RATS ARE SERIOUS MENACE AS DISEASE CARRIERS
Rats are dirty, destructive and dangerous. They are persistent pests until they are tackled seriously and systematically. Because they are rarely seen in the daytime many people overlook their stealthy work at night. The rat starts breeding as soon as he has sorted out for himself a comfortable nest. The female rat will produce anything from five to 14 rats per litter, five or six times a year. In about one month, baby rats are tipped out of the nest to fend for' themselves. From about four months the females, although not yet fully grown, begin to breed. So they multiply rapidly.
Rats build nests as near as possible to their food supply. Rats infect the food they get at. In this country the main disease they transmit is intestinal dysentry. In other countries it may be plague, rat-bite fever or other diseases. The first attack against rats is to make buildings rat-proof. The second thing is to leave no refuse around outside the house. The rat. that seeks harbour near should be hounded literally to death. And the sooner he is killed the fewer progeny he will leave to pester later. Odd rats can be trapped or poisoned. If there is a serious invasion, get in touch with the sanitary inspector’s branch of the local body. They should be able to supply the very latest and most potent rat poison.
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Bibliographic details
Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 14, Issue 53, 19 October 1949, Page 7
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238RATS ARE SERIOUS MENACE AS DISEASE CARRIERS Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 14, Issue 53, 19 October 1949, Page 7
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