IMAGE: PPMA

Are you ready for Rodent Awareness Week, 2020 edition?

The Professional Pest Management Alliance (PPMA), which serves as the public outreach arm of the National Pest Management Association (NPMA), is working to educate consumers about the dangers and health threats associated with rats and mice during Rodent Awareness Week: Oct. 18-24, 2020. As the PPMA notes in a news release: “With Americans altering their regular activities in response to the global pandemic, many food sources previously relied upon by rodents can no longer provide a steady supply, forcing them to move indoors in droves in search of sustenance.”

According to new research conducted on behalf on the NPMA by Advanced Symbolics Inc., there were more than 11 million online engagements on the topic of rats as a health and home issue in July 2020, and a 16 percent increase in rodent sightings in the kitchen in homes across America during that same timeframe.

“Rodent Awareness Week is an opportune time for pest control companies to encourage public vigilance against mice and rats, especially given this year’s spike in activity due to the COVID-19 pandemic,” The PPMA Executive Director Cindy Mannes said in a news release. “As we head into the fall and winter months, where rodent infestations are particularly prevalent, we encourage all pest control companies to help educate consumers on the dangers associated with an infestation and the importance of promptly contacting a professional if one is suspected.”

The PPMA will be dedicating all PestWorld social media pages to sharing important rodent information, facts and prevention tips during Rodent Awareness Week. Pest control companies can help further the cause by also focusing their social media content on rodents throughout the week, and use the hashtag #RodentAwareness in all posts.