HOOT stands for Help Our Owls Thrive!
UHills Rodent Management History
ICHA currently uses the rodenticide cholecalciferol (Terad3) in rat bait stations serviced monthly by a pest management company. Multiple feedings of cholecalciferol or vitamin D3 are toxic to rats. Studies have concluded that direct consumption in large enough quantities can be toxic to wildlife, household pets, and humans.
Compared to anticoagulants, cholecalciferol has been touted as a lesser threat to pets and wildlife, however there is limited evidence that secondary poisoning may occur. HOOT suggests that inviting owls to Uhills and exposing them to the possibility of poisoning is not responsible. We therefore propose that ICHA switch to enclosed snap traps and we encourage residents to do the same.
The HOOT Group is working in concert with local raptor experts and others to investigate the feasibility of shifting UHills away from rodenticides toward safer non-toxic methods of rat control.
The Issue
Given how often we all see dead, dying, and live rats in UHills, it’s time to evaluate our current approach to rat management. Controlling the rat population is a never-ending battle. Every rat eradication strategy has pros and cons that require careful implementation in order to avoid unintended consequences, such as the poisoning of wildlife and household pets.
While we all wish that there were a single, safe, effective, and inexpensive method to reduce the population of rats in UHills, our best bet is to adaptively employ a combination of strategies. The most important things that residents and ICHA can do to reduce that rat population are to reduce harborage (ex. overgrown vegetation) and eliminate food/water sources.
The HOOT Group would like ICHA to replace rat poison stations with enclosed snap traps, in combination with providing nesting boxes for native barn owls. Owls are one of the best native rodent controlling predators in the region. A family of barn owls can consume over 1,000 rodents per year. Simply installing nesting boxes in optimal locations naturally recruits barn owls. These owls generally mate for life and return to the same nesting site each year. We believe that UHills (ICHA and residents) should stop using rodenticides prior to the installation of nesting boxes. Pest control companies hired by residents generally deploy anticoagulant bait in their traps. Helpful information on the hazards of anticoagulant rodenticides can be found here.
Other neighborhoods have moved away from rodenticides towards natural methods. Here are some other barn owl success stories shared by a variety of groups.
Non-Toxic Rat Reduction: Snap Traps & Owl Boxes
SNAP TRAPS: Yes, they do what you think. The snap traps that we hope to have UHills employ are enclosed in a box intended to protect pets, wildlife and humans from accidentally triggering the trap.
OWL BOXES: The HOOT Group is working with several raptor experts to determine the appropriate location and number of nesting boxes for our specific needs. These boxes will be located in areas accessible for cleaning and repair. Here is an article about a neighborhood that has already installed barn owl boxes.
OTHER ALTERNATIVES: We are looking into a variety of other alternatives to rodenticides to use in concert with snap traps and owls, which include non-hormone fertility control (ContraPest), natural repellents (Pro-Pell) and more.
Will barn owls harm my small dog or cat? No.
Will barn owls be successful hunters in a neighborhood with street lighting? Yes, and here is an article that will shed some “light” on the subject.
map of boxes
pix of boxes