Farm site management is the key to keeping rats out, says Cameron Wilk of Saskatchewan Agriculture.
The provincial pesticide specialist said rats are drawn to areas with a good source of water, improperly managed garbage, old granaries and waste grain on the ground.
“A rat lives off our refuse.”
Wilk said farmers need to eliminate places where rats can live. They should raise their bins off the ground when possible and keep grass mowed around them.
“If they’re in there, what you have to do is make sure you clean up the problem and then maintain the yard site to prevent them from coming back in.”
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Proper management practices and recent dry conditions have helped decrease rat numbers by an estimated 40 percent over the last three years in Saskatchewan.
Wilk also gave credit to an effective rat control program that works with local municipalities and helps train pest control officers.
“One yard in every four used to have rats before,” said Wilk.
In 2003 there were no reports of rats in at least 35 rural municipalities.
The first recorded colony was discovered on the Alberta-Saskatchewan border in 1950. The Norway rat, the most common species on the Prairies, was declared a pest under the Pest Control Act and Regulations.
Wilk said the publication, Rat Control in Saskatchewan, was recently updated to focus less on chemical control and more on site management and rat-proof buildings. It is available at www.agr.gov.sk.ca or by calling toll-free 866-457-2377.
