Severe rat infestation

[Macaroon]

About ten days ago I came home for a late breakfast, and whilst gazing from the kitchen window I saw a large rat prowling the garden as if he owned it; I've had the odd rat out there from time to time but it's never been a major concern so I wandered out and put a bait station out to sort it.

A couple of days later, I was doing the same thing and to my horror and amazement there were at least half a dozen full grown buggers out there, bold as brass and unconcerned when I went out to see if I could spot holes and runs and they took a fair bit of stick rattling and stamping to get them to bolt. Over the next week or so I've discovered loads of new diggings and plenty of runs coming under the fence to the garden next door and the paddock behind the house; there have been up to a dozen at a time running about in broad daylight and the garden looks like there's been a JCB out there.

I've put out numerous baited boxes and checked them daily, and the little sods have been devouring it greedily so it's doing it's job. There was a noticeable decline in activity today and they've slowed up their uptake of the bait so at least it seems I've begun to get on top of the problem.

When they're "done", I'm going to have to have a very thorough clean up out there, and I'm having a difficult time with getting any information about the effects of the poison on the soil, and the time it takes to decay after use, or even if it does decay at all???

Anybody out there who has any idea of the likely residual effects of this stuff?

 

[Janne]

What is the active agent?
Warfarine?
If yes it has a half time of about 2 months in nature.

 

[mrcharly]

When you say 'bait station', I assume you mean the enclosed boxes?

I would have thought that digested warfarin would not be active any longer.

Warm, wet weather will increase the numbers of rats visible. Flooded holes etc drive them out and the warmth means there is plenty of food.

 

[Drain Bamaged]

Rat control was one of the few things that the damn Mink were good for.

D.B.

 

[Mike313]

We have a rat issue along our garden hedge and we used to get the council pest control officer to come out and put poison down. Your local council will almost certainly have a pest control officer who can help with eradication (only works temporarily) or with advice on poison. Over the past year we haven't had as much of a problem but we put that down to our neighbours having acquired 3 cats that patrol the hedgerow. However, yesterday I did notice a hole very near the patio (where my other half puts out food for the hedgehogs) so I think the rats have tunnelled from the hedgerow to the patio. Time for another call to the pest control officer.

 

[Macaroon]

It's not Warfarin, most rats are apparrently immune now, or have learned not to eat it; Difenacoum is one type I've used and the other is a similar chemical which inhibits the uptake of vitamin K, and so is both more humane and more effective (if you can believe the blurb). And yes, I've used enclosed bait stations so as to observe the "no target species" rule......I've also had to put some poison down the holes and in the enclosed parts of the runs. The trouble is that the rats then take food away and hide/store it, that's juat what they do. That's ok when they take it to their nest, but that's not always the case and it can get spread around a fair bit. It then loses that bright green and blue colour after a while and it's impossible to know for sure where some of it may end up.

I don't want to have to not grow edibles there, but I'm afraid I may have to give it a turn of the seasons at least before I do so.

I am aware of the habits of these rodents and have had some experience of control/eradication by dogs/ferrets/guns in the past, but the situation is now that due to chemo treatment for severe liver disease I have to avoid contact with the bloody things for fear of the Leptospirosis thing, which means that the old remedies are no longer available to me.

I'll have to do some deeper searches and perhaps contact the companies that make the stuff and get it clear in my head. Thanks for the input

 

[Janne]

Hmm. No clue, but will do a bit of search on my medical sites.

I find that Lead is a good way to dispose of rats and other vermin, and it does it in a far more humane way.
Dispensed by an Air rifle - silent.
They say it is humane to use poison, but if you have seen an animal that is dying from poison you will realize it is the worst way to die.

Even Rat traps, the old fashioned type, are quick and efficient.

 

[Drain Bamaged]

Macaroon, I am not trying to scare monger or anything, I may not even be completely correct, I am only passing on what I was told/warned about wail's disease and that is/was You do not need to come into direct contact with the carrier (in this case rats) but only need contact with what the carrier has been in contact with....the disease can survive (at least short term) in soil, water etc. (basically anywhere the Rat has carped or Pee'd) it does however need a break in the skin to infect you so gloves are your friend when working around area's that the Rats may have used. It can also infect by oral entry (I was warned as an angler with regards to biting line and using teeth on split shot etc) I appreciate you are more than likely fully aware of this but it doesn't hurt to point it out as I assume others will not be as informed.

D.B.

