Rodent population in the Philippines

Luzon (20 to 200 rats per ha.) in mature rice.

Davao, Sumangil (1963) 984 rats per ha. in late

vegetative, booting and maturing rice.

Laguna de Bay marshland habitat (10,000 per ha., 1 adult

per square meter (R. r. mindanensis).*

* Marshland has a high carrying capacity

(reservoir of rodent outbreaks)
A common rice field rat

Feeding damage of rats caused an estimated

annual loss of 100 million pesos

5 60% yield loss yearly

Characteristics of field rat

Active by night

Continually chews
to sharpen its teeth

Feeds on weeds,
insects and small
animals

Engage in cannibalism
when food is scarce
Rodents are very intelligent animals
 Characteristics of field rat

With keen sense of Poor vision but

hearing, taste, smell and very sensitive
touch to motion
Rodent senses - Taste

Respond to 4 basic tastes

- sweet, sour, bitter, salt
Rodent senses - Smell

Very important = chemical

communication
individual/group
identification
sibling recognition
 Rodent senses - Vision
Poor daylight vision

Colour blind

See on a scale of
greyness

Blind rodents survive

well

Movement and shape

recognition good
P.B. Cornwell (1979) Pest Control in
Buildings. Rentokil LTD, London
 What Do Rats See?
What Humans See What Rats See

http://www.ratbehavior.org/images/HumanCam.mov http://www.ratbehavior.org/images/RatCam.mov
Rodent senses - Hearing

Can detect and emit

ultrasounds for social
communication, echo
location in dark

Highly sensitive to
sudden noise
Rodent Senses - Kinesthesis

Considered as sixth
sense
Ability to memorize a
sequence of complex
muscular/limb
movements
Animals move with
normal confidence in
total darkness
Rodent senses - Touch

Highly developed

Fore-feet capable of
delicate manipulations
Neophobia New object reaction = Bait-shyness

Rats are watchful of new objects

Watchful of new foods

Sample only a small quantity at first

testing

If this contains a fast-acting poison,

the dose may be insufficient to kill

Will not:

eat that food again

go near the place where they took

the food
Rodent Behaviour - grooming

Spend much of their

time every day
grooming
Characteristics of field rat
Sexually active
 Rodents eruptive population growth

1. Short gestation period

2. Large litter size
3. Rapid maturation
4. Post partum heat
Life Cycle

Average Life Span

6 months to more than 1
year
Reproductive potential

Rats can bear 8 to 12 young every 3

weeks
Breed throughout the year
 Damage to Plants

Seedling stage - missing hills

Tillering / Panicle stage

- cut or bend older tillers to
reach the developing grains

Maturing stage
- cut or bend older tillers to eat the ripening grain
Habits
Rice field rats feed at night with
high activity at dusk and
dawn.

At daytime, they are found

among vegetation, weeds, or
maturing fields.

During fallow period, they utilize major channels and

village gardens as prime habitats.

At tillering, 75% of time they are in burrows along the

banks and after maximum tillering, 65% of time they
are in rice paddies.
What favors rat infestation?
In lowland irrigated rice crops both the wet and dry
seasons are favourable for rat reproduction and crop
damage.

In rainfed rice crops rodents have their greatest impact in

the wet season.

The availability of food, water, and shelter are factors,

which provide optimum breeding conditions.

The presence of grassy weeds also triggers their

development.
Integrated Rodent Management
Ways to Control Rats

1. Natural enemies
Snakes

owls/birds

human
 2. Physical / Mechanical

Use of flame thrower or suplete

Inverted coconut leaves
Snap Trap Rat Trap
 3. Using baits
Pre-baiting
- done before seeding and transplanting
- distribute baits 3-5 days before massive
acute baiting

Apply acute rodenticide

Place chronic baits

- done two weeks after transplanting
- install 5 initial baiting stations per hectare
- mix 1 kg rodenticide with 19 kg rice
- Place 100 mg of mixed per baits station
- For every station visited by the rats, place 1-2 stations
10 meters apart
- Increase the amount of mixed baits to 8 tbsp/station
Rat bait made of
coconut husks
Bamboo Tube
Banana Bracts
OLD PVC PIPES
Klerat 50x20 g WB
The worlds number 1 rodenticide
that kills in a

single feed
Katangian at Pakinabang ng Klerat
SINGLE DOSE
- Hindi na kailangan ang maraming bait o pain upang makapatay ng
daga.

MATINDI ANG BISA

- epektibo laban sa lahat ng uri o klase ng daga.

WALANG RESISTANCE
- Tiyak na tatalab kahit paulit-ulit na gamitin;
- Kahit mga daga na may resistance na sa ibang rodenticide ay
napapatay pa din.

KATAKAM-TAKAM SA DAGA
- may sangkap na sobrang sarap at kaakit-akit para sa daga.
Katangian at Pakinabang ng Klerat

NAIIWASAN ANG BAIT SHYNESS

- siguradong babalik balikan ng daga

HINDI NASISIRA NG ULAN O INIT NG ARAW

- Wax Block ang form kayat mabisa maarawan man o maulanan

MENOS GASTOS AT TRABAHO

- Madali ng gamitin, matipid pa!

MAY TAGLAY NA BITREX

-Naiiwasan ang aksidenteng pagkalason sa mga tao
Paglalagay ng Signage o Babala

BABALA
Magingat naglagay ng lason sa daga
Huwag kumain ng daga
Huwag pabayaang mag-gala ang mga
bata at hayop
4. Using the Trap Barrier System (TBS)

For every 10 ha contiguous rice area.

Plant rice in a 20 x 20 m area one month before the
normal planting time.
Use aromatic or good eating quality rice variety.
Fence the area with 25
inches high plastic sheets
(similar to the material
used to cover books).
Using the Trap Barrier System (TBS)

Install rat traps in four

locations inside the
fence area.

Use bamboo stakes

to erect the plastic
material. The stakes
should be inside the
plastic fence.
Bamboo stick plastic fence

Rat trap
Using the Trap Barrier System (TBS)

The trap is made of

metal screen wire
having a coneshaped
inclined entrance tunnel
narrowing to the end with
bent metal wire.
Rats are
caught in the traps while
trying to enter the TBS.
4. Cultural Control

Sanitation
Synchronous planting
Minimize size of levees to 15 cm wide
and 20 cm high
Thank You!