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Rodent Fumigation Using Sulfuryl Fluoride

November 2023 Edition: By:  Jeff Waggoner, ACE

How do you decide if fumigation is right for control of rodents at your facility? Aren’t fumigations expensive? Don’t you have to shut down for a week? Won’t the chemical get all over the product? We have traps out, they will catch them, won’t they? Can’t we put out more traps to catch them? What about rodenticide or peanut butter or something?

All good questions and with good intentions, but if you have 1,000,000 ft2 and $millions of product in your distribution facility, then your risk/reward calculation is pretty simple. There are just too many locations where rodents can harbor to make inspection, trapping and removal feasible. I am not saying that you should not perform due diligence. We confirmed damage, we inspected everything in the area. Similar product throughout the facility has been identified and inspected. We deploy additional trapping and inspect inbound load. There are many functions that need to occur and perhaps fumigation is avoided. But if not, fumigation is most likely your best solution. In most cases, a rodent fumigation can be conducted on any given weekend. A scenario where the facility is sealed and fumigated on a Friday evening after normal operations can typically be opened to begin aeration after 18-24 hours. This leaves ample time to complete aeration prior to resuming operations at 0700 on Monday.

What makes the decision to perform a rodent fumigation seem like an easy one? Well, rodents are quite easy to kill with sulfuryl fluoride. The result of a successfully and safely performed fumigation is a complete reset to zero activity. This eliminates the spread of any activity and reduces the risk of a brand-damaging public event. The 36CT that is required to achieve 100% efficacy is at a very competitive price point per cubic foot vs a comparable high rate of fumigation for insects. 

Some insects require 40x as much accumulated CT (Concentration x Time) as rodents and the cost can be significant. Most of the fixed costs are the same. Labor, materials and other costs that may be associated with your unique facility, safety requirements and location will vary slightly but the cost of the fumigant itself will not be cost prohibitive compared to the cost of a recall.

Sulfuryl Fluoride is a gas and thus enters spaces where pests harbor and also vacates those spaces upon aeration. SF works so well because the molecules don’t bind or react with target environments or commodities. SF is limited to specific uses and is safe based on a lot of testing conducted during the initial approval process and subsequent re-registrations that occur at least every 15 years. These re-registrations ensure that the purpose of any pesticide has not changed and that new data still supports environmental, user and consumer safety. Despite there being many pesticides on the market, only two remain that can be used on commodities and facilities for the control of rodents. Specialized monitoring devices detect both high and low levels. High-level monitoring ensures the target organism is controlled and ensures maximum levels are not exceeded while low-level monitoring devices permit safe re-entry once aeration is complete. Safety is paramount for anyone conducting fumigation work and cannot be emphasized enough throughout the process.

Our fumigations are conducted following a strict process. Onsite Assessment, Proposal, Approval, Notification, FMP, FumPro, Site Preparation, Gas Introduction, Pest Exposure, Gas Aeration, Fumigant Usage Documentation and Invoicing. Each step should be completed before moving to the next and good communication and coordination are key to a successful application. Many facility managers are simply not familiar with fumigation and simply don’t want to deal with the perceived challenges. I assure you that when you work with a professional company and experienced fumigators, the experience will be a pleasant one and the effective results will be a welcome relief.  

Many general pest management companies do not have fumigation as part of their service capabilities due to the specialized training and licensing required. However, do not let this dissuade you from considering facility fumigation when the action is justified. Food safety laws now require producers to be proactive and preventative regarding threats to food integrity. The decision to treat facilities that are experiencing elevated levels of pest activity shouldn’t be clouded in speculation and assumptions that fumigants are too dangerous. There are competent fumigators out there who can help get you back on the right track safely and efficiently.

For more information on rodent fumigation, visit us at www.FSSZone.com or the manufacturer’s site for sulfuryl fluoride at www.ProFume.com.