Monitoring programme key to minimising rodent infestations
PestCo Operations Manager Rowan Washer says a long dry summer has contributed to an influx of rodents in urban areas.
Articles published in the New Zealand Herald revealed a perpetual rat problem in East Auckland after a Selwyn College pupil was bitten after picking up a dying rat and a 9-year-old Glen Innes boy was bitten on the ear by a rat while he slept.
PestCo Operations Manager Rowan Washer says this year’s long, dry summer has contributed to an influx of rats and mice in urban areas.
“A good monitoring programme, which includes strategically placing rat stations along property boundaries, will help stop them from coming in. It’s this time of the year where you will start seeing more and more of this problem,” he says.
Rowan says ensuring an Integrated Pest Management strategy is in place will help alleviate rodent issues.
Integrated Pest Management is an educated, strategic approach to pest control that minimises risks to people and the environment by combining prevention methods that deter and prevent pests from entering or existing in your workplace.
“The young rat population normally gets drowned out in March/April when we have big downpours as it floods nests. But that didn’t happen this year. That is why in this case we have an influx of rats and mice. It’s an ongoing issue in this area,” he says.
