Pest Free Wattle Downs Update

Successful, Resourceful, High achievers is the only way to describe the team of ten dedicated people that look after the bait stations.

This year the team won an award from Bupa and received accolades from residents and Council. Council, the Local Board and Wattle Downs Residents’ and Ratepayers Association all support Pest Free Wattle Downs 2103. Thank you.

We have 150 bait stations, 6 cage traps, 30 DoC200 traps available to use. To date we have helped the birds and lizards survive by eliminating 54 hedgehogs and 28 possums. It is hard to know how many rats and mice have been eliminated, but we have used 30 twenty litre buckets of baits. If you walk along the boardwalk path you’ll see bait stations. These are checked and rebaited regularly.

If you have mice or rats on your property, it is likely that they are eating and drinking from sources within the property - please check that:

• Dog and cat food isn’t outside

• Water bowls, dishes, buckets are empty

• Fruit off trees isn’t on the ground

• Compost heaps are enclosed • Rubbish or bags aren’t present

• Fat or food scrapes aren’t down drains or on the ground

• Gaps under doors or holes in the buildings are blocked.

What’s next... well more planting of natives along the foreshore for bird and bee food plus the added benefits of slowing erosion.

We will start intensifying the number of bait stations in an area to try and rid the ‘hot spots’ of vermin.

Row Robinson Project Director - Pest Free Wattle Downs