The battle against rodents

The Antipodes Islands are 2045ha in size and one of the most remote parts of New Zealand both geographically and ecologically. They hold New Zealand’s highest protected land status and entry is by permit only. Thousands of seabirds nest on the island and marine mammals fill the shores and surrounding waters. Many of the birds and plants on the Antipodes Islands cannot be found anywhere else in the world.

Rodents were accidentally introduced in the middle of the 19th century possibly by shipwreck and recent monitoring of rodent numbers has discovered a need to take action to preserve its natural beauty. At its worst it is estimated there were more than 200,000 rodents on the islands, which is a large number for a land mass of this size. The remote location of the islands and extremes in weather conditions have created many challenges for establishing a rodent eradication programme. After six years of planning however, Pestoff is on its way to helping restore the island’s ecology and diversity. The process included, one big ship, three helicopters, thirteen people and a massive amount of bait! During winter 2016, 65 tonnes of Pestoff Rodent Bait was applied by three helicopters in two successive bait drops. At the beginning of 2018, the island was officially declared rodent free, after extensive monitoring. This has resulted in a huge boost for the fragile ecosystem with its rare birds and other fauna. “The bait was produced and delivered on time and carefully tested to ensure all production standards were met. The condition of the bait after the 2000km journey to its destination and the outcome of the eradication was testament to the quality of the bait supplied” says Stephen Horn, NZ Department of Conservation. Bait selection and use is important for achieving rodent eradication on any scale, whether that’s a large island or on-farm. For successful rodent control it is best practice to use either the Pestoff Dead Rat Café, Pestoff Departure Lounge or Pestoff Dirty Rat Motel to secure bait, protect non-target species and keep bait dry and fresh. The Pestoff Dead Rat Café can be used either indoors or outside; pegged, nailed or screwed down, with the wire hoops provided preventing rodents from removing any of the Pestoff Rodent Blocks. The Pestoff Departure Lounge or Dirty Rat Motel is designed to be located along a wall or building to take advantage of the typical hunting characteristics of rodents. Larger in size and lockable, they allow the rodent to feed inside without the fear of being discovered.

Tips for successful control

• Do not handle bait with bare hands as rodents are suspicious of human scent and may avoid baits that have been touched.

• Ensure rodents do not have access to alternative foods such as stock feed, garbage or human food scraps. • Maintain fresh baits by checking and replacing them every two to three days initially and later, every week or two.

• Be particularly vigilant during autumn when the first cold and wet weather arrives as this usually drives rodents indoors to find shelter and food.

• To protect non-target animals from secondary poisoning, collect any dead rodent bodies and burn or bury them. Spoiled or unwanted bait should be disposed of in a similar manner.

For further information, contact your Farmlands Technical Field Officer or the friendly team at your local Farmlands store.

Article supplied by BellBooth