Knowledge of what pest species are eating is important to determine their impact on stored food products and to plan management strategies accordingly. In this study, we investigated the food habits of 2 rodents, Rattus rattus (ship rat) and Mus musculus castaneus (house mouse) as well as an insectivore, Suncus murinus (shrew), present in human dwellings. Both a microhistological approach and a DNA barcoding approach were used in the present study. Following DNA extraction, amplification was performed using group-specific primers targeting birds, plants and invertebrates. Resulting polymerase chain reaction products were sequenced and analyzed to identify the different prey species present in the gut contents. The findings from the application of both techniques were in agreement, but the detection of prey type with each technique was different. The DNA barcoding approach gave greater species-level identification when compared to the microhistological method, especially for the invertebrate and avian prey. Overall, with both techniques, 23 prey taxa were identified in the gut contents of the 3 species, including 15 plants, 7 insects and a single bird species. We conclude that with a selection of suitable "barcode genes" and optimization of polymerase chain reaction protocols, DNA barcoding can provide more accurate and faster results. Prey detection from either technique alone can bias the dietary information. Hence, combining prey information of both microhistological analysis and DNA barcoding is recommended to study pest diet, especially if the pest is an omnivore or insectivore species.

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Rodents are considered to be one of the most important pests in the agricultural system of Pakistan. The present study was conducted to assess the pre-harvest damage to maize and sugarcane crops. Also, a survey of farmers was conducted to assess their knowledge and understanding about rodent pest species. For estimation of crop damages, we selected 40 maize fields in two villages and 30 sugarcane fields in three villages of district Swabi. In maize fields, the average damage was found to be higher in village Guloo Deri as compared to village Baikot. In the case of sugarcane fields, the average damage was higher in the village Menai as compared to villages Ghoati and Jandaboka. However, these differences were statistically non-significant (p > 0.05) in both crops. In maize crops, two rodent species, including Rattus rattus (7) and Mus musculus (4) and one insectivorous species house shrew (Suncus murinus) (6) was captured. In sugarcane crops, there were three rodent species including R. rattus (2) and M. musculus, (2) Bandicota bengalensis (2) and a single insectivorous species house shrew (S. murinus) (5) caught. The results of the farmers’ survey shows that farmers consider insects to be the major pest in both crop fields and storage structures. Among the crops affected by rodents, wheat was reported to be the major crop followed by maize. Most of the farmers believed that rodent control is required and that crop losses can be minimized through pest control. In conclusion, for the effective management of rodent pests in the area, further investigation into rodent ecology and their damage to different growth stages of crops is necessary.

The house rat (Rattus rattus) is the major commensal rodent species present in rural habitats of Pakistan. Little is known about the biology of this species in the country. Hence, proper control plans for its management could not be developed. The objective of the present study was to determine the population biology of the house rat in rural commensal habitats of Pothwar, Pakistan. A two-year study was conducted in four villages during four seasons. A total of 217 house rats were captured with snap traps. The species had an unbiased sex ratio. Individuals from different age groups were present in the population, and the adults outnumbered sub-adults and juveniles. Reproductive activity was observed throughout the year, and reproductively active individuals outnumbered the inactive ones. These results show that rural commensal habitats were providing suitable environment for the house rats throughout the year. The findings of the present study will be useful for the planning of control strategies in the commensal habitats of rural Pothwar.