 

[Joonsy]

here is a lot of information on the uses and effects and environmental issues regarding Difenacoum (don't know if it's any use to you). Scroll well down the page to section 2:3 ''Environmental Transport, Distribution and Transformation'' and to quote from that it says ''Difenacoum does not enter the atmosphere, because of its low volatility. It is practically insoluble in water. Difenacoum is bound to soil particles and is not taken up by plants. The rate of degradation is relatively slow and depends on soil type. Residues in crops have never been detected in field studies.''

link about Difenacoum http://www.inchem.org/documents/hsg/hsg/hsg095.htm

it's best to read the whole article, if it's any use to you that is. I once had a rat problem from neighbours, I put down rat poison (the sort bought from farmers supplies) and while it worked temporarily they returned after a while, the problem I found was that I never knew how good the poison was working (despite it being eaten) if bodies were not found, so I used mark 4 fenn traps which were good as I could see the dead bodies hence knew it was working, in the end the neighbours called the council round and poison was put down the holes and the holes entrances filled in, it did the trick but as I was out when the pest control came round I do not know what type of poison they used but is was very effective.

See if any info in that link is helpful to you.

 

[Drain Bamaged]

I made myself several live catch traps based on or around the Monarch rat trap really quite easy to knock up out of half inch monoweld and a bit of garden wire. the beauty of these is you can get multiple catches, (especially young rats) you know exactly where you stand as to what is being killed and what isn't and the traps last for years...the only problem is they are not for the squeamish.

D.B.

 

[Macaroon]

@ Joonsy; that's a great link, thank you and I'll have a read a little later.

@ D.B.; I'm very well versed in all things Weill's disease, as the consequences of me getting it would be dire. Just one of many reasons this is a very awkward thing to deal with, I have to be suited and gloved and clean everything meticulously each time I go outside, and it's a real pain. But you're dead right, valuable info. for anybody that doesn't already know these things.

The local council doesn't have anything to do with pest control any more, (cutbacks), they just refer you to the companies who do it and they charge a lot of money and as you pay per visit, they visit very often!
Live trapping would be the preferred option, but the contact with the live rats and subsequent killing and disposal just increases the risk of contact for me.

 

[awarner]

Live trapping of rats is one thing I would not do personally, I've done that in the past when I worked on a chicken farm and they are nasty buggers when cornered. Do you have an air rifle for the ones you see in addition to poison? they may deter them from entering your garden.

 

[Macaroon]

Just bought a cheapo Turkish .22 this morning for that very purpose; I can't go near the live ones, too risky!!!

 

[Richard Francis Burton]

Poor ol' Ratty... just trying to get by. Indomitable little fellows, aren't they. Even the wrath of Man-kind seems to roll of their back, as if just an insignificant drop of rain.

In a way... you got to admire their fortitude.

 

[Toddy]

….now if they would only acquire birth control……

 

[Samon]

Poor ol' Ratty... just trying to get by. Indomitable little fellows, aren't they. Even the wrath of Man-kind seems to roll of their back, as if just an insignificant drop of rain.

In a way... you got to admire their fortitude.

Well said, I agree. As much as we dislike their presence we should admire their survival skills.

Regarding the 'problem'.. ooh nothing a good grade poison and a night time shooting spree can't help. Plenty of people would jump for the chance to shoot rats on private property! And it sounds like you may have a large space to do some rat blasting..?

 

[Macaroon]

I admire Ratty's survival skills and huge intelligence greatly, but they really are a threat to human health, much more so than many realise. Much as I need to get rid of them as a matter of real urgency I'd never take any pleasure in the killing of them and could never see it as sport.

Most animals seem to have an innate wariness and sometimes fear of Ratty, and there's a good reason for that; They're part of nature's clean-up crew and so are carriers of all the "yuk" stuff that goes with that role.

I have a feeling that humans hate and fear them because, in modern life at least, their vast numbers are directly due to and a reflection of our affluenza-fuelled frenzy of thrown away fast food etc.

 

[Richard Francis Burton]

….now if they would only acquire birth control……

Ha..! perhaps we could organise some seminars, perhaps some Family planning propaganda we could facilitate.

 

[Samon]

Unfortunately for the rats and fortunately for those with a rat problem, there are many many people who enjoy the 'sporting' side to rat shooting. Done right, it can be extremely effective at depleating the stragllers after poisoning and imo more humane than posion by a loooong stretch.

I've taken out rats in the past with traps, guns etc and I always felt I did my best as a person who actually gives a hoot about animal welfare when I shot them. Poison is..complicated and leaves room for cross contamination of the poison and a slow and painful death to any animal that ingests it. A single shot to the head and they drop down instantly. (Not front on though , their heads can miraculously delfect pellets at some angles..)

Traps, well, like poison can lead to killing other species. I've known birds, cats and hedgehogs getting snapped by them. And my personal experience is they don't always kill the rat. Some big rats can tank a full sized decent quality spring trap (not a fenn though) and need your assistance to put it out of its missery as they rile in pain and discomfort with a bar wrapped across their shoulders. I had to kill about 4 large and one small rat one week due to traps not doing the job!

So, again despite your like or dislike to sport shooting or simply shooting to dispatch pests, imo it is the most humane way and rather effective if you have the time.

 

[Klenchblaize]

Admire them as much as you like but preferably at the moment of slipping the trigger on a 177 pellet.

K