rats

[Cider Boys]

Rats are certainly on the increase, I regularly use poison but you have to continually use it.

Again the government is aware of the ever increasing rat problem but chooses to ignore it.

I propose a national RAT day when everyone in the population must kill at least one rat, this would yield approx 50 million dead rats per year.

However, I do not think my solution will be accepted so it is back to poison. Ironically when I was young I kept hunt terriers and could never find enough rats to start the young terriers on. When ratting around pig sties some of the older terriers would get bored with the rats and start going for the piglets, good old days!

The other day I was walking along a lane when I large rat just scampered past me with no fear what-so-ever, there needs to be a concerted effort to reduce their numbers because they are a serious health risk.

Barney

[Geoff]

What poison do you use? I have been using Slaymor but I seem to get very few days when some isn't taken which makes me think I have spent £20 on rat food rather than rat poison.

[bottomleypots]

Hi,
I've just caught number 7 at my allotment tonight, it was a half grown one which suggeststhat there will still be many more. I have chickens so they come for the warmth and food (what we all like!).

They say that we are all within 10yards of a rat!!

Happy hunting......

[gloworm]

Here in South Cheshire they run in large numbers from the maize fields at silage time, so become a problem where-ever they find another residence. Our Council operate a free service so that is what I take advantage of, but if you want some sport, find someone with some terriers, poke the exhaust of a strimmer or chainsaw down the holes & let the dogs do their stuff ! Another trick is get some bricks, the ones with small holes in, stuff peanut butter in & leave where the rats can get to them, they can't easily get the butter out so become a prime air rifle target. Good hunting !

[jane E]

Geoff said -
I have been using Slaymor but I seem to get very few days when some isn't taken which makes me think I have spent £20 on rat food rather than rat poison.

No you haven't. What happens is that they carry as much poison as they can down their burrows, and you see that it has all disappeared. They're storing it! KEEP putting it down until it doesn't disappear. Then your rat problem has or shortly will have disappeared for the moment.
Keep poison down and watch it. As soon as it starts to be carried away you know rats are present. Mice will nibble it in situ. In barns, where we put it, it's easy because no other wild animal will take it tucked out of sight. Out in the open it's more difficult and I would tend to go for the lure and shoot option - use infra red sights? What about ERadirat which is supposed to kill rats only? With rats I would attack on all fronts. Poison if appropriate, shoot, disturb nesting sites regularly eg compost bins, and get as many fellow allotment holders as possible to do the same.

[garden_serf]

My daughters friends spend many sessions out in the country dealing with pests (It keeps them off the street and out of the pub, they love it). They do it for sport and as part of their work. They are young farmers and are members of the nation wide 'Young Farmers' club. These lads have the skills, dogs, ferrets, guns, trucks/landy's, etc and the inclination to have a go. Your local young farmers may be willing to help you out. Worth a phone call. http://www.nfyfc.org.uk/contact.html

Otherwise I agree that controlled poisoning is a more usual route. The council will advise you even if they won't actually do it.

HSE has a factsheet: http://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/ais31.pdf

When you start looking at the statistics for how many rats are around us its horrific! It seems that we could do with an efficient predator for them.

[garden_serf]

Sadly my springer 'Sassy' came to the end of her very active fun filled life 6 mths ago. She would kill about 3-4 rats a week when we lived by the river. So she did her bit!

[glallotments]

Rats living amongst food is a real worry. Just thinking of gardeners picking fresh veg/fruit and eating it straight from the plant. Also taking snacks to the allotments such as sandwiches and eating them without washing hands. How many times on Ground Force did we see the gardeners eating with filthy hands.

With rat urine carrying Weils disease just wonder if this could be a problem on allotments. I know the general problem is that the disease can be carried in water. I heard of an angler having died after eating a sandwich popped down on the grassy bank whilst he reeeled in a fish.
My husband was a civil engineer and he had to have a special note in his medical file to say he was at risk.

Has anyone heard of this being a potential problem around allotments (or does is it confined to water etc) - if it is then surely Environmental Health have a responsibility to help.

[garden_serf]

Its the same problem in any environment. Rats are everywhere. Our guys are Industrial painters and we have all sorts of things in place (mostly hygiene based) because of this sort of threat.

[tracie]

Hi,

I would like to thank everybody for their information re the dreaded rats.

The local council will come and have a look but want paying because allotments are not classed in the same way as back gardens and parks. This could prove costly.

I am currently useing a product called eradibait, which only kills rats and mice and has no effect on any other animals, it is also endorsed by the owl trust. It seems to be doing the job but I think we need everybody on our site to have a concerted effort and put it down at the same time for a couple of months and try to get ontop of the problem once and for all.

tracie

[Tigger]

We use bait boxes and a pelleted poison that claims to kill those who have become immune to many others (available from farmers suppliers shops). It's expensive but it works - so far. We keep the boxes baited all year round and move them between the tunnels and our barn/outbuildings. If we get lazy and miss topping them up, the blighters are back in a week or so!

[Johnboy]

Hi Tracy,
I am glad that you have chosen to use EradiBait. EradiBait works in an entirely different way to all other rat poisons and is perfectly safe to any other living thing other than a rodent.
I am still using EradiRat and EradiMouse, which have now been superseded by EradiBait, and they have kept the rodent population down to an absolute minimum. I found that initially the rodents wouldn't take the bait so I added a few currants to the pile and since doing that they eat the lot readily.
JB.

[Daisiemoo]

As we always have a problem with rats especially from autumn through to spring we are always interested in ways of keeping numbers down- living next to old barns and with a maize field next door the autumn following the maize harvest is always 'busy'.

This year as we had problems with rabbits, getting into the garden despite rabbit fencing and munching most of our winter greens. Talking to an Aunty who has an allotment suggested we buy toy snakes or get the inner tube of a bicycle and paint eyes on!! We bought the 4 snakes in various colours and to our suprise no more rabbits in the garden.

But what has suprised us is that in the last 2 weeks we have not had to fill up one bait box around the garden where we usually fill up every week or sometimes twice a week. The bait box we put in the barn next to our drive is still being emptied every week! We don't want to put a snake here as it could encourage more into the front garden and we would prefer them to stay down the barn area (not ours).

So may be if any of you don't want to bait could be worth a try the snakes we bought were 99p each we will keep you updated.

Regards

[Stephen]

I saw a dead rat on the site here in Berkhamsted today. I knew that there must be rats around but it was still a bit of a suprise. May be I need to get a trap or two.
And at 99p it will be worth trying the snakes!

[garden_serf]

I love the plastic snake idea. Well worth a try!!