How Selontra® saved a glamping site’s reputation from rats and mice
05.07.2022
Lindsay Silvester, pest control specialist at APM Pest Control, attended a popular glamping site based in Shrewsbury, he found that both rats and house mice had taken over the complex, putting public health and the reputation at risk. Here, we explore how Selontra® tackled the infestation in under two weeks, saving the firm’s client from catastrophic losses to their business.
- Extensive damage to the luxury pods
- Customer sightings of mice in beds
- 800 grams of Selontra® used
- Complete control within two weeks
The Challenge
When Lindsay and his team were called to a luxury glamping site in the Shrewsbury countryside, they were greeted by ten large glamping pods, with a kitchen, bedroom, bathroom, living room, veranda and jacuzzi in each unit.
Upon inspection, they quickly realised that there was a serious infestation throughout the site, with both rats and House mice present outside and House mice also found inside the units. Extensive droppings could be found throughout the location, including inside the cleaning cupboards, and there were multiple sightings of House mice in most areas, and disturbingly one sighting of the mice in a guest’s bed!
Lindsay commented: “At sites where the public visit regularly, like this glamping complex, pest control is paramount for our clients due to the risk of disease being spread by the rodents. What’s more, it only takes one rat or mouse sighting to be shared online by a visitor, and the reputation of the destination is completely destroyed, so it was important that we gained control fast. I believe that rodents were in almost all areas of the site and had been active in all units due to the rural location, accessibility and offer of harbourage and food, so I decided to use Selontra® because of its fast acting results”.
The Result
The team wasted no time in placing Selontra® across the site. Lindsay placed one mouse bait box inside each pod, and one rat box under each pod, securing the bait blocks in bundles and labelling each box clearly, in line with the instructions on pack. He then placed ten rat and mouse boxes externally.
On Lindsay’s second visit to the site, he replenished the boxes after finding evidence of uptake both inside and outside, and by the third visit, they had achieved complete control, meaning that within a two-week window the infestation of both rats and mice had been eradicated.
Lindsay said: “Mice can be particularly difficult to get to take bait due to behavioural resistance as, in general, they can be reluctant to enter bait boxes, so we did see some resistance to the bait boxes indoors at first. However, within two weeks Selontra® worked very well and the rodents had consumed a lethal dose, either from the boxes outside or those with uptake inside the units.”
With over 25 years’ experience in the industry, Lindsay is all too aware of the environmental responsibility pest controllers have to wildlife. He commented: “Alongside public health and duty to the client, my biggest concern at the location was other wildlife, because of the rural environment. The environmental profile of Selontra® was a real benefit to me. I now use Selontra® for around 95% of my jobs, varying from farms, factories to hotels. Overall, I’m very happy to continue using Selontra® due to its environmental profile and great results!”
As rodents’ ingress to the site regularly because of its location, the team continue to monitor the site monthly, using Selontra® when required as part of APM Pest Control’s ongoing pest management programme.
