View report page

29
Winter treatment
Manholes baited 2,934
Manholes showing prebait take 900
Manholes showing complete prebait take 516
The bait used for both treatments was sausage rusk, whilst zinc
phosphide was the poison used.
Rodent control — treatment of rivers and ditches
In addition to the measures taken to deal with the destruction of
rats in private and business premises, special efforts are made to cope
with this problem as it affects the rivers and certain of the ditches in
the borough.
Treatment is carried out mainly between October and April by
four men, and in addition to the actual destruction of rats it includes
the clearance of such objects as water cisterns from river beds and the
lopping of undergrowth along the banks, in order to remove likely
sources of harbourage for rats.
The normal practice followed in treating rivers and ditches is to
lay prebait on three or four consecutive days followed by poison bait
on the fourth or fifth day. The poison bait used is zinc phosphide
mixed with sausage rusk and water.
During 1953, treatments were carried out on all sections of the
rivers in the borough together with certain ditches. Where heavy
infestations were found, retreatments followed. The undermentioned
table gives a summary of work carried out during the year :—

Prevention of Damage by Pests Act, 1949
A copy of the annual report covering the period 1 January, 1953
to 31 March, 1954, submitted to the Minister of Agriculture and
Fisheries, as required by the provisions of the above Act, is appended.