Pests like rats and mice not only cause nuisances but also spread diseases and damage household items, leading to unnecessary financial burdens on consumers. Traditionally, there are many ways to control these animals that are effective but have safety, environmental, or regulatory limitations. Therefore, alternate pest control technologies are required.
A novel technology mentioned under patent application WO2020065314A1, titled “Rodenticide Bait Composition,” provides an alternate method to control rodents. The inventors, Bikramjit Singh and Heidi Fuentes of Reckitt Benckiser, a Fast-Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG) Company, developed an effective rodent control solution with minimum risk to humans or other non-target mammals.
The technology comprises a calcium salt, one or more dehydrants (Corn Gluten Meal & Carrageenan), a source of phospholipid (Soybean oil), and endogenous gas (Sodium bicarbonate) along with an attractant (Flour). The composition is in the form of a solid, preferably in the form of a pellet or a soft bait block.
As per the invention, the dehydrants absorb water from the rodent’s body and form a lump in the stomach, which cannot be easily metabolized. This results in a lack of available nutrition, leading to weight loss. The condition is further aggravated by endogenous gas, which weakens the body’s mechanism to selectively absorb nutrients. Consequently, the rodent’s body absorbs calcium, increasing its bioavailability. Phospholipids, known to bind calcium, further improve its bioavailability. Excess absorbed calcium is known to have lethal effects due to hypercalcemia. However, these salts are not toxic to humans or other non-target mammals at the dosages required to induce hypercalcemia in rodents.
This technology developed by Bikramjit Singh, and his team provides an alternate method to control rodents without safety, regulatory, and environmental limitations.
congratulations