Autumn is the time for rats to seek shelter

Rats will now be busy making a home for the winter and that home may well be your roof space, basement, woodshed or compost heap. Now's the time to keep your traps set and baited.

If you do not have a trap already, contact MIRO (info@miro.org.nz) to buy a or borrow a humane trap. MIRO sells these at cost for $20 for a trap in a tunnel. The tunnel keeps pets and children safe as well as positioning the rat for a humane kill. It may also attract a rat seeking shelter on a rainy day.

If you want a heavier duty trap to kill a wider range of pests (including stoats and weasels), MIRO has DOC200s for sale for $100.

Where do you put the trap?

Place it along a stream or a fence line near a food source. Food sources at this time of the year are compost bins, chicken coops or droppings, walnut or fruit trees, and bread or fat balls left out for birds. Other good locations are where a rat may be seeking shelter, such as a woodshed, ivy covered fence or pile of branches.

What lure should you use?

We use peanut butter, mayonnaise or Nutella.

Don't forget to report your catch to your local TLO (Trap Line Operator). Contact Sally Bain (info@miro.org.nz) to find out who your local TLO is. Sally is also happy to calibrate your DOC200 if you have one.

Sally Bain and Terry Webb, MIRO