Here Come the Rats

Here Come the Rats

The Dangers of Misguided Environmentalism & their Unintended Consequences

Rats are NOT a species that is at risk of extinction. We will most certainly go extinct before they do. Besides, Rats +  mice = Yuk!  And don’t get me going about the Black Death. Why this topic? Today the company that found how rats entered our home was back again. The first time the rats chewed right through the header of our foundation. They figured that my bird feeder by the back door was a great food supply, so why not live close by in my warm basement? Smart rats! No rats this time, but mice. I really do not like mouse droppings all over the kitchen countertop in our basement. Yuk. And the real “bummer” is that they keep on coming back! It turns out they came back because some electricians put a new wire through our basement walls and did not put caulking around it. Given that mice need only a space the size of dime to enter they then found a new doorway to a warm and happy place. Why do I tell you all of this? To ground you in reality. It turns out reality is a messy place that does not usually fit our simplistic ideologies – even if that ideology is Environmentalism.

Let’s go back a few steps. My interest in this problem of misguided environmentalism started when my sister in Australia complained bitterly that the local town council after losing a court case with evidence of large falling branches falling on and near her house that were big enough to kill people. They were finally able to cut down this very old GUM tree [Eucalyptus] after a big storm came through the town where many of old trees like hers came down and damaged many cars and homes. She said the reason common sense had not prevailed were the Green Party city councilors who wanted to save all trees at any cost – even if they were old and dangerous and caused damage. They were stuck in their ideology and removed from reality.

In a similar way we can now only buy mouse/rat poisons in Ontario that are not toxic… which sounds good – but the problem is that the mice & rats don’t really like it and it also does not kill them very well. The pest control people, fortunately, are still allowed to use the “good & toxic” stuff that works. They will be using that in my home next week – thank goodness. As I was chatting with the mouse/rat expert who came today he happened to tell me this bit of juicy news: British Columbia, to maintain its “Green” reputation [although Vancouver is the largest exporter of coal over seas in North America], has banned all coagulating type pest poisons – except for certified professionals. It sounds nice – but there are problems with the well meaning policy that is coming into play because some wild life, like owls, ate these poisons put out by people outside – which is obviously REALLY stupid. So, rather than being reasonable [caveat: I am not an expert so I do not know what “reasonable” is] and trying to educate the population to only using these poisons inside this is what is happening:

As the owl advocacy group Rodenticide Free BC calls on the province to completely ban the use of rat poisons in B.C., retailers have begun pushing back on the idea. [Note –  the ban IS coming into effect in Jan’23]

Kelvin McCulloch is the president of Buckerfield’s, a home goods and outdoor gear company, and he says if an all-out ban were to happen, the rodent population in the province would rise out of control. “Any feed store in British Columbia is always at risk of having mice and rats in it,” said McCulloch. Saanich bans use of rat poisons at municipal facilities At Buckerfield’s in Nanaimo, it wasn’t just a few pesky rodents that plagued the store. “It was probably 10,000,” said the president of Buckerfield’s. Roughly $200,000 worth of inventory had to be thrown out. The store was closed for months as the walls were ripped apart to fix the damages caused by the mice and that cost around $300,000 itself.  McCulloch estimates that $500,000 worth of business was lost during the store’s closure.  He says that if rodenticides were to be banned completely in British Columbia, there would be no way to effectively control the rodent population. “It is impossible to control rodent infestations after the trapping rate is exceeded by the breeding rate,” said McCulloch. ‘A PERMANENT BAN’ Rodenticide Free BC is calling on the provincial government to all-out ban the use of the poison in B.C.  The call comes after several owls were believed to have died after consuming rodents that had ingested rat poisons on Vancouver Island. This permanent ban is coming into effect January 2023. https://vancouverisland.ctvnews.ca/impossible-to-control-industry-says-rodenticides-needed-to-manage-pest-infestations-in-b-c-amid-calls-for-poison-ban-1.5682858

What’s my point? Am I bad person who wants wildlife to die from rat poison? No. It is clearly bad that poisons kill rats kill wildlife. Absolutely. But let’s not throw baby with bath water. Rats are nasty and destructive. They chewed right through my house foundation! So they need to be kept under control AND not at the expense of wild animals. Here is what I predict: this well meaning policy in BC will result in an explosion of the rat population that will create a lot of damage and possibly health risks to people as well. [ Some mice and rats can carry harmful diseases, such as HPS, Leptospirosis, lymphocytic choriomeningitis, plague, and typhus. ] My point is that there must be ways to kill the rats AND save the wildlife. At issue is education – not bans. Case in point. Here in Ottawa my rat/mouse expert today told me that their business has never been better. Why? Covid! Lots of people stayed at home more and put up bird feeders. Unintentionally [always beware unintended consequences] what that did was feed the rats. And now Ottawa has more rats than ever!

So what can you do prevent rats and mice from entering your home? Rat-proof your bird feeders

Food is the main requirement needed to support a rat population, but rats are not usually directly attracted to the food that is provided in a bird feeder. Rather, they are attracted initially by food on the ground nearby a bird feeder, either food that you have provided, or seeds, shells, or husks that birds have dropped as they feed. To prevent rats finding food in this way there are some precautions you can take. Rats are most active at night so if you put out food on the ground for birds such as blackbirds, thrushes, and wrens, only put out enough food that they can eat during the day and clear up any leftovers before dusk. Birds will discard husks and other fillers found in bird food so use a no-mess, high quality bird food in your bird feeders to stop them dropping unwanted food. No-mess bird food has been hulled, flaked, or kibbled, and has the added benefit of not sprouting so you won’t end up with an unsightly patch of weeds on the lawn below your bird feeders. Another way bird food can end up on the ground is from using the wrong types of bird feeders. If your bird feeders have feeding ports that are too large for the seeds, then the seeds can easily fall out if the feeders are knocked or tipped. Birds’ beaks are well adapted to accessing seeds through tiny holes so choose bird feeders with small feeding ports to minimise spillage. You could also fix a seed-catching tray to your bird feeding pole which will help prevent any food ending up on the ground. At the end of each day check the ground below your bird feeders and sweep up any fallen seeds or husks that could attract rats. Give your bird feeders a wipe around the ports to get rid of any accumulated seed and remove any debris in your seed trays.  https://www.birdspot.co.uk/bird-feeders/rats-and-bird-feeders