The pest control programme you didn’t know you need

The importance of robust programmes to control most pests and plant diseases are well understood. But rats could be a chink in our armour.

Rats are serious pests

That’s the view of Pieter Van Der Westhuizen, UPL NZ Regional Manager for the upper North Island.

He says effective rodent control isn’t just about putting out bait — it also requires a plan.
“You can’t just fill a bait station and walk away.”

Van Der Westhuizen recommends a six-day cycle of monitoring strategically located bait stations and keeping them well stocked.

The bait he advocates for — and uses on his own property — is Generation® Soft Bait, manufactured by De Sangosse.
What sets this product apart, he says, is the unique combination of behavioural insight and scientific development.

“It wasn’t just about experimenting on lab rats. They used feral rats caught in the wild for testing.”

There’s a significant difference, he explains, between the feeding behaviours of lab rats and those of feral rats.
“De Sangosse scientists made this bait for real life. There’s nothing else like it on the market.”

Made with a vegetable oil and crushed grain-based formulation, Generation Soft Bait attracts rats quickly.
The bait’s soft, plasticine-like texture is wrapped in a permeable paper that disperses scent effectively and is easy to deploy.

“Just skewer the bait on the metal rod or wire within the Generation bait station. It’s quick, clean, and convenient.”

Generation Soft Bait is the most advanced anticoagulant rodenticide on the market, using difethialone (25 ppm) as its active ingredient — a compound that rodents can’t detect and to which there is no known resistance.

This bait is non-dispersible, effective in a single feed, and incredibly potent. Just 2 to 3 grams is enough to kill a rat, while 0.3 to 0.4 grams is lethal for a mouse. A rat typically consumes around 20 grams of food per day, and a mouse about 3 grams. In contrast, a single rat can produce up to 50 droppings and 50 mL of urine daily.

Van Der Westhuizen warns that seeing even one mouse or rat usually signals a larger infestation.

He recommends using bait proactively: “It’s going to save you money down the track.”

The delayed action of Generation Soft Bait plays a crucial role.

“Its attractiveness is vital. Because its effects are slightly delayed, once dominant rats feed and survive a short while, others gain confidence and follow their lead.”

But consistency is key.

“If you don’t keep monitoring and keep the bait stations well topped up, rats will eventually move on to alternative food sources and not return. Keeping bait stations full greatly increases the effectiveness of the programme.”

Generation Soft Bait also contains Bitrex®, a bittering agent that reduces the risk of consumption by non-target animals.