we noticed 2 rats in our yard - one was climbing a tree...What is the
bess aapproach - poison or a trap(and what kind)

thanks

Ken

ken wrote:
we noticed 2 rats in our yard - one was climbing a tree...What is the
bess aapproach - poison or a trap(and what kind)

both and, unless pets etc. could be accidentally poisoned. google for
Fenn trap

"ken" wrote in message
oups.com...
we noticed 2 rats in our yard - one was climbing a tree...What is the
bess aapproach - poison or a trap(and what kind)

thanks

Ken


Best to speak to your Pest Control Officer as soon as possible.

Regards,
Emrys Davies.

"Derek Turner" somewhat@odds wrote in message
...
ken wrote:
we noticed 2 rats in our yard - one was climbing a tree...What is the
bess aapproach - poison or a trap(and what kind)

both and, unless pets etc. could be accidentally poisoned. google for
Fenn trap
Personally I favour bait boxes with rat bait. I breed poultry so have to
have a safe and effective method as I also9 have cats, guinea pigs and
rabbits which wander loose in the garden. The thought of a trap slamming
down on one of the cats paws, makes me feel sick, equally so with my guinea
pigs or rabbits. Bait boxes ensure permanent safe methods of controlling
rats safely with little or no risk to other animals.

w.g.s.hamm wrote:
"Derek Turner" somewhat@odds wrote in message
...

ken wrote:

we noticed 2 rats in our yard - one was climbing a tree...What is the
bess aapproach - poison or a trap(and what kind)

both and, unless pets etc. could be accidentally poisoned. google for
Fenn trap

Personally I favour bait boxes with rat bait. I breed poultry so have to
have a safe and effective method as I also9 have cats, guinea pigs and
rabbits which wander loose in the garden. The thought of a trap slamming
down on one of the cats paws, makes me feel sick, equally so with my guinea
pigs or rabbits. Bait boxes ensure permanent safe methods of controlling
rats safely with little or no risk to other animals.


Fenn traps are set in a tunnel that a cat can't get into: not sure about
rabbits and guinea pigs tho!

In message , Emrys Davies
writes

"ken" wrote in message
roups.com...
we noticed 2 rats in our yard - one was climbing a tree...What is the
bess aapproach - poison or a trap(and what kind)

thanks

Ken


Best to speak to your Pest Control Officer as soon as possible.

Fat chance of that. Barnet (Tory) council has withdrawn our service as
well as several libraries in borough.


--
June Hughes

we noticed 2 rats in our yard - one was climbing a tree...What is the
bess aapproach - poison or a trap(and what kind)

thanks

Ken


Speaking as an ex - pest controller ......i didnt like the killing ;-)!

Rats are not inquisitive creatures, they like things that are the same and
are very cautous of new things (unlike mice which are the reverse) THerefore
trapping is really a last resort - for example, if a rat approaches a trap
cautiously, it may get away with a scare or an injury and that rat will
NEVER go near anything starange again!

The best way to get rid of a rat problem is to find where thay are coming
from - if you cant do this (eg they may be coming from someone elses
property) it can be a reocurring problem.

If you are seeing rats in the day time, that suggests that;

1.THere are LOTS of rats - My advice is hire a professional - it can be
expensive, but if you find a good one, the job will be done properly and you
should be left without any problems - if you live near derby, i reccomend
Heath Pest Control (the company i used to work with) I think they may offer
a guarnantee on work. Ifyou live somewhere else, make sure that your pest
controlist is in the BPCA - British Pest Contraol Authority - membership is
expensive and it should mean that who you get will know their stuff. If you
wqant to go DIY it is possible, just find a good online supplier of poison
and see below!

