CAMPAIGN AGAINST BATS

Waikato Times, Volume 94, Issue 14771, 10 October 1921, Page 6

CAMPAIGN AGAINST BATS

DUTY OF HOUSEHOLDERS. PUBLIC HEALTH BULLETIN. The Department of Health has urged upon the local bodies throughout the Dominion the advisability of establishing a campaign against, cats in each district. The Hamilton Council has ban Hie proposals under review by a special committee which, it is understood, will bring down some scheme in the nature of making an active and combined campaign against the rodents. The Department points to the necessity of all householders co-operat-ing in the matter. Free distribution of rat poison and offering a small fee per head are means of stimulating the interest of the public, a clcaning-up period for giving all persons opportunities of ridding their premises of rubbish, systematic inspections of premises, and especially food premises, restaurants, stables, etc. Care is especially essential in connection with refuse receptacles and collection of refuse. Hl-fltting boards or over-filled tins without covers encourage rats, and care should be taken not to damage refuse tins by careless handling, but. unfortunately, these matters arc toj frequently not carried -out. Rat Preventioni. Important practical protection against plague consists in the removal of all those conditions which favour harbourage, feeding and breeding of rats in the immediate neighbourhood of occupied premises, and in excluding rats from dwellings. Places in which rats live and breed are the dark ana intricate recesses which exist about illconstructed or decayed structures, heaps of household refuse which afford warmth and in which they burrow, illmade basements, cellars, store-rooms, especially where defective flooring is supported above the natural soil, stables and manure heaps, etc. The conditions which attract and retain them are the presence or near neighbourhood of food.Jf (as is usually the case) they are to be met in hardware and soft good stores, which have been ill-constructed or faTSn into disrepair, they arc more constantly foun 1 in butchers’ shops, produce stores, grocers’ shops, public houses, hotels, and kitchens, and arc always to be seen at night hunting for food in garbage boxes, etc.

Access to buildings and dwellings G furnished sometimes by defects of structure which may be such as in every other relation are unimportant. At others through doors left open at night, but largely through more serious gaps which occur in the course of decay of dwellings in which also there are sure to be many nooks in which they can permanently establish themselves.

They are attracted to the neighbourhood of dwellings, especially by the lumber and organic refuse which too often are accumulated in back yards and on waste land, and which furnish food and cover for them. 1 The conditions referred to arc often accompanied by permanent infestation of premises with parasitical insects among which lleas and bugs are of most imporlance in the present connection.

fiat infested premises threaten tin inhabitants of every dwelling in average good order which stands a few him ■ deed yards and more from them. The best and only attainable defence against epidemic plague lies in removal of conditions favouring rats and the destruction of rats as much as possible. fiats flee as soon as they are persistently disturbed, remove to other premises and areas, and it is therefore necessary that action be taken throughout the city and suburbs immediately and simultaneously.

It is thus most important (1) that buildings should be as rat proof as possible and rats kept out of buildings. Care should be taken that doors are not broken near the ground and should be kept closed at night. All drains should be effectively trapped, and drains kept in good order. (2) All fragments of food, bones, vegetables, etc., should be immediately burnt or placed in a proper metal garbage tin with a closely-filling cover. Proper spstem of collection and disposal of rubbish by local bodies is necessary. (2) All rubbish and harbourage for rats should be removed from premises, and premises and yards kept clean. (4) *As far as possible leave no water about premises. (5) Take measures to destroy rats by trapping or use of poison baits. Phosphorus r.u poison has certain advantages, but care must be taken with all poisonous baits. (6) Disposal of dead rats by removal with tongs and burn. For destroying llcas crude kerosene or a kerosene emulsion are botli efficient in destroying lleas. The emulsion is prepared by tlic combination of hot solution of soap. This emulsion is 85 parts of kerosene and 15 parts of a used in the strength of two per cent in water. It is applied with a.mop or scrubbing brush or by forcibly spraying into all places infested with fleas. Destruction of Rats. For Hie destruction of rats, of tho direct methods trapping is the chief. R. is probable that success in trapping is proportional to the attention and industry the trapper devotes to irs traps; this and tlic protection of other food supplies from rats. To obtain the best results traps must be well attended to and frequently moved from one place to another. Two kinds of traps arc generally used —the wire cage trap and the snap trap. Observations in America show the, cage trap is very much more effective than the snap trap when the two patterns are given equal attention by the trapper. However, some authorities prefer spring traps bailed with ham, and slate that Hie rat soon learns to avoid the cage trap, in Manchester cage traps have given poor results. Large cage, traps 20 inches in length are very much more effective than the smaller ones. The placing of traps is important. They should he placed where rats have been accustomed to frequent for feeding purposes. Traps should he more nr less concealed, the snap traps by scattering about them dust, (lour, or corn meal, and the cage traps by pieces of sacking, straw or rubbish, leaving only Hie opening free. The prerequisite of successful trapping is that no food other than the bail, should be available.

