursday, May 19 at noon for UC IPM's one-hour seminar on Squirrels! Dr. Niamh Quinn, UC ANR's Human-Wildlife Interaction Advisor in Orange, Los Angeles, and San Diego counties, will share her insights on squirrel identification, biology, and management. There is still time to register and as always, our monthly webinars are free and open to the public!
https://ucanr.edu/sites/ucipm-community-webinars/
- Author: Carolyn Whitesell
- Author: Niamh Quinn
- Posted by: Elaine Lander
- Author: Belinda J. Messenger-Sikes
- Author: Niamh Quinn
- Posted by: Elaine Lander
In September 2020, Governor Gavin Newsom signed into law Assembly Bill 1788, which prohibits almost all uses of second-generation anticoagulant rodenticides (SGARs) statewide. Rodenticide products containing brodifacoum, bromadiolone, difenacoum, or difethialone have been restricted materials in California since 2014. They are only available for use by licensed pest control applicators.
The new restrictions are intended to reduce potential poisoning of nontarget wildlife. According to the text of the bill, scientific research and state studies have found rodenticides in over 75 percent of animals tested. From 2014 through 2018, the Department of Fish and Wildlife found SGARs...