2.There are a few very hungry / thirsty rats - Feed them! If poss find the
holes and pour loose bait poison down- this is the best way. If you cant
find the holes, try and find a run( a polished area of ground that is used
frequently by the rats) and find somewhere to hide some loose bait - it
could be under a board or under a shed - somewhere that canat be accessed by
birds / dogs or similar. When you place loose bait the rats will sometimes
dig it out or just spread it everywhere maliiously - keep an eye foe this
and tidy it up ASAP - if you bait a hole and the rats seal it up with earth
and debris this normally means that the rat has eaten the bait and is ill -
he will do this to keep warm untill he dies. If neither of the a\bove is
possible, yo can get bait station (or you can make them yourself) These will
bait dry and away from birds etc, but they will have the disadvantage of
being new, so it ay take the rats a time to get used to them and take the
bait. The best sort to use is like a long peice of drain pipe and you put
the bait in the middle. With all methods of poisoning, rats prefer to die at
home in their burrows, so it is unlikely to find 15 dead rats with paws in
the air one morning. However, there is alwayws the odd one that doesnt make
it back to the burrow so keep an eye out for this. Also,when they are ill,
it makes them a lot slower so keep an eye on dogs aand cats as it will make
it easy for them to catch a posinoned rat. (i was always told that a dog .
cat would have to eat a good 30/ 40 posined rats before it would be killed,
but being a cat owner myself, i would notlike to teest this theory) One last
thing, mke sure that there is always enough bait for them - give a rat a
half dose, it will get ill , get better and then never eat strange coloured
poison again!.....and as soon as youstart hey campaign, remove all sources
of other food and water......no bird feeders, cat / dog food, try and proof
the compost heap (allthough= they may well be living under it!) Also, ifyou
can remove shelter for them, it will make their stay more uncomfy - get rid
of any rubbish that sits behind your shed, mow the lawn - keep every where
tidy and they cant hide so easily.


3. Something / some one has ivicted them from somewhere near by. - Hopefully
they are just passing through and maybe gone in a weeek. If they arnt ...see
above.

4. THey have allready been poissoned and will die in 3 - 4 days. SOmeone
else has done your work for you!.


THere is probably more advice ican give, but without more deatils eg - whaat
area do you live in( town / country, do you have a farm near by?), do you
have a pond, what size is your garden etc etc i cannot be more specific. It
would be good if you can find they aare living on some council owned /
public land, then it can be passed to them to pay for!


Anyway i want my breakfast.

Colin

PS, is this newsgroup top posting or bottom posting....not got round to the
FAQ yet , cant resist a good rat question ;-)

----- Original Message -----
From: "ken"
Newsgroups: uk.rec.gardening
Sent: Wednesday, April 13, 2005 1:54 PM
Subject: rat control


we noticed 2 rats in our yard - one was climbing a tree...What is the
bess aapproach - poison or a trap(and what kind)

thanks

Ken


"ken" wrote in message
oups.com...
we noticed 2 rats in our yard - one was climbing a tree...What is the
bess aapproach - poison or a trap(and what kind)

thanks

Ken

In article , Colin
writes
PS, is this newsgroup top posting or bottom posting....not got round to the
FAQ yet , cant resist a good rat question ;-)

Bottom posting. Thanks for asking :-)

Not that you can tell, sometimes!
--
Kay
"Do not insult the crocodile until you have crossed the river"

"Colin" wrote in message
...
The best way to get rid of a rat problem is to find where thay are coming
from - if you cant do this (eg they may be coming from someone elses
property) it can be a reocurring problem.

If you are seeing rats in the day time, that suggests that;

1.THere are LOTS of rats - My advice is hire a professional - it can be
expensive, but if you find a good one, the job will be done properly and
you
should be left without any problems
as you would be if you bought bait boxes and poison yourself :-)



2.There are a few very hungry / thirsty rats - Feed them! If poss find the
holes and pour loose bait poison down- this is the best way. If you cant
find the holes, try and find a run( a polished area of ground that is used
frequently by the rats) and find somewhere to hide some loose bait - it
could be under a board or under a shed - somewhere that canat be accessed
by
birds / dogs or similar. When you place loose bait the rats will sometimes
dig it out or just spread it everywhere maliiously - keep an eye foe this
and tidy it up ASAP -
much safer to use bait boxes and bait therefore, save poisoning other
animals and birds from spilled poison.

