RI, MA EHS Pest Control Blog

Mouse Scurries Around Bag of McDonald’s Hamburger Rolls: Employee Catches Rodent on Cell Phone Video

A former fast food employee says mice ran rampant in the Philadelphia McDonald’s where he worked, and he caught it all on tape, Fox News reported.

Video shows a mouse scurrying around inside a plastic bag filled with hamburger buns at the McDonald’s on Stenton Avenue in the West Oak Lake section of Philadelphia, where Karrium Demaio, 29, worked.

Demaio says he frequently saw mouse droppings, and was told to brush them off the bread and serve them to customers.

“There hasn’t been a time when we couldn’t go in the back and see mouse droppings on the bread,” he said.

He told Fox News he revealed the video, which was shot in November, because he wanted to warn customers.

“That wasn’t the first time. That was about the sixth or seventh time,” he said. “That’s what made me like, I got to get video of this.

“I was going back there to get something else and I heard some rustling, so I turned around, and I look, I seen a mouse inside the bread. Not on top of the package, but inside of the package.”

Demaio worked at the store from October 2010 to January of this year, when he was fired for skipping a shift.

He told Fox News that he’s worked at two other McDonald’s, but had never seen something like this.

The McDonald’s is “not in satisfactory compliance,” according to the Philadelphia Health Department, but inspectors did not cite evidence of rodents.

The store says it will address concerns the video surfaced.

“After viewing the video, we are going to continue to investigate this claim to make certain we have all the facts,” McDonalds owner and operator Ken Youngblood said in a statment.

“I want my customers to know that I am taking this matter seriously and will immediately address any issues that may exist. Therefore, if necessary, we will work with the appropriate authorities to get the facts.”

George Williams,
General Manager - Staff Entomologist

Pest Control, RI, Pest Control, MA 

HantaVirus Found in Trapped Rodents

Six rodents trapped during routine monitoring in the last week in North County and East County have tested positive for the potentially-deadly hantavirus.

Infected rodents rarely pose a danger to people if they are in the wild and there has been just one non-fatal human case in the county, in 2004. But people can inhale hantavirus by stirring up rodent droppings, then get sick and even die. There is no treatment, vaccine or cure for hantavirus infections, which are deadly in 38 percent of cases.

“People should never sweep up or vacuum rodent droppings or nesting material when they find it,” said Jack Miller, director of the County Department of Environmental Health. “Instead, they should ventilate closed areas for at least 30 minutes, and then carefully use bleach or a full-strength disinfectant before removing them.”

The best way people can prevent the disease is to keep mice out of houses, garages and sheds by sealing holes larger than the size of a dime, County officials said.

Hantavirus can cause hantavirus pulmonary syndrome (HPS), which begins with flu-like symptoms but can grow into severe breathing difficulties and even death.

The rodents that tested positive during the last week included: two deer mice from Campo; one deer mouse each from Carlsbad and Escondido; one harvest mouse from Oceanside and a vole from Carlsbad. Thirty-seven rodents have tested positive for hantavirus in the county this year, compared to 21 in 2010.

Source: Associated Press

George Williams,
General Manager - Staff Entomologist

Pest Control, RI, Pest Control, MA

The call came into the EHS office that the customer hears a squeaking and scratching noise mostly in at nighttime. We suspect either mice or possibly squirrels so we set up a free inspection to determine the pest activity if any, and proposal for service if needed.

I get there and inspect the outside of the house then inside and find no evidence of a pest. The customer is insistent that he is hearing the noise and he really heard it just before I got there. He thinks it is coming from the attic.

So I go up in the attic and I find nothing. I tell the customer that I am going to stay quiet for a bit to find out if I can hear the squeaking. It’s July, I am in an attic sitting perfectly still for 15 minutes, the outside temperature reads 92 degrees, this means the attic is at least 120 degrees! After 15 min I am a good 2-3lbs lighter and I tell the customer I can’t see or hear anything so I am coming down. As I close the door to the attic the customer yells that he is hearing it again. I run to where he is and listen.

