What is SMART Rodent Control?

 “The rat had no morals, no conscience, no scruples, no consideration, no decency, no milk of rodent kindness, no compunctions, no higher feeling, no friendliness, no anything.” – E.B. White

It’s a rule as old as civilization: rats will eat what people won’t. Why should they risk their lives scavenging for food in the dangerous unknown when people will predictably provide them with piles of edible garbage day after day? When it comes to what they are willing to eat, rats are far less picky than people.  They will happily eat food that’s bad for them (which is one of the reasons they carry so many diseases), and they are not easily disgusted. Indeed, for many people, rats are more disgusting than the garbage they eat.

For as long as rats have been nibbling at the edges of society, people have been looking to keep them as far away as possible. As rat control methods evolved, the rodents have only bred faster, become more tenacious, and transformed into a significant problem in contemporary communities. If the hyperbolic headlines are to be believed, the rats are winning… which is why Viking Pest Control and the Anticimex family has reshaped the battle against the modern rat with new technology.

Anticimex SMART is an advanced rodent control system utilizing a variety of cutting-edge technologies in concert to solve today’s rodent problems more strategically, sustainably, and comprehensively.

It might help to think of SMART as a rodent security system. If an unwanted guest breaks into your home or business, you will want to know about it and devise a strategy to prevent further incursions regardless of if the intruder walks on two legs or four. While human invaders may steal or break your property, rodent invaders can spread filth and disease, damage your wiring (shutting off your power and elevating the risk of fire hazards), eat your food and garbage, and cause all sorts of property damage.

SMART detects rodent activity when and where it occurs so that it can be effectively prevented. Combining “the internet of things” with advanced passive sensor technology, SMART is scalable to function at residential, commercial, and municipal levels.

There are several advantages to SMART Technology:

1. It goes where you can’t. Pests hide in crawlspaces, wall voids, and ceiling gaps; places that can’t be seen with the naked eye and can’t be easily reached. Wouldn’t it be better if you had a device that could easily see where people can’t? Without digital know-how, you would have to rely on “best guesses” and “gut feelings.” This leads to slower and less comprehensive results.

2. Always on. – Even the pest control professionals with the keenest eye for detail can’t observe rodent problem areas 24/7. Like other humans, they need to eat and sleep. Many pests are nocturnal and don’t come out when people can see them. SMART never takes a break and is always active. If there is rodent activity SMART will detect it whenever it happens, providing valuable insight into pest activity that simply can’t be acquired by traditional means. If a tree falls in the SMART pest control forest, and a technician isn’t there to hear it, we can confidently tell you that it does make a sound.

3. Sustainability. – SMART is clean, reusable, and can be easily relocated.

In the home, SMART excels at verifying potential rodent problem areas. Utilizing a system of passive sensors, SMART reports rodent activity to Viking’s office as it occurs, letting us know when and where there is a problem, so we can schedule an appointment to handle your rodent problem. Early detection equates to faster control as quickly reproducing pests are dealt with before they can multiply and become a bigger problem.

In a commercial context, SMART can be scaled upwards to meet the demands of office buildings, professional kitchens, medical and pharmaceutical facilities, food processing plants, warehouses, retail establishments, and more, all with the same benefits of being cleaner, more accurate, and always on. Seasonally, many pests are driven into commercial facilities by the cold in the fall and winter months. Quick and accurate detection is crucial to curtailing rodent problems when they begin.

Another common source of pests comes from the frequent deliveries that are a common part of every business. Even a business that keeps its premises pristine and doesn’t allow food on site can have mice and rats brought in with deliveries. The rodents may not be immediately visible or detectable when the box arrives, but they can easily chew their way in and out of boxes when no one is looking. Viking can find these pests as soon as they emerge through the strategic placement of SMART monitoring devices.

Finally, the SMART Cities program is designed to work at a municipal level, able to detect and control rodents both above and below city streets. This program includes specialized SMART devices designed to work in the sewers connected to our network, letting us know where rat activity lurks, even underground!

While SMART is designed primarily with rodents in mind, it can track other kinds of pest activity. For example, influencer Claire Tammaro’s SMART system not only detected her home’s rodent issues but found an opossum living in a crawl space under her house. SMART is also becoming more advanced, with new SMART devices designed to trap and detect various crawling and flying pests beginning to make their way into the field.

In conclusion, Anticimex SMART Pest control is a valuable solution for homes, businesses, and communities looking to tackle pest problems more sustainably and effectively. By utilizing technology and data to detect, monitor, and control pests, the SMART system offers a more targeted, less disruptive, and environmentally friendlier approach to rodent management.