if you bait a hole and the rats seal it up with earth
and debris this normally means that the rat has eaten the bait and is
ill -
he will do this to keep warm untill he dies. If neither of the a\bove is
possible, yo can get bait station (or you can make them yourself) These
will
bait dry and away from birds etc, but they will have the disadvantage of
being new, so it ay take the rats a time to get used to them and take the
bait.
only a couple of weeks, then leave in position permanently and you will
never have another rat problem. Good long term solution .


The best sort to use is like a long peice of drain pipe and you put
the bait in the middle. With all methods of poisoning, rats prefer to die
at
home in their burrows, so it is unlikely to find 15 dead rats with paws
in
the air one morning. However, there is alwayws the odd one that doesnt
make
it back to the burrow so keep an eye out for this. Also,when they are
ill,
it makes them a lot slower so keep an eye on dogs aand cats as it will
make
it easy for them to catch a posinoned rat. (i was always told that a dog
..
cat would have to eat a good 30/ 40 posined rats before it would be
killed,
but being a cat owner myself, i would notlike to teest this theory)
Most modern baits say on the tub that there is nom secondary poisoning. I
have 12 cats so this was important. Pplus cats would not normally touch
carrion (dead rats) nor target something sick. They are sensible :0)

..


3. Something / some one has ivicted them from somewhere near by. -
Hopefully
they are just passing through and maybe gone in a weeek. If they arnt
....see
above.
Unlikely. rats would soon colonise an unbaited territory if no other rats
are in residence. It is a permanent battle.

"ken" wrote in message
oups.com...
we noticed 2 rats in our yard - one was climbing a tree...What is the
bess aapproach - poison or a trap(and what kind)

thanks

Ken


What area do you live in?

Regards,
Emrys Davies.

June Hughes wrote in message ...
In message , Emrys Davies
writes

"ken" wrote in message
roups.com...
we noticed 2 rats in our yard - one was climbing a tree...What is the
bess aapproach - poison or a trap(and what kind)

thanks

Ken


Best to speak to your Pest Control Officer as soon as possible.

Fat chance of that. Barnet (Tory) council has withdrawn our service as
well as several libraries in borough.


Hi,

Without knowing much about where you are situated you could try
http://www.queenswood.co.uk/acatalog...tml#a12286 6C
from queenswood. This actually stops rats coming into buildings.

I hope this helps



David Shorthouse,
Website Manager

Web Address http://www.queenswood.co.uk
Q&A Board http://www.queenswood.co.uk/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.cgi
Tel - 01568 611281

If you are seeing rats in the day time, that suggests that;

1.THere are LOTS of rats - My advice is hire a professional - it can be
expensive, but if you find a good one, the job will be done properly and
you
should be left without any problems
as you would be if you bought bait boxes and poison yourself :-)


2.There are a few very hungry / thirsty rats - Feed them! If poss find
the
holes and pour loose bait poison down- this is the best way. If you cant
find the holes, try and find a run( a polished area of ground that is
used
frequently by the rats) and find somewhere to hide some loose bait - it
could be under a board or under a shed - somewhere that canat be
accessed
by
birds / dogs or similar. When you place loose bait the rats will
sometimes
dig it out or just spread it everywhere maliiously - keep an eye foe
this
and tidy it up ASAP -
much safer to use bait boxes and bait therefore, save poisoning other
animals and birds from spilled poison.

Maybe, but often, depending on the situation, rats will not always take from
a bait station or they may not take aproper dose. As long as the poison is
placed carefully, it should have have little more chance of coming in to
contact with inncocent animals - in mot cases, bait boxes are better for a
permanent site or where there is no other option.

if you bait a hole and the rats seal it up with earth
and debris this normally means that the rat has eaten the bait and is
ill -
he will do this to keep warm untill he dies. If neither of the a\bove is
possible, yo can get bait station (or you can make them yourself) These
will
bait dry and away from birds etc, but they will have the disadvantage
of
being new, so it ay take the rats a time to get used to them and take
the
bait.
only a couple of weeks, then leave in position permanently and you will
never have another rat problem. Good long term solution .




