Rats Everywhere.....what to do????

[emorata]

hi pammy

when i was staying at the waikoloa, the groundskeeper was telling me the same thing, prevents any critters from going up top for shelter....wonder if that would work for coakies

[HADave]

Well we have a product here we use to keep bugs and such from climbing apple trees it called tanglefoot and I'm here to tell you it is sticky. Orchard growers hand apply this to the base of there trees I'm talking 5000+ trees so should you want to apply this to the trees on your lot to keep things from creeping up there I bet it would work. you can google tanglefoot see all kinds of product. Them coqui aren't very big and there you would find them come daylight for easy picking, stuck to the tree. Hey you never know till you try )


Best part no harmful chemicals, all natural ingredients, all weather protection 6oz to 25lb pails


Edited by - HADave on 01/30/2006 18:04:50

[emorata]

thanks for the heads up on tanglefoot, is that waterproof?

[mella l]

Hey HADAVE and Noel, Thanks for the tip on tanglefoot. Reading old posts on another site I read where people would buy those fly papers, you know the old fashioned ones that pull out of a cardboard container and look like ribbons! They are about the size of a shot gun load. Anyway they would take the fly paper out of the container and wrap it around the tree apx 4 feet off the ground, sticky side out and tack it down with a tack or something. In the morning they go out to the trees and the frogs would be stuck to the fly paper and in the garbage they would go. Perhaps the tanglefoot would be easier?

Anyone have any experience with these products?

Frogaside, oh no, but somebody's got to do it. Mella L

mella l

[HADave]

Tanglefoot is indead waterproof and can be applied directly to the tree or whatever, around Piers beneath the shields for termites too, or it can be applied to a band that they supply for easy removal should you have an ongoing issue.

Aloha! HADave

GOTO www.tanglefoot.com for the whole scoop.

[emorata]

thanks for the website link, i think this is a great situation for prevention probably even more effective for those pesky frogs esp since its waterproof so you don't have to re-apply like lime....get rid of two pests at the same time....great hints on the polenta/plaster of paris mix also.

best,

noel

[allensylves]

Unless they have changed the formulation, Tanglefoot should NOT be applied directly to trees, etc. It can damage or kill them. You band the tree with an impermeable barrier and put the Tanglefoot on that.
Allen

[HADave]

Aloha! Allensylves, Welcome to the forum, I'm sure I speak for many, when I say, cautionary comments and concerns are sincerely welcome.

Tanglefoot, and this is according to my nurseyman at my local Agway Store assures me that Tanglefoot will in point of fact not cause harm to a tree if directly applied. The reasoning behind the banding process, before application, is so once there is a build up of insects, or whatever, that you can remove the product without having to take the chance of scraping the bark off while trying to clean the extremely sticky mess. Should one not periodically clean and reapply, a bridge of stuck insects or frogeez might just provide a path for those climbing newcomers.
I also asked if, in his opinion would Tanglefoot be effective on a small, the size of a quarter, tree frog. His comment was I'm sure it would but I would not reccomend that because if you were trying to capture the critter you might just kill it trying to get it unstuck from the Tanglefoot. Of course he had no idea of my real intentions about using it in an irradication effort of the uncontrollable coqui frog of Hawaii.

I also have a message directed to The Tanglefoot Company as well and I will post their reply as soon as I recieve it. I certainly would in no way want to cause harm to mine or anyone elses trees. So please if you have valid information that shows evidence of harm please bring forth this info and share it with us all.

Aloha and thankyou for keeping me honest. ) HADave


In speaking with John from Tanglefoot he also said no harm would come to any tree from appling Tanglfoot directly to the trunk. However some staining could occur on smooth bark trees. The barriers are provided for repeat application making for an easy removal of previous applications.

Again Tanglefoot is made from all natural ingredients, and no harmful chemicals.

I will also post this under Coqui on the punaforum, along with some research that The company is going to forward to me regarding use of the product in Hawaii for this specific purpose. Stay tuned

HADave


Edited by - HADave on 02/06/2006 18:40:56

Edited by - HADave on 02/06/2006 18:42:38

[allensylves]

HADave,
I just went and looked at my several-year-old can of Tangle-Trap, made by Tanglefoot Co. It just discusses making insect traps and does not discuss banding trees. I guess I read the cautions in the Ag Extension garden guides for controlling stinging caterpillars here in Looziana. If the Tanglefoot company says direct application is safe, they should know.

[Ironman]

Noel:

As far as rodenticides go I wanted to add some clarifications and cautions. The industry is now using third generation anticoagulants, most rats and mice are now immune to warfarin based products. The best product that I know of is called "Talon" it's active ingredient is "Brodafacoum" usually only licensed pest control applicators can get it but it REALLY does the trick. Only a single pellet or partial feeding is all that is needed. They stop eating in 24 hours, they stop drinking in 48 hours, and they die in five days. Be sure to bait them out side the house, if they die in the walls it is a nightmare. Words of caution: be advised that all third generation anticoagulants obviously cause the animal to internally bleed out. This occurs because these compounds DO NOT break down in a typical fashion. Rats/mice that eat the bait will pass some of it in their urine and feces so be VERY careful of pet/livestock feeding and watering areas. Further, rats/mice that die in the open if ingested by dogs/cats or others will act as vehicles to transfer to active compound into the non-target animal. This always results in liver/kidney damage and if more than one ingestion, death. These compounds continue to build up in the body so be VERY careful in using them. When I worked at the National Zoo we had allot of birds in the indoor walk through flight cage die from unknown causes. What happened is the rodent bait stations had the "TALON" in them and were locked, but crickets went in and consumed the pellets. Talon is not toxic to insects. The insects were then eaten by the birds and all those birds died, an expensive sad lesson. Bottom line, you need an integrated approach. Use bait where it can be controlled and monitored, use cats and small dogs to intercept them as they traverse open areas, rat/mouse proof the house as much as possible, clear away trees and foliage that will allow them to enter the house/roof, another alternative is pellets that prevent the females from ovulating but that is too expensive for household use. Hope this sheds some light and helps.

Mahalo, Ironman


Will Peratino