Is that the sound you hear? “YEP that’s it”, he replies. The sound you are hearing is coming from your VHS player!!! The customer apologized profusely. I suggested he go out and buy a DVD player!

Mike McGoldrick
Service Supervisor
Environmental Health Services, Inc.

Pest Control, RI, Pest Control, MA

Rats, Mice, and Robots
Boston University Researchers’ aim: replicate rodents’ location-finding sense, install it in robots

Biologically, says BU scientist Michael Hasselmo, it’s easy to see the benefit of accurate tracking of location. “If a rat is running down an alley and it finds a nice big garbage can filled with leftover Chinese food, it’s very useful to be able to find that location again,” he says. “And conversely, if he is walking down an alley and a cat comes out and chases him, he might want to remember where exactly he got chased."

Ultimately, he says, the goals of the MURI grant include understanding how rats keep track of their location and applying that mechanism to robots, so robots can work as a sidekick to soldiers searching dangerous buildings and alleyways. Ideally, the robots will navigate strange spaces and report back to their human colleagues on the exact locations of bombs and other dangers.

Source: BU Today – Science & Technology

George Williams
General Manager - Staff Entomologist

Pest Control, RI, Pest Control, MA

RESTAURANT TO BE SHUT DOWN OVER RODENT DROPPINGS

Call it a big but disgusting find for kitchen cops in Brownsville.

An eatery is busted with rodent droppings “all over” the kitchen area.

The New Courthouse Coffee Shop on 964 East Harrison scored 38 demerits.

It was the dirtiest kitchen featured this week by the Food Patrol.

Food handlers were caught wearing open-toe shoes and not wearing hairnets or washing hands.

A health inspector noted on the report how there were “a lot of rodent droppings all over the kitchen.”

Dirty photos of the kitchen area showed trails of droppings on the food prep table and torn bags of food believed to be from rodents.

The Food Patrol confronted the owner’s sister who was present during the health inspection.

Gracie Gutierrez admitted the kitchen was dirty.

She blamed a worker for not doing her “job.”

Food Patrol fans who saw the dirty photos called for the coffee shop which serves food to judges and attorneys to be shutdown.

Source = Valley Central.com

George Williams
General Manager - Staff Entomologist

Pest Control, RI, Pest Control, MA

Prisoner to Sue Over Rodent Bite

Even more of a reason to stay out of jail………

A judge in New York has allowed a man to proceed with a lawsuit claiming a rodent bit him on the penis while he was being held in prison.

District Judge Arthur Spatt denied Nassau County's motion to dismiss Peter Solomon's lawsuit, which claims officials did not take adequate steps to ensure the safety of inmates at the jail in East Meadow.

Solomon, who was jailed on a charge of menacing his wife in 2007, claims he was bitten by a rat or "similar rodent".

His 2008 lawsuit claimed the county was indifferent to rodent complaints from prisoners.

The county contended there was no evidence of rodents, but the judge said Solomon raised enough issues about pest control for the suit to proceed.

Source = Googlenews

George Williams,
General Manager - Staff Entomologist

Pest Control, RI, Pest Control, MA

We all know about the horrible Snakes on a Train movie that bombed in theaters. Perhaps rats on a train would do better? There is no doubt that the NYC subway system is loaded with rats, just spend some time at a subway stop and you will see plenty of them. NYC is no different than any other major city and rats in the subway. It is a perfect setting for them as it gives them warmth, food, and a great place to live.

I am very impressed with the toughness of New Yorker’s…..most people would be screaming if they were stuck on a train with a rat! These folks were amazingly calm, even the homeless dude.

Nicole White
Customer Care Specialist

Pest Control, RI, Pest Control, MA

Are Electric Cars Irresistible Beacons to Rats?

Next time you swing by your local electric car dealer, you may want to make sure your warranty covers damage by rodent. Cars.com's Joe Wiesenfelder didn't have that kind of coverage for his Chevy Volt (who would?), and it ended up costing him $600.

