Predators and their food source
Predators are where their food is – especially rats. It is therefore really important to collect up dropped fruit, nuts and any food sources readily available to rodents, and dispose of them in a manner that leaves them unavailable to rodents.
The below is taken from a wonderful blog from a friend in the area I have met. A timely reminder, especially at this time of the year to stay vigilant with your rodent control.
“We have about 20 chestnut trees in a group about 100m long down one side of the street, and a large kiwifruit orchard alongside the chestnuts. I got about 20 rats there this time last year. The ground is covered with sharp, prickly burrs that have now opened with masses of nuts available for hungry rats. The burrs are lethal and can penetrate gloves, so I don’t know how rats move through them. I generally sweep runways to clear the ground to the trap boxes.
“I am using a couple of Predator Free BOP boxes with Victor Pro traps, as well as six corflute boxes with Kness Snap-e traps. I reckon they are a real winner as they are so easy to make and shift around, and the rats seem to enjoy the internal features of real estate advertising! Snap-e or Victor traps are used with my peanut butter lure mix. These traps are easy for anyone to make.
“In the last couple of weeks, I have killed 23 ship rats and may have wounded a few more that pulled out.
“I had a look at a YouTube clip that was on the Predator Free site – The Cacophony Project – it is worth a look and might explain why our traps are often empty – it seems that 90% or more animals walk straight past our traps. Thus we can not assume we have got them all.”
The Whaka Pest Trap Library, a Whakamārama Communicy Inc (WCI) initiative, is open the last Sunday of the month from 3-5pm at 469 Whakamārama Road. Happy trapping.