3 INDICATORS OF PEST INFESTATION

3.1 Rodents
As rats and mice move around in their living environment, scurrying from food sources to their nests and shelter, they leave behind characteristic traces that betray their presence. These are called rodent signs and are useful in determining the presence and degree of rodent infestation inside structures. Since rats and mice are secretive and come out after dark, we rarely see them directly. However, family members of farm households should be aware of rodents in the farm structures, since in their daily activities they should see signs of rodents. Especially at night, they should be aware of the foraging activities of rodents in the household, sighting them in the structures or hearing their squeaks, gnawings, and rustlings. Some of the evidence observers should look for are detailed below.

3.1.1 Droppings
Fecal droppings are found wherever rodents are active - along their pathways, near walls, and near food and shelter. If the droppings are of several sizes it may indicate animals of different ages or it could indicate an infestation of several species of rodents. Rat droppings are usually 10-15 mm (or about 1/2 inch) in length, while those of mice are only 3-6 mm (about 1/8 inch) long. Numbers of droppings are not very useful in estimating the size of the infestation, since they may have accumulated over a considerable period of time. However, if the area is swept clean and examined the next day, some idea of numbers may be estimated. In general, roof rats make 37-60 droppings daily, house mice drop about 50 or so. Rodent droppings are one of the main contaminants of food stuffs, especially grains.

3.1.2 Runways
Runways are frequently traveled routes. Rodents leave greasy fur marks where they repeatedly use the same paths to and from food. These greasy smears persist as marks on beams, pipes, vertical boards where they climb into lofts, and around gnawed holes they use to go through walls. 

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