rats

HOW TO CONTROL RATS

To get rid of rats follow these steps:

1. Bait > Place NO RATS & MICE BAIT BLOCKS at strategic, safe points, inside and outside affected buildings. Strategic points include places where rats travel safely. Rats prefer to remain under cover in walls, roof voids, vegetation and piles of material. They stay close to walls and vertical surfaces where possible. Bait stations or simple lengths of pipe can encourage rats to feed on rodenticide baits in an enclosed space, they also keep bait dry and keep baits away from non-target animals.
2. NO RATS & MICE DUAL ACTION BAIT & POWDER is ideal for interior dry places where rodents travel such as roof spaces, ceiling voids and wall cavities. It is a bait but also contains a powder which clings to rodent paws and fur as they scurry through or over the powder. the powder id then ingested when the rodent preens killing the rat ot mouse.
3. If you do not wish to use toxic rodenticide bait, NATURAL NO RATS is a bait that is harmful only to rodents. However it should only be used in dry areas where other food sources can be controlled.
4. Trap > Safe and effective traps such as the new humane Kiwicare NO RATS TRAP can be used in conjunction with rodenticides to control rats. When rats have taken toxic bait they are more likely to be trapped and the rat bodies can be removed. NO RATS TRAPS can also be used to get rid of rats in areas where rodenticides cannot be used.
5. Proof > In order to reduce populations around buildings, and before an infestation can take hold it is important to bait outside and to check for possible entry points and seal them. Young rats can get through gaps as small as the width of a pencil. Seal gaps under doors, around pipe work and cables. Cut vegetation away from roofs where it could help rodents get onto eaves and enter.

About

The black rat is a major pest in New Zealand and is the common rat in the NZ bush and in the roofs of NZ homes. Norway Rats are more often found living in borrows around waterways and in the industrial parts of our cities. It is sometimes referred to as the Water Rat.

Although both species of rats are good climbers, the black rat is smaller and particularly agile. It is this rat that most often found in the roof spaces of NZ houses.

Rats are omnivorous with a strong preference for grain, fruit and vegetables.

Did you know?

There are three species of rat in New Zealand. The brown rat or norwegian rat (Rattus norvegicus) the black rat or ship rat (Rattus rattus) and the kiore or pacific rat (Rattus exulans). The black rat is the more commonly encountered rat pest. However, the norwegian rat is increasingly common particularly in urban areas and may come to displace the black rat as it has done in the other parts of the world. It is sometimes difficult to identify which species you might have. Even a young rat can easily be mis identified as a mouse. If you want to know which species you have an infestation of try the ID Table.

The head and body of a Norwegian Rat can be up to 30cm but is normally around 20cm. The tail is usually shorter than the head and body, an adult can weigh up to half a Kilogramme, it has grey-brown fur and is lighter on the underside. Their droppings are 15-20mm long, coloured usually grey or black. The Norwegian Rat will build nests in any suitable enclosed, safe space but naturally digs burrows into the banks of rivers. It will often nest in the walls and roof voids of homes and other buildings.

The black rat is smaller and more agile than the norwegian. The tail is usually longer than the body and head. It is a better climber than the norwegian and often finds its way into buildings via poorly sealed eaves. New Zealand buildings are susceptible to infestation by black rats because of gaps under roofing in the eaves. Rats may find their way onto the roof by climbing overhanging trees. The Black Rat does not build burrows and will nest in trees or in the voids of homes and other buildings.

The Black Death, otherwise known as the plague, ravaged Europe and Asia between the 14th and 17th centuries killing hundreds of millions of people. It was the black rat that transported the fleas infected with the bacterium Yersinia pestis. The fleas fed on the blood of the rats and of the people that they came in contact with, spreading the disease as they sucked. Other diseases that rats are known to transmit through their activities include Weil's disease in rat urine and Murine typhus transmitted by rat fleas.

Kiore are rare and now found only in Fiordland, Stewart Island and some offshore islands. They were brought to New Zealand by Maori settlers and have cultural and spiritual importance to Maori.

• Identification of Rats and Mice
• Stop Rodents Getting Into Your Home
• Integrated Pest Management
• Trapping Rats and Mice
• NO Rats NOOSKI Trap
• NO Mice NOOSKI Trap

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