Mice and rats are sometimes idolized in our current culture and media. Who among us has not enjoyed cute rodents such as Mickey, Minnie, Mighty, Fival, Ben, Willard, and numerous others -- including our rodent household pets? That helps to explain why some humans want to protect these rodents. What is amazing is that the public at large does not know how closely these animals live with us or how they have affected us over history. We refer to them as "commensal" rodents. The word commensal means, "sharing ones table." This is an appropriate term because rodents have been sharing our food and shelter throughout most of our history.

Rodents are well known as "health pests" and have been responsible for, or implicated in the spread of, many diseases to domestic animals and people. History has made most of us are well aware of the Plague or Black Death but there are other illnesses including murine typhus, rickettsial pox, salmonellosis, rat bite fever, leptospirosis, trichinosis, and the more familiar, hantavirus.

Today, there are still cases of humans falling ill from rodent borne diseases; however sanitation, drugs and effective rodent and insect control programs, have played a significant role in reducing our risk. In fact, the reason for controlling rodents has changed from health hazards to, believe it or not, economic factors.

The Economic Pest
Being a disease vector can vilify rodents, and this is certainly important, but the primary way rodents affect us today is economically. They attack our food while it is in the field, orchards, farms, and ranches; during its storage, processing, and transport; and while it is in our homes, restaurants, and retail food outlets. They rob us blind any chance they get. Rodents live off us by stealing our valuable resources and then in doing so, they contaminate much more of our products with their feces, urine, and hair. Rats and mice destroy an enormous amount of food -- enough each year to feed approximately 200 million people.

Rodents invade buildings, damaging doors, floors, walls, and ceilings in their path. They can even cause fires when they chew through wires. They have been rightfully blamed for serious power blackouts, damaged equipment, explosions, and floods when pipes are chewed. With today's high-tech facilities, rodents are capable of causing millions of dollars in losses in a short amount of time by crashing computer-controlled equipment and other sensitive devices. And you thought there were only computer viruses to fear.

Controlling rodents begins with sanitation, the cornerstone of any prevention program. Sanitation limits access to food, water and places of harborage. How humans live can determine if rodent populations will be a problem or stay under control. Sanitation is critical in keeping these rodents off the table and out of our structures.

With all the health-associated costs and risks and direct economic losses caused by rodents, these pests are not inexpensive to control. Over 120 million dollars is spent every year in the United States on rodent control programs, a necessary expense given the dangerous alternative. Understanding the realities about rodents paints a clearer, not-so-cute picture than their cartoon counterparts.