In the aptly named "A Rat Ate My Chevy Volt," Wiesenfelder tells of how he was alerted that his Volt, which was at a parking structure in downtown Chicago at the time, had disconnected from the grid and was no longer charging.

Turns out the culprit was a rat Wiesenfelder nicknamed "Chilly," as rats have been known to climb into the housing of cars or trucks to keep warm during these colder months.

Turns out, Chilly did a little more than just climb in:

This morning, Grossinger City Chevy of Chicago confirmed that Chilly the rat had indeed gnawed through a wiring harness in the engine compartment, causing, at minimum, the warning lights and rear defogger failure… Presumably, an electric car with a thermally managed battery will be a tempting nest long after an internal-combustion engine has cooled off.

Therein lies the problem. While electric vehicles charge, their batteries are kept at a specific temperature — not hot, but warm. That warmth makes a pretty alluring bed for rats. $600 worth of damage is nothing to shake a stick at, especially if it's something that could very well happen again

SOURCE = DVICE.COM

George Williams,
General Manager - Staff Entomologist

Pest Control, RI, Pest Control, MA

More Rodents Carrying Hantavirus Found

Six more rodents trapped by County Vector Control technicians last week have tested positive for the sometimes-deadly hantavirus, County officials said this week.

The rodents, four Harvest mice and two California Meadow Voles, were trapped in Fairbanks Ranch and northern Escondido near the San Luis Rey River bringing this year’s total to 16 rodents testing positive for hantavirus, a news release stated. In 2010, a total of 21 rodents tested positive for hantavirus.

“Recent rains have created an abundance of food for rodents, which can increase the rodent population,” said County Environmental Health Director Jack Miller. “More rodents can lead to more hantavirus.” People should never sweep up or vacuum rodent droppings and nesting materials. Instead, ventilate closed areas and use wet cleaning methods with a 10 percent bleach solution or other full strength disinfectant. The best way to prevent the disease is to keep mice out of houses, garages and sheds by sealing all holes larger than the size of a dime, the news release stated.

Wild rodents, primarily deer mice, carry hantavirus. People can contract it by inhaling dust particles from rodent droppings and nesting materials that contain the virus. The virus can cause hantavirus pulmonary syndrome (HPS), which begins with flu-like symptoms, but can graduate to severe breathing difficulties and even death, according to the news release. There is no vaccine or specific treatment for hantavirus and the national Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report that HPS has killed 36 percent of all the people known to have contracted the disease.

How to Avoid Exposure:

• Eliminate rodent infestations immediately.
• Avoid rodent infested areas. Do not stir up dust or materials that may be contaminated with feces and urine.
• Clean up rodent droppings and urine using the wet cleaning method described below.

Use “wet-cleaning” methods to prevent inhaling the virus:

• DO NOT SWEEP OR VACUUM INFESTED AREAS.
• Ventilate affected area by opening doors and windows for at least 30 minutes.
• Use rubber gloves. Spray a 10 percent bleach solution (2 tablespoons bleach to 1 cup of water), or other full strength disinfectant onto dead rodents, rodent droppings, nests, contaminated traps, and surrounding areas and let the disinfectant stand for at least 15 minutes before cleaning. Clean with a sponge or a mop.
• Place disinfected rodents and debris into two plastic bags, seal them and discard in the trash.
• Wash gloves in a bleach solution, then soap and water, and dispose of them using the same double-bag method. Thoroughly wash your bare hands with soap and water.

George Williams,
General Manager - Staff Entomologist

Pest Control, RI, Pest Control, MA

(click to enlarge image)

Rodents have lanolin on their fur that causes tell-tale rub marks in heavily traveled pathways. Lanolin is yellow viscous oil in the fur that is made of fatty acids and esters. It allows rodents to squeeze into tight voids & spaces with great ease.

We know that when we do a rodent inspection that this is one of the signs we look for to determine activity. The more frequently traveled in the same area means there will be a buildup of lanolin. To the untrained eye it looks like oil but to us it is an important find that will aid in control because it tells us that it is a rodent highway.

The attached image shows the rub marks leading under a wooden deck.

by Ryan Metterville, Service Specialist