A vegetable farm operating in Mont-Saint-Hilaire, on the South Shore of Montreal, called on our services following significant damage caused by field mice in the greenhouses, harvesting warehouses and vegetable sorting building. Known for its location at the foot of Mont Saint-Hilaire and bordered by agricultural areas extending as far as Otterburn Park, this medium-sized family farm suffered product losses every fall due to field mouse incursions. However, the unusual intensity of the current season had pushed owners to look for a sustainable professional solution rather than limiting themselves to traditional control measures. Our company Nova Extermination has taken up the challenge of dealing with this complex agricultural context.
Particularities of an infestation in an agricultural environment
Intervention at a vegetable producer presents challenges that are distinct from those encountered in an urban or residential environment. Field mouse populations are naturally very important in the agricultural areas of the Montérégie, where crops provide an abundant source of food throughout the summer. In the fall, when the harvest is over and the soil cools, these populations migrate en masse to the heated structures. Our team in Mont-Saint-Hilaire completed an extensive inspection that covered all three greenhouses, machinery shed, refrigerated storage warehouse, rail yard and farmer’s house.
The field mice had tunneled into the substrate of the greenhouse walkways, nibbled on the low-pressure irrigation pipes, damaged the insulation of the walls of the yard and established bulky nests in the piles of harvested crates in storage. The presence of natural predators (birds of prey, foxes) on the estate partially limited the external pressure but was not enough to control such an advanced infestation inside the buildings.
Treatment protocol adapted to agriculture
In agricultural settings, constraints related to food production and the possible presence of sensitive livestock, farm animals or crops dictate specific treatment choices. For this farm in Mont-Saint-Hilaire, we opted for a strategy combining intensive mechanical traps indoors and secure bait stations outside, positioned exclusively in areas inaccessible to farm animals. The galleries in the greenhouses were targeted by underground traps specially designed to intercept field mice in their tunnels. This technique, which is more effective than surface traps in active greenhouses, allows individuals to be captured without disrupting production. The page on field mouse extermination presents the different approaches available depending on the context.
The exclusion work focused on the sorting building and the storage warehouse, where food products were directly threatened. The walls were inspected and all gaps larger than one centimetre were sealed. The service doors were equipped with metal weatherstripping. For the greenhouses, the installation of a physical barrier buried in tight-meshed mesh along the foundation perimeter was carried out to block the underground access galleries.
Results and seasonal strategy for growers
At the end of treatment and the three follow-up visits, field mice activity had been reduced to a manageable residual level without continued intervention. Damage to irrigation pipes has been repaired and product losses have ceased. The owners have adopted an annual preventive management program, starting each year in August before the fall migrations. This program includes preventive inspection, post-summer refurbishment of exclusion devices, and early activation of outdoor bait stations. For agricultural producers in the Mont-Saint-Hilaire region and nearby communities, a pest prevention plan adapted to the agricultural calendar represents a much more profitable investment than managing infestations declared every fall. Our achievements on field mice interventions in rural areas and our rodent files in an agricultural context illustrate our experience in this demanding sector.
Cohabitation with wildlife is a reality for Montérégie farmers, and field mice are an integral part of it. The objective of professional pest management is not to eliminate all rodents in the fields, which is illusory, but to maintain populations at a level that does not affect the integrity of buildings or the quality of crops. This reasoned approach, respectful of the agricultural environment, is at the heart of the philosophy we apply to each mandate on the South Shore. It makes it possible to reconcile quality food production and effective pest risk management.