READING, Pa., Oct. 28, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Recent data from Rentokil’s Commercial State of the Rodent Report1 reveals a converging compliance reality for facility managers today. Analyzing nearly 650,000 commercial service visits from 2025, the report shows how shifting climate patterns and urban waste dynamics have turned rodent activity into a year-round threat. At the same time, expanding state-level bans on traditional rodenticides continue to gather momentum across the U.S., creating a critical gap between escalating pest pressure and increasingly restricted chemical solutions.
“Rodent behavior isn’t uniform across the country; a facility dealing with drought in the West faces entirely different pressures than a logistics hub navigating urban containerization laws in the Northeast,” said Emory Matts, Board Certified Entomologist and Technical Services Manager at Rentokil North America. “Safeguarding brand reputation requires operations leaders to align their defense with localized environmental drivers, replacing passive baiting with region-specific, and even site-specific, physical exclusion and smart digital monitoring.”
Mapping the Threat: 2025 State Commercial Rankings
Validating the need for site-specific defense, the report’s state-by-state data illustrates how regional density compounds pest pressure. While the list includes several repeat offenders, four new states scurried their way into the top 10, highlighting a geographic expansion of commercial risk.The top 10 states with the highest level of commercial rodent activity:
- Pennsylvania
- Wisconsin
- California
- New York
- Maryland
- Washington (New)
- Illinois
- Ohio (New)
- Oregon (New)
- Texas (New)
Closing the Gap: The Multi-Layered Defense Playbook
As commercial risk expands across key economic hubs, traditional reactive treatments are failing to keep pace. Rentokil’s proprietary technology and modern defense framework replace periodic baiting with continuous perimeter protection:
- Proprietary Perimeter Protection (Flexi Armour™): Knitted stainless steel mesh permanently seals dock levelers, utility penetrations, and micro-cracks as small as a dime where standard rubber sweeps and foams fail.
- Continuous Digital Monitoring (PestConnect): Wireless 24/7 infrared sensors instantly detect perimeter breaches and dispatch technicians directly to the entry point, resolving activity up to twice as fast as monthly checks.2
- Verifiable Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) Impact: Real-time digital alerts replace static bait stations, reducing commercial rodenticide use by up to 60%.3
- Audit-Ready Documentation: Cellular IoT arrays operate independently of corporate networks to generate automated, tamper-proof logs for third-party audits.
Unlocking Operational ROI
Transitioning from reactive extermination to proactive structural defense delivers immediate, measurable bottom-line value. Intercepting intruders at the building perimeter can help prevent thousands of dollars in chewed electrical wiring, inventory destruction, and unscheduled facility shutdowns. At the same time, automated digital logging can eliminate manual audit preparation, protect brand reputation and help facilities stay compliant year-round.
Click here to download the full commercial report and actionable defense strategies, or visit Rentokil North America’s YouTube page to explore its educational video series on modern pest defense.
1Results based on reported rodent counts at Rentokil-serviced U.S. locations from January 2025 to December 2025, as well as the number of new U.S. rodent services performed in 2025 (through mid-December) v. 2024 for Rentokil commercial customers. Does not include data from AK, HI, or Washington D.C. Variations may be based, in part, on fluctuating customer counts between 2024 and 2025.
2Based on a comparison of the total average (in days) of rodent activity duration at Rentokil Initial customer sites across the UK transitioning from widely pre- or partially-connected (2017-2019) to fully connected pest control (in 2022). Results may vary.
3Based on the percentage decrease between the average rodenticide bait used at Rentokil Initial customer sites across the UK transitioning from pre- or partially-connected (from 2017-2019) to fully connected pest control (in 2022). Results may vary.
About Rentokil Terminix
Rentokil Terminix is North America’s leading residential and commercial services provider. The company provides health, hygiene, environment, and pest management services, including protection against termites, bed bugs, mosquitoes, rodents and other pests. It is part of Rentokil Initial plc (NYSE: RTO), one of the largest business services companies in the world. To learn more, visit EnhancedPestControl.com or linkedin.com/company/rentokilterminix.
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