Preparation for those little furry vermin

by Shirley Frater,
February 25th 2012

This year the rats and mice seem to be invading early February, and we cannot believe how much poison is being eaten. We're not sure if that's a sign of the weather to come or what's been.

We have had a real invasion of the little beasties, thankfully not inside but in the garden. Rats will eat bread, pet food and meat scraps before attacking the vegetables. Corn, pumpkins, sunflowers and strawberries are their favourites.

There are six bait stations around our King Edward Street section and a supply of the blue baits is consumed in a week. We learnt a lesson several years ago about having baits not very confined or crushed - the rats carted then away without eating them and a lovely nest was found in the wood heap. We prefer them to have instant food not take-a-ways.

If you're not using a commercial bait station, a covered container with a small hole and the baits crushed works quite well. It's a good idea to put a stone in to weigh the container down so it can't be dragged around, and then to place away from where children, pets and hedgehogs may have access.

We have found that farming supply retail outlets have good value prices for bait. CRT have the best buys, at about $13 for a small bucket, but it's very expensive at the supermarket or Mitre 10.

As the weather cools, rats and mice are very quick to find a warm place.

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