The best sort to use is like a long peice of drain pipe and you put
the bait in the middle. With all methods of poisoning, rats prefer to
die
at
home in their burrows, so it is unlikely to find 15 dead rats with paws
in
the air one morning. However, there is alwayws the odd one that doesnt
make
it back to the burrow so keep an eye out for this. Also,when they are
ill,
it makes them a lot slower so keep an eye on dogs aand cats as it will
make
it easy for them to catch a posinoned rat. (i was always told that a
dog
.
cat would have to eat a good 30/ 40 posined rats before it would be
killed,
but being a cat owner myself, i would notlike to teest this theory)
Most modern baits say on the tub that there is nom secondary poisoning. I
have 12 cats so this was important. Pplus cats would not normally touch
carrion (dead rats) nor target something sick. They are sensible :0)

You hope. The baits today are mostly anticoagulant, which thins the blood
which leads to haemorraging (dont ask me about spelling) . They offer
reduced secondary poisoning / besides it takes a much higher lethal dose to
kill a cat or dog than a rat.
.


3. Something / some one has ivicted them from somewhere near by. -
Hopefully
they are just passing through and maybe gone in a weeek. If they arnt
...see
above.
Unlikely. rats would soon colonise an unbaited territory if no other rats
are in residence. It is a permanent battle.

They would also colonise a baited territory.....breifly ;-). I I was
suggsting that if some building work has been carried out locally and
recently then sometimes rats will suddenly pop up in places they have not
been to before untill they find somewhere to live.



apologises for the slight OT not sure if there is a pest control newsgroup,

regards

colin

On 13 Apr 2005 05:54:20 -0700, "ken" wrote:

we noticed 2 rats in our yard - one was climbing a tree...What is the
bess aapproach - poison or a trap(and what kind)

thanks

Ken
2 pronged approach, Colin's covered the poisoning side chapter &
verse.
As well as this, Colin did mention removing food & shelter, this is
your best bet long term. Check the state of your buildings, remove and
fill as far as possible all holes & voids where they can live. As far
as possible store anything vaguely edible in ratproof containers or
buildings. Keep some permanent bait stations continuously stocked or
learn to recognise first signs of rat activity and get new bait down
pdq. All of this only works if all of your neighbours and your local
authorities do likewise. We're lucky we have no neighbours ;~)
.............well actually we do but they're about a quarter of a mile
away.
You put a trap down in a particular place, you might get a hungry or
silly rat but then you will never catch a rat there again - they learn
fast.

=================================================

Rod

Weed my email address to reply.
http://website.lineone.net/~rodcraddock/index.html

"Colin" wrote in message
...


we noticed 2 rats in our yard - one was climbing a tree...What is the
bess aapproach - poison or a trap(and what kind)

thanks

Ken


Speaking as an ex - pest controller ......i didnt like the killing ;-)!

Rats are not inquisitive creatures, they like things that are the same and
are very cautous of new things (unlike mice which are the reverse)
THerefore
trapping is really a last resort - for example, if a rat approaches a trap
cautiously, it may get away with a scare or an injury and that rat will
NEVER go near anything starange again!

The best way to get rid of a rat problem is to find where thay are coming
from - if you cant do this (eg they may be coming from someone elses
property) it can be a reocurring problem.

If you are seeing rats in the day time, that suggests that;

1.THere are LOTS of rats - My advice is hire a professional - it can be
expensive, but if you find a good one, the job will be done properly and
you
should be left without any problems - if you live near derby, i reccomend
Heath Pest Control (the company i used to work with) I think they may
offer
a guarnantee on work. Ifyou live somewhere else, make sure that your pest
controlist is in the BPCA - British Pest Contraol Authority - membership
is
expensive and it should mean that who you get will know their stuff. If
you
wqant to go DIY it is possible, just find a good online supplier of poison
and see below!

