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Pour informal notices were served, one to ratproof poultry houses and
three to remove accumulations.
A test bait was made of 10% of the soil sewer manholes in the district,
from the results of which are based the two maintenance treatments of the
sewers required by the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Pood, as one of
the conditions under which the Ministry pay 50% of the Council's rodent
control expenses.
The test bait in May resulted in one complete "take" and two partial
"takes" of bait out of ninety-three manholes baited.
The maintenance treatments carried out in May and December, when twelve
and fourteen manholes were baited respectively, resulted in three and five
"takes" respectively. These confirm the excellent results which were
obtained last year when I expressed the hope that this would continue.
No charge is made for the use of the Rodent Operator's services in
treating private domestic premises, provided that the occupiers co-operate in
carrying out their duties under the Act.
The cost of treatments at all other premises is recoverable.
OTHER INFESTATIONS.
Members of the public seem more concerned with infestations of all kinds
of insects than previously and advice was given in respect of one hundred and
three infestations of a wide variety of insects and animals, e.g. various
beetles, ants, cockroaches, fleas, moths, bugs, silver fish, foxes, moles,
rabbits, squirrels, etc. In this work we are assisted by the identification
services of the British Museum (Natural History Section), the staff of which
have on several occasions given a prompt answer to our enquiries. Small
quantities of liquid or powder insecticides are distributed and in a few cases
your Inspectors assist in the work of disinfesting by the loan of a power
sprayer.
PET ANIMALS ACT. 1951.
This Act gives the local Authority, inter alia, power to grant licences
to persons to keep pet shops for the sale of pet animals and to attach to the