PEST CONTROL USING PHILPROOF BAIT STATIONS
Bait stations (Philproofs in particular, because they are the most weather proof in design) offer advantages over traditional trapping / shooting / cyaniding, where the aim is to bring possums down to very low levels and then undertake ongoing maintenance. When using bait stations, possum control should be treated in two stages; firstly the initial knock down and then the long term maintenance. For the initial knock down, the use of cyanide or prefeeding followed by 1080 are currently the cheapest and most appropriate options, as long as there are no complications related to nearby residents or licensing requirements (a poisons licence is required to use either poison and use of 1080 is generally restricted to DOC and regional council staff and contractors). To further reduce the population of surviving possums and for long term maintenance the use of Pestoff possum bait is currently the most appropriate technique. Pestoff provides an additional bonus, by controlling rats and to some extent stoats and ferrets (through secondary poisoning). Such control will benefit both native birds and TB control (through reduced Ferret populations)Available in 10 Kg bags. For use in bait stations that are away from stock access. Contains the anticoagulant poison Brodifacoum. Prefeeding is not necessary as possums will readily eat the bait and as symptoms of poisoning are delayed for several days they will usually die within 10 to 20 days. These products also work well as a rat poison where possums are in low numbers as this allows rats to gain access to the bait over several nights.
The advantages of using Pestoff include:
1. The long delay between consumption of the bait and the possum feeling sick means that it is ideal for killing possum which are shy of more acute poisons such as cyanide and 1080
2. The long delay between consumption of the bait and the possum feeling sick also means that a "social attraction effect" occurs. The actions of the possum (who first discovers the bait station) returning nightly to the station attracts other possums. This means that you can drag possum in to the station from 200 metres or more away. With more acute poisons you need to have stations much closer, thus increasing track cutting effort and numbers of stations used. Taking advantage of this prefeeding effect is particularly beneficial when treating sites where the bush is very thick as cutting tracks in thick bush is very time consuming.
3. Reduces the rat and stoat population dramatically, as well as possums.
Technique; Place bait stations at 150-200 metre intervals (100m if you want to ensure a really good kill of rats) and fill with Pestoff. Refill every 3-4 weeks. It takes 10-21 days for possums to die, so if you refill more frequently you may be wasting your bait on "living dead" possums that have already consumed a lethal dose. Once you get to a stage where there is still bait in most stations at your next visit, you will almost certainly have achieved a population index of less than 5 possums per 100 trap nights. At this stage you should leave only 3-400 grams of bait in the station and if you are in a damp area you should consider changing to a bait more resistant to atmospheric moisture such as "waxed Pestoff" (although this is less palatable to rats, so I wouldn't advise it's use if rat control is a prime objective) for longer term maintenance.
This is a genuine one feed bait with only 10-15 grams needed to kill one possum. Campaign must be used in a bait station and it is advisable to pre-feed first with non-toxic pellets a week before putting out the toxic bait.
This is an all-weather blox bait with the active ingredient being Bromadioline (a single feeding anticoagulant). This product controls Norway and roof rats along with mice. Sites can be indoors or outdoors in both wet and dry areas. Product features are patented gnawing edges, pre-measured blox and high rodent acceptance.
This is an all-weather blox bait with the active ingredient being Diphacinone (anticoagulant). This product controls Norway and roof rats along with mice. Sites can be indoors or outdoors in both wet and dry areas. Product features are patented gnawing edges, mould and moisture resistant and high rodent acceptance.
A true bait block containing the anticoagulant poison Brodifacoum. Most suitable for controlling rats but is also effective against mice. Unlike egg shaped baits the blocks cannot be rolled away and are ideally suited for use in spiked rodent bait stations.
For the control of Rabbits. Remove all domestic stock from area being treated. Apply bait at a rate of 2 - 3 kilograms per hectare. Repeat again after 3 - 4 days.
New possum control techniques are being developed constantly and old ones become less efficient by comparison or lose popularity due to environmental concerns. There is some debate on the future of Brodifacoum (the active ingredient in "Pestoff" and Talon) due to concerns about persistence of residues in the livers of target and non-target animals. It is important that such poisons are used in such a way to minimise effects on non-target species. This includes using the appropriate poison (cyanide or 1080) when populations are high, placing stations out of the reach of pigs if they are present and disposing of left over bait in an appropriate manner. However, until equally effective techniques are found, it is important not to lose the ability to use toxins such as brodifacoum which has revolutionised restoration of islands through it's ability to lull every single rat into a sense of false security (resulting in every rat eating a lethal dose of bait) thus ensuring that eradications on islands of 2000 hectares and greater can be achieved as long as bait is well spread so that all rats encounter baits. Similarly, brodifacoum has allowed Regional Departments to achieve the incredibly low densities of possums and rats required to allow species such as Kokako to flourish once more (while "common" species such as tui have increased by 5 times, bellbirds by 3.5 times and kereru by 2.5 times). Until such techniques were developed, management of wildlife in mainland habitat was considered a lost cause.
Main Page, Order Page