Of poisons the chemical ones give the best results. Preparations of arsenous acid phosphorus (10 per cent in suitable cases as cheese, meal or glucose) are the most popular poisons in use. Strychnine placed inside pieces of food or by impregnating grain with its solution is used to some extent as is also plaster of Paris in proportion of one part to two parts of flour. The use of the more deadly poisons should not be allowed where food is prepared or handled. The biological products which consist chiefly of culture of th- 1 Bacillus Typhirnurium group have not been successful. All such poisons have a certain elliCienc.y in ridding a place of rais which, whether by causing a migration or through actual destruction, is sometimes difficult of determination. “Common Sense Rat Exterminator" seems as good as any. Rat poisons non-injurious In human beings and domestic animals, such aSciiia martima Squibs; and bismuth.

or the lesser poisons, as BaGO3 (barium carbonate), can be used to greal advantage. Barium carbonate is a very good and probably one of (he safest poisons. It has the merit of bein-r tasteless and odorless when conveyed in a proper medium. This poison has been largely used by the authorities for the destruction of rats in the plague areas of India.

A well-known continental way of destroying rodents is to bake a pancake —egg pancake not essential, but beef dripping advisable—to which 20 percent of finely-chopped Scilla maritime (Squills red variety’ is added, either to the halter before frying, which is simpler, nr placed between two layers of pancakes after frying. When cold the pancake should be rut in pieces of about jin square and laid in the rat runs or holes.

Rats arc particularly susceptible to the effects of Seilla (Squills).

The most suitable materials and their respective quantities would be as follows; t gal. of extract of Squills, 2gal. of fresh milk nr broth.lib sugar, 301 b bread or rolled oats (without husks), dry brewers’ grain etc., making together say 60ib of bait- One gal. of extract containing, say h SOO mortal doses ft gal equals h 5 iOce) and consequently GOlb of bait made therewith, till of (his ha.it would contain 7a doses, equal to 4 A doses per oz. thus making say }o7, of bait a mortal dose. A calculation in England as to the probable cost of the bail is as follows: igal of extract 3s. 2 gal of milk 3s Od, lib of sugar 6d. 301 b bread or oats at 2id 6s 3d. incidentals Is fid. Say 15s for GOlb of bait, equal to 3d per lb. Possible under present conditions the cost may be slightly higher, hut even then it should not exceed id p p r lb. Assuming the latter figure as being correct, it would even then represent a potential capacity of killing 75 rajs at that expenditure. The poisons recommended in Manchester are preparations of Barium Carbonate and liquid extract of Squills. A common practice is to lay bread hailed with a barium paste one night and the following night to put down a freshly prepared mixture of Squills an I milk placed in a shallow receptacle.

Birdlime Traps.—The birdlime preparation is made with linseed oil and resin and the trays of birdlime require close attention- It is necessary from time (o time (n break the surface of Hie birdlime layer so as to renew the film and the trays must be carefully lahl during the evening. Some attractive bait should be placed in the centre on a piece of cardboard and must not be submerged. Lithographic varnish has been used also. The substance used is a strong lithographic varnish warmed sufficiently for it to be spread one-sixteenth to one-eighteenth of an inch thick on pieces of cardboard or strawboard measuring about 15 inches by 12 inches. A margin of about tin is left clear of varnish and bait is placed in the centre of the board where it adheres to the varnish. The traps are placed along the runs or near the holes. They remain effective for about four days. The rats' tails and feel stick to the varnish and I hey never get near the bait and are dead hy the morning. The rats probably die of fright and over-exer-tioq in trying to extricate themselves. Natural Enemies.—The employment of the natural enemies, sneh as dogs, cals, mongoose or weasels is of doubtful value. At best it is only a feebly auxiliary measure. Places are often over-run with rats notwithstanding Hie presence of the above-mentioned natural enemies. Undoubtedly some, breeds of cats and dogs are betlernthan others for rat catching purposes, but the average domestic clog is not a success in preventing rodents infesting a place.