External Contract Monitoring with Non Toxic Indicator Blocks.

[budgie123 163]

Due to the new industry guidelines and CRRU we have gone down the non toxic monitoring on all contracts something we possibly did even before CRRU.

We have also looked towards break back traps in AF bait stations and the success of these has raised some question.

Looking back over possibly 4 years I cannot ever remember a single contract where non toxic indicator blocks have shown any rat activity despite people on site reporting visible rat activity not even from young rats.

All bait stations being Protecta LP bait stations.

Due to reports of rat activity I have replaced LP bait stations on a number of sites with AF baits stations with traps in them and virtually straight away I have started picking up rats where historically going back a significant number of years we have never seen any takes in LP bait stations  on non toxic indicator blocks.

There is an obvious difference with AF baits stations and Protecta LP baits with the AF having a straight through passage for rats. Is this making them more readily acceptable to rats entering them.

The issue cannot be neophobia as the Protecta LP bait stations have been permanently sited for years on the contracts.

Are there palatability issues with Non Toxic Indicator Blocks with rats. Mice don't appear to have an issues eating them. What are other people seeing with non toxic indicator blocks on contracts?

On reactive domestic external rat treatments we deploy LP bait stations with contrac blocks and see rat activity again pointing to unpalatability of the non toxic blocks.

One of the drivers for us to use traps in boxes comes from a conversation a colleague had with a pest control technician on a training course. The technician reporting that he used only traps in boxes external on all his contracts and how successful they were.

Something initially I was sceptical about but I have been amazed at their effectiveness.

 

 

[Deker 3,450]

I've used non toxic for monitoring ongoing contracts for 10 years or more, same with Break backs in AF boxes, both rat and mice.

I see the reasoning behind non toxic monitoring baits, but I do have questions about their effectiveness, just the same, any bit of action and you can get some proper bait in!

I rate the boxed break backs, as they basically funnel the rodents to the killing zone and personally I find the success rate high.

[earth-thrower 490]

Even though it's not my field, ........its a really interesting topic, to read.

Edited December 18, 2018 by earth-thrower

[randombadger 26]

I have always assumed that the formulation for the non-toxic vs the toxic version of a bait is identical except for the addition of the active ingredient in the latter. So that in effect unless there is something about the difenacoum/bromadialone or whatever active is present  that makes the bait more attractive (seems unlikely) then the toxic version shouldn't be more palatable. Of course that is an assumption based on what would seem sensible but it is possible that the two versions do differ more significantly, for example are there still additives such as bitrex in the non-toxics? Possibly not, and that might alter their palatability (although arguably with bitrex maybe in favour of the non-toxic, but then I've heard of a few animals actually seeming to like the bitter taste!) Nevertheless perhaps there is some other additive or lack of such which causes the animals to either stay away from the non-toxic bait you are using either via neophobic response or a more general repellent effect (the former being more likely) 

Two suggestions:

contact the manufacturer and find out exactly what the ingredient difference is.

 And/or try a different bait with an alternative non-toxic indicator.

Edited December 21, 2018 by randombadger

[LuckOrJudgement 437]

Interesting thread.

Whilst I'm all for non toxic monitoring , I think we may all be being taken for a ride by the big suppliers- and being blind sided to simple first principles.

For example, if you had a cheese factory contract, it stands to reason that you would use cheese as a monitoring bait, not some wax/grain composite that probably tastes shit.

Has anyone actually tasted a non toxic monitoring bait from the manufacturers? Would you use it to bait a trap?!

[trappa 517]

Been using non-tox outside for last couple of years and swapping over to contrac blox upon activity. No issues for me at all with rats.

Massive issues with long term baiting indoors for mice though. Ive a couple of spots that are totally indoors so have historically had solo blox down full time (brodifacoum) and it sorts out any mice problems straight away. Ive now had to swap over to difenocoum which is dogsh*t for mice but better then brom so needs must. Whoever decided we can only use difenocoum or bromadiolone long term needs to wake the f*ck up.

[goshawking719 487]

Personally all my external bait stations contain break backs, i cannot see the logic in providing a rat with a potential food source for several weeks between visits at any site. I would rather the possibility of it being dead than being fed.

Also had great success using difenacoum with mice,  it really isnt far of being a single dose bait as far as toxicity is concerned. Iv found sakarat d-wax being my go to bait on most house mouse jobs over the last few years.

I was, possibly mistakenly under the impression that new product labels referring to long term baiting were only regarding baiting externally and that brodifacoum etc could still be used internally?

Atb-Adam 

[trappa 517]

On 23/12/2018 at 01:04, goshawking719 said:

I was, possibly mistakenly under the impression that new product labels referring to long term baiting were only regarding baiting externally and that brodifacoum etc could still be used internally?

Atb-Adam 

Nope. Only difenacoum and bromadilone and only if label allows.

[Staffy1 52]

I run a pest control company on Isle of Wight, I only do job work so no contracts . The non toxic baits are likely to attract rats and mice I would consider tracking powder in a box on a contract  as its less likely to attract rats or mice to site but should still indicate whats about?. No difenacoum resistance so far as i can see here . Although mice seem to eat more before expiring  than rats . Using brodifracoum on big mouse jobs . Nara blocks look a good option don't attract rats mice  but show gnawing etc??