2.There are a few very hungry / thirsty rats - Feed them! If poss find the
holes and pour loose bait poison down- this is the best way. If you cant
find the holes, try and find a run( a polished area of ground that is used
frequently by the rats) and find somewhere to hide some loose bait - it
could be under a board or under a shed - somewhere that canat be accessed
by
birds / dogs or similar. When you place loose bait the rats will sometimes
dig it out or just spread it everywhere maliiously - keep an eye foe this
and tidy it up ASAP - if you bait a hole and the rats seal it up with
earth
and debris this normally means that the rat has eaten the bait and is
ill -
he will do this to keep warm untill he dies. If neither of the a\bove is
possible, yo can get bait station (or you can make them yourself) These
will
bait dry and away from birds etc, but they will have the disadvantage of
being new, so it ay take the rats a time to get used to them and take the
bait. The best sort to use is like a long peice of drain pipe and you put
the bait in the middle. With all methods of poisoning, rats prefer to die
at
home in their burrows, so it is unlikely to find 15 dead rats with paws in
the air one morning. However, there is alwayws the odd one that doesnt
make
it back to the burrow so keep an eye out for this. Also,when they are
ill,
it makes them a lot slower so keep an eye on dogs aand cats as it will
make
it easy for them to catch a posinoned rat. (i was always told that a dog .
cat would have to eat a good 30/ 40 posined rats before it would be
killed,
but being a cat owner myself, i would notlike to teest this theory) One
last
thing, mke sure that there is always enough bait for them - give a rat a
half dose, it will get ill , get better and then never eat strange
coloured
poison again!.....and as soon as youstart hey campaign, remove all sources
of other food and water......no bird feeders, cat / dog food, try and
proof
the compost heap (allthough= they may well be living under it!) Also,
ifyou
can remove shelter for them, it will make their stay more uncomfy - get
rid
of any rubbish that sits behind your shed, mow the lawn - keep every where
tidy and they cant hide so easily.


3. Something / some one has ivicted them from somewhere near by. -
Hopefully
they are just passing through and maybe gone in a weeek. If they arnt
....see
above.

4. THey have allready been poissoned and will die in 3 - 4 days. SOmeone
else has done your work for you!.


THere is probably more advice ican give, but without more deatils eg -
whaat
area do you live in( town / country, do you have a farm near by?), do you
have a pond, what size is your garden etc etc i cannot be more specific.
It
would be good if you can find they aare living on some council owned /
public land, then it can be passed to them to pay for!


Anyway i want my breakfast.

Colin

PS, is this newsgroup top posting or bottom posting....not got round to
the
FAQ yet , cant resist a good rat question ;-)

----- Original Message -----
From: "ken"
Newsgroups: uk.rec.gardening
Sent: Wednesday, April 13, 2005 1:54 PM
Subject: rat control


we noticed 2 rats in our yard - one was climbing a tree...What is the
bess aapproach - poison or a trap(and what kind)

thanks

Ken


"ken" wrote in message
oups.com...
we noticed 2 rats in our yard - one was climbing a tree...What is the
bess aapproach - poison or a trap(and what kind)

thanks

Ken



Antec make a rat poison Block which you can fix to a board ........they say
its the best way to deal with rats because you can see how much poison they
are eating ........the stuff in packets gets pulled away and you dont know
where the pesky things are

It takes at least 2 weeks of adequate supply of poison to kill a nest of
rats .......dont be fooled by a lull in feeding
When the lead rat who always eats first dies theres a pause while they
rearrange themselves .........then next lead rat stuff himself and dies and
so on till the whole nest is gone ...............dont be tempted to short
circuit or skimp on the poison

I got this advice direct from the Farm advisor of Antec when i kicked up
stink because the info/advice on the packet stuff was clearly not working

