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San Mateo County Vector Control urges exclusion and inspections, discourages rodenticide use in Woodside
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Summary
San Mateo County Vector Control told Woodside residents that exterior rodent inspections are free as part of county services, technicians will identify entry points and signs of infestation, and the district discourages rodenticides in rural-natural areas while advising exclusion, trapping best practices and safe cleanup to reduce health risks.
Rachel Curtis Robles, communications director for San Mateo County Vector Control, spoke to Woodside residents about practical measures to keep rodents out of homes and the limits of the district’s services.
Robles began by explaining that the Vector Control district is an independent special district funded by property taxes and that many core services — including exterior rodent inspections and community education — are provided to residents at no extra charge. "We are an independent special district," Robles said, noting roughly 22 full-time staff serve the county.
She described the three rodent types the district encounters most in Woodside — non-native roof rats (good climbers), native wood rats (pack rats that build middens) and deer mice — and warned that cleaning droppings in outbuildings requires wetting down material to reduce hantavirus risk. "If you do need to do cleaning in an outbuilding, we want to make sure you're wetting down that material," Robles said.
On inspections and remedies, Robles said technicians perform exterior-only inspections, looking for fresh droppings, rub marks, gaps around pipes and poorly fitting vents. She recommended exclusion materials such as quarter-inch hardware cloth and steel wool around small gaps, trimming vegetation, keeping wood piles raised, storing pet food in metal containers and sealing food waste. "They're also very good chewers," she said, demonstrating why even dime-sized holes can be entry points.
About trapping and nonchemical control, Robles advised pre-baiting traps for neophobic roof rats, placing traps snug to walls and keeping traps out of reach of children and pets. She discouraged glue or sticky traps because of non-target harm and stressed frequent checking of traps to avoid decomposition and odors.
On rodenticides, Robles said the Environmental Protection Agency regulates pesticides and that labels are law: "If you're not following the label, you're breaking the law." She told Woodside attendees the district discourages rodenticide use in the town’s natural areas because of secondary effects on wildlife and that the district rarely recommends poisons in rural situations. Robles also said rodent birth-control products exist but require more study and careful deployment.
Robles answered audience questions about ground squirrels, bird feeders and wildlife cameras, reiterating that deliberately feeding wildlife is illegal under California law and advising residents to clean up spilled seed and rotate bird-bath water weekly to reduce mosquito and rodent attraction.
The Vector Control team left printed booklets, magnets with contact information and offered to deploy wildlife cameras or provide technician visits upon request. Residents were encouraged to call for an inspection or bring specific questions after the session.
No formal action or vote was taken during the meeting; the presentation was educational and focused on household- and property-level prevention steps.
