The operators of a vegetable farm in Calixa-Lavallée, in the MRC de Marguerite-D’Youville, contacted our team after noticing significant damage to greenhouse crops and the contamination of seed bags stored in their storage building. Calixa-Lavallée, a small rural municipality in the Montérégie region neighbouring Verchères and Contrecœur, is a peaceful, mostly agricultural environment where active operations create transition zones conducive to rodents. Norway rats pose a serious threat to farms: they nibble on wooden structures and plastic ducts, contaminate food with their feces and urine, damage irrigation systems, and can spread diseases to farm workers. Our team adapted its intervention to the specific constraints of a continuous production operation, taking into account the crops in progress, the presence of staff and the strict traceability requirements of the Quebec agri-food sector. Our exterminator in Calixa-Lavallée coordinated the intervention the day after the call.
Inspection of farm buildings and storage areas
The inspection covered all of the farm’s structures: two vegetable production greenhouses, the seed and fertilizer storage building, the machinery garage, the outdoor silo and the immediate surroundings of the site. The rodent infestation inspection revealed an active colony that had established several burrows in the embankments surrounding the storage building, with deep galleries indicating long-term occupation. Substantial nibbling damage was found on ripped seed bags, PVC irrigation pipes punctured in several locations, and insulation under the floor of a greenhouse whose thermal integrity had been compromised, resulting in significant heat loss. Abundant biological traces, including fresh and old droppings in large quantities, urine detected by ultraviolet lamps and hairs embedded in the corners, testified to an old and widespread infestation in all the buildings inspected. The staff break room also showed traces, which required special attention in treatment planning to protect the health of the workers.
Treatment adapted to agri-food constraints
The treatment plan has been designed to respect active growing areas, impending harvest times for certain crops, and the requirements of agricultural certification programs to which the farm adheres. Outside, bait stations placed directly in the galleries and along the peripheries of the buildings were deployed with rodenticides that comply with environmental standards, at a safe distance from crops and water points. In the non-food storage buildings, a sufficient number of high-performance mechanical traps were deployed to cover all the flows identified. In the production greenhouses, only traps without chemical bait were allowed, in accordance with the requirements of organic certification and good agricultural practices. A detailed intervention record was kept up to date to ensure the required traceability. The methods used in agriculture are explained on the rat extermination page.
Closure of access points and a tailor-made preventive plan
After the colony was removed, caulking of the entry points included sealing the foundation cracks of the storage building with hydraulic mortar, reinforcing the greenhouse door sills with rodent-resistant aluminum door sill seals, and installing fine-mesh metal grilles on all the lower vents of the buildings. A bespoke pest prevention plan was developed for the farm, covering input and crop storage practices, end-of-season plant residue management, off-season structure maintenance and a quarterly inspection schedule that is tailored to the pace of the operation. For other achievements in an agricultural context, see our intervention on rats in a storage building in a rural area. At Nova Extermination, we understand the unique challenges of farms and we design each intervention to protect production, workers and the surrounding natural environment.