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Brochures on rodent control out soon
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Posted on Aug 18 2005
Farmers in the CNMI who want to learn more about controlling the rat population in their farms will soon be getting educational brochures and leaflets.
Craig Smith of the Northern Marianas College–Cooperative Research Extension and Education Services said the brochures, “Rodent Bait Station Information” and “Rat Control for Saipan, Rota and Tinian,” will soon be distributed to homeowners and farmers whose farms and homes are infested with rats. He said the brochures aim to inform farmers and homeowners of the proper way to prepare the baits that CREES had developed to eradicate the pests from farmlands.
Smith prepared the brochures in cooperation with the Department of Lands and Natural Resources’ Division of Agriculture and NMC-CREES.
The Rodent Bait Station Information brochure provides information on how to build the bait stations that Smith had designed. It will also teach farmers to always have pre-bait and water in the station and how to prepare them for more effective attraction to rodents. The brochure would also guide farmers on how to build protective borders around their crops and which baits are most effective to use.
There are two common rodents infesting the crops of local farmers: the Norway Rats, which like burrows, and Roof Rats, which live on trees.
“Farmers need to be more clever than the rats,” Smith said.
He said, though, that his traps are not to be used in villages, especially if rodenticides are used as a method of suppression. The products may be fatal if swallowed or absorbed through the skin.
Smith said that when rats eats the baits, they may crawl to houses, endangering human health when used near villages.
The other brochure informs farmers about the different rodents on the island, their descriptions, habitats, population and control.
NMC-CREES was awarded $20,000 this week to fund rodent control measures. Smith said the money would act as a revolving fund for rodent control in the CNMI.
