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 

Defending itself from a lawsuit claiming that an Illinois man found a dead mouse inside a can of Mountain Dew, PepsiCo contends that a rodent would have disintegrated and been transformed into a “jelly-like” substance between the time of the soft drink’s bottling and the day the plaintiff reportedly purchased the soda from a vending machine at his office. In a court response to a motion filed by Ronald Ball--who claims to have found the dead mouse in a Mountain Dew can about three years ago--PepsiCo filed a fascinating/revolting affidavit from Lawrence McGill, a veterinarian who noted that he was “familiar with the effects an acidic fluid, such as common soda drinks including Mountain Dew, will have on mice and other animals.”

According to McGill, if a mouse is submerged in Mountain Dew between four and seven days, the rodent “will have no calcium in its bones and bony structures.” During those days of soft drink immersion, “the mouse’s abdominal structure will rupture.” Additionally, “its cranial cavity (head) is also likely to rupture within that time period,” McGill noted.

After 30 days exposure to Mountain Dew, “all of the mouse’s structures” would have disintegrated to the point that it would not be recognizable. In fact, “the mouse will have been transformed into a ‘jelly-like’ substance.” The only part of the rodent that could possibly survive, added McGill, was “a portion of the tail.”

PepsiCo contends that Ball, 52, opened his can of Mountain Dew 74 days after it was bottled at a PepsiCo facility in St. Louis. The company alleges that Ball has provided “no evidence” that the mouse was inside the can when it was sealed in August 2008.

In his Illinois Circuit Court lawsuit, which is pending in Madison County, Ball alleges that he opened the Mountain Dew can, “took a drink, and immediately became violently ill such that he began to vomit.” Subsequent to Ball being stricken, “the contents of said can of Mountain Dew were immediately poured into a styrofoam cup wherein a dead mouse was found.”

The rodent was eventually turned over by Ball to a PepsiCo insurance adjuster. McGill, pictured above, subsequently examined the animal and concluded that it was a young mouse or rat, no older than four weeks old at the time of its death. The rodent, according to his affidavit, had not even been born when the Mountain Dew can was sealed, and was already dead when it “entered the Mountain Dew fluid.”

McGill reported that the pH level of Ball’s Mountain Dew can was 3.43, which according to the veterinarian “indicates the fluid was acidic and within the normal range for Mountain Dew.”

George Williams,
General Manager - Staff Entomologist

Pest Control, RI, Pest Control, MA 

Rat Infestation Closes a Pet Store & Restaurant

Satisfied that a Decatur-area pet store had done what was necessary to eliminate a rat infestation, a DeKalb County judge on Wednesday said the store can reopen.

Now, the owner of Melton’s App & Tap next door to the Pet Supermarket in the Medlock Plaza shopping center must decide whether to take what he said would be “the gamble of my life” – spending the money to repair and reopen his restaurant.

Aaron Melton voluntarily closed his eatery, at 2500 N. Decatur Road, on Nov. 6 after a customer spotted a rat there.

“Early next week, I will basically have to make my decision as to whether we will move forward,” Melton told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution in a phone interview.

“I have to talk to a lot of people – my family, my staff, get a feel for what our patrons and supporters are feeling, and look at all the finances – and take all that into consideration, and make this decision,” he said.

Melton said it would be at least four weeks before he can reopen. He has estimated the entire episode would cost him more than $100,000.

Earlier Wednesday, DeKalb Superior Court Judge Daniel Coursey Jr. heard testimony from witnesses for Pet Supermarket that the store had done all the necessary repairs – sealing exit and entry points and a common wall – to resolve the rat problem and keep rodents out of Melton’s.

Channel 2 Action News, which covered the hearing, reported that one witness said between 300 and 500 rats had been trapped in the store a 30-day period earlier this year.

But another witness, pest inspector Chad Walden, told the court, “The last two rats that were alive in that store died of poison, and there has not been any evidence of any rats since then.”

The judge instructed the store not to throw away loose pet food in the trash receptacles outside.

Efforts were being made Wednesday evening to contact an attorney for Pet Supermarket for comment.

In a prior interview, Melton said he had never had a rodent problem in the 17 years his restaurant had been open until July, when his employees discovered a hot dog bag that had been broken into. Signs of a rodent invasion continued, despite efforts by Melton’s to secure its food and space against contamination.

Eventually, the shopping center owner brought in a pest specialist who traced the problem to openings where rodents were entering the building, and to the Pet Supermarket next door, where rats had gotten into pet food, Melton said.

Things got so bad, Melton hired a lawyer, went to court and got a judge’s injunction shutting Pet Supermarket down on Oct. 20. The court ordered the store to remain closed until it eradicated the rat problem.

“I have a big gamble, a big decision to make,” Melton said Wednesday. “After we’ve spent all our money reinvesting in the restaurant, if something like this happens again, we’ll never recover from it.”

Source = atlantajournalconstitution.com

Early Arrival of Winter Weather Drives Rodents Indoors

Across the country, chilly temperatures and early snowstorms are forcing more than just people indoors. Rodents including mice, rats and squirrels are seeking food, water and shelter in homes. Unfortunately, more bad weather could be on the way as the Farmers' Almanac is forecasting a season of unusually cold and stormy weather. The National Pest Management Association (NPMA) encourages homeowners to take the necessary steps to protect themselves and their families from rodent infestations during colder months.

"Rodents invade an estimated 21 million homes in the United States every winter," said Missy Henriksen, vice president of public affairs for NPMA. "But with many places already experiencing cold weather conditions, it is important to be proactive and vigilant in preventing these pests from becoming unwelcome houseguests."

The accumulation of feces from mice and rats can spread bacteria and contaminate food sources. These rodent droppings are known to trigger allergies and cause diseases including Hantavirus and Salmonella. In addition to health risks, rodents can chew through wallboards, cardboard, wood and even electrical wiring, increasing the risk of a house fire.

NPMA offers the following tips to avoid a rodent infestation:

• Store items in boxes and plastic sealed containers, rather than cardboard boxes.
• Keep food in airtight containers and dispose of garbage regularly.
• Install screens over chimney vents and openings.
• Seal cracks and holes on the outside of the home, including areas where utilities and pipes enter the home.
• Replace loose mortar and weather stripping around basement foundation and windows.
• Install gutters or diverts to channel water away from your home.
• Store firewood at least 20 feet from the home and five feet off the ground.
• Inspect wires, insulation and walls for any signs of gnaw marks.
• If you find rodent feces, hear sounds of scurrying in the walls or observe other signs of an infestation, contact a licensed pest professional.

For more information about household pests and to find a local pest professional, visit www.pestworld.org.

The NPMA, a non-profit organization with more than 7,000 members, was established in 1933 to support the pest management industry's commitment to the protection of public health, food and property.

SOURCE: National Pest Management Association (NPMA)

George Williams,
General Manager - Staff Entomologist

Pest Control, RI, Pest Control, MA