Nearly half a century ago anticoagulant rodenticides changed the nature of rodent control. Warfarin, and succeeding first-generation compounds, provided effective and increasingly safe baits for reducing commensal rodent populations. Environmental deficiencies were overridden by these "miracle" chemicals, but excessive and irresponsible use selected for resistant populations. Second-generation compounds with a single-feeding characteristic have controlled such resistant populations, at least initially. But use extensions to crop and field areas have been held back by registration requirements, costs, and concerns over local effects on predators. New compounds, formulations, and applications in the near future are likely to be quite limited.

A comprehensive rodent control program is being planned for a $4.4 billion highway-construction project in Boston, MA. This IPM program will include broad participation by project personnel, city and state agencies, and community groups. Surveys, public education, and sanitation improvements will begin more than a year before construction; baiting will begin approximately 3 months before construction. All control activities will be maintained until construction is complete. Mitigation of community impacts during construction projects is a growing concern, and improved approaches to construction-related rodent control are needed.