Rats sometimes become more of a problem around construction because their existing burrows are disrupted by the digging. They need to find a new place to live. If there are rats in the area, talk with a PMP about installing exterior bait stations at the construction site before breaking ground.

Construction sites can be ideal habitats for other pests:

• Food for birds, rodents, and cockroaches is available in open dumpsters or where workers take lunch breaks.
• Pests arrive on wood or cardboard shipments.
• Piles of wood or cardboard become pest homes.
• Grade stakes, cardboard, and any other cellulose-based material touching the ground will feed termites.

Construction contractors should be mindful of waste, especially human food, wood, and cardboard.