If you need more help and advice he is truly great ........did not get that
from the other rat poison companies

"Colin" wrote in message
news
If you are seeing rats in the day time, that suggests that;

1.THere are LOTS of rats - My advice is hire a professional - it can
be
expensive, but if you find a good one, the job will be done properly
and
you
should be left without any problems
as you would be if you bought bait boxes and poison yourself :-)


2.There are a few very hungry / thirsty rats - Feed them! If poss find
the
holes and pour loose bait poison down- this is the best way. If you
cant
find the holes, try and find a run( a polished area of ground that is
used
frequently by the rats) and find somewhere to hide some loose bait -
it
could be under a board or under a shed - somewhere that canat be
accessed
by
birds / dogs or similar. When you place loose bait the rats will
sometimes
dig it out or just spread it everywhere maliiously - keep an eye foe
this
and tidy it up ASAP -
much safer to use bait boxes and bait therefore, save poisoning other
animals and birds from spilled poison.

Maybe, but often, depending on the situation, rats will not always take
from
a bait station or they may not take aproper dose. As long as the poison is
placed carefully, it should have have little more chance of coming in to
contact with inncocent animals - in mot cases, bait boxes are better for a
permanent site or where there is no other option.

if you bait a hole and the rats seal it up with earth
and debris this normally means that the rat has eaten the bait and is
ill -
he will do this to keep warm untill he dies. If neither of the a\bove
is
possible, yo can get bait station (or you can make them yourself)
These
will
bait dry and away from birds etc, but they will have the disadvantage
of
being new, so it ay take the rats a time to get used to them and take
the
bait.
only a couple of weeks, then leave in position permanently and you will
never have another rat problem. Good long term solution .




The best sort to use is like a long peice of drain pipe and you put
the bait in the middle. With all methods of poisoning, rats prefer to
die
at
home in their burrows, so it is unlikely to find 15 dead rats with
paws
in
the air one morning. However, there is alwayws the odd one that
doesnt
make
it back to the burrow so keep an eye out for this. Also,when they are
ill,
it makes them a lot slower so keep an eye on dogs aand cats as it
will
make
it easy for them to catch a posinoned rat. (i was always told that a
dog
.
cat would have to eat a good 30/ 40 posined rats before it would be
killed,
but being a cat owner myself, i would notlike to teest this theory)
Most modern baits say on the tub that there is nom secondary poisoning.
I
have 12 cats so this was important. Pplus cats would not normally touch
carrion (dead rats) nor target something sick. They are sensible :0)

You hope. The baits today are mostly anticoagulant, which thins the blood
which leads to haemorraging (dont ask me about spelling) . They offer
reduced secondary poisoning / besides it takes a much higher lethal dose
to
kill a cat or dog than a rat.
.


3. Something / some one has ivicted them from somewhere near by. -
Hopefully
they are just passing through and maybe gone in a weeek. If they arnt
...see
above.
Unlikely. rats would soon colonise an unbaited territory if no other
rats
are in residence. It is a permanent battle.

They would also colonise a baited territory.....breifly ;-). I I was
suggsting that if some building work has been carried out locally and
recently then sometimes rats will suddenly pop up in places they have not
been to before untill they find somewhere to live.



apologises for the slight OT not sure if there is a pest control
newsgroup,
I think it is on topic. Rats can be found in gardens and cause problms so I
imagine getting rid of them would be of interest to most people. Some of us
who live in the countryside and/or keep livestock will be veterans in the
battle against them so any discussion, idea and opinion swapping is good.
I take your point about rats not using bait boxes. You are partially
correct. They won't use them at first but if they are left down within 2
weeks the rats will use them. Obviously with poultry I have to make sure I
have a permanent solution so have several bait stations which are checked
and topped up as required. I also have 12 cats but I won't allow them out at
night so they have no opportunity to catch rats for me.Bait boxes provide an
easy, safe and effective means of controlling the rat population.