Butterfly Gardens

[Maelalove]

There are cats here, mostly stray. But we discourage the cats because we have 3 dogs who are anathema to the cats. Just hearing their movement in the backyard makes our dogs go gaga. It's not really nice to hurt animals but we consider rats pests and pests are not animals per se because they are injurious and damaging. The rats would destroy anything in their fancy.

That's true, a lot of dogs and cats don't really like each other's presence, haha. I guess I'm just used to indoor dogs and cats I've had, who were more like brothers and sisters than they were like enemies. And I guess you're right about the rats, they chew through pretty much everything. Usually, we just use peanut butter on sticky traps since rats seem to actually be more attracted to peanut butter(from what I've heard) and then we throw them out. I guess we're just as bad, leaving them to die rather than poisoning them..

 

[Corzhens]

That's true, a lot of dogs and cats don't really like each other's presence, haha. I guess I'm just used to indoor dogs and cats I've had, who were more like brothers and sisters than they were like enemies. And I guess you're right about the rats, they chew through pretty much everything. Usually, we just use peanut butter on sticky traps since rats seem to actually be more attracted to peanut butter(from what I've heard) and then we throw them out. I guess we're just as bad, leaving them to die rather than poisoning them..

When we would have caught a rat in the trap of poison, my husband would bury the rat in our extended garden. He said that at least the rat become beneficial in a way by fertilizing the soil. Fortunately, there are no more rats in the backyard lately and even in the extended garden although I'm sure there are lots of rats in the vast expanse that is just 3 lots away from our property. They are breeding fast there.

 

[Maelalove]

When we would have caught a rat in the trap of poison, my husband would bury the rat in our extended garden. He said that at least the rat become beneficial in a way by fertilizing the soil. Fortunately, there are no more rats in the backyard lately and even in the extended garden although I'm sure there are lots of rats in the vast expanse that is just 3 lots away from our property. They are breeding fast there.

Well, I guess the rat poison is really doing it's job then if you haven't seen any lately. How do you administer the rat poison, though? I would be worried about it mixing into my plants somehow and then possibly harming me.

 

[Corzhens]

Well, I guess the rat poison is really doing it's job then if you haven't seen any lately. How do you administer the rat poison, though? I would be worried about it mixing into my plants somehow and then possibly harming me.

The rat poison that we buy from the market stall is the black powder. I don't remember exactly the name. What we do is get a bait like a piece of meat but the best is fish because it attracts the rat with its scent. We pour half a teaspoon of the powder on the bait and place it in the garden (the meat is on a piece of clean paper). When not eaten by the rat, we throw it in the garbage can and place another at night. On the 3rd night and the bait remains untouched, that means there are no more pests.

 

[Esther Knapicius]

I have been to real butterfly gardens. And there apart from plants they like. I have also seen trays, of orange slices or mango slices sitting out for them to eat on. there may have been other fruits but right now, not visualizing.

as far as hummers. they let me know they are in the area in the early spring when they dart around my Virginia blue bells. then I hang the sugar container. Later they love the honeysuckle on my deck and then the bee palm, and then the phlox. but mostly the honeysuckle that blooms 4 times during the year.

 

[Maelalove]

The rat poison that we buy from the market stall is the black powder. I don't remember exactly the name. What we do is get a bait like a piece of meat but the best is fish because it attracts the rat with its scent. We pour half a teaspoon of the powder on the bait and place it in the garden (the meat is on a piece of clean paper). When not eaten by the rat, we throw it in the garbage can and place another at night. On the 3rd night and the bait remains untouched, that means there are no more pests.

I guess that would work. I think I'd just be afraid it would seep into the soil or something. I've never used rat poison for anything, or poison whatsoever, but I would be afraid of the after effects, personally.

 

[Esther Knapicius]

OMG, just read this about the rat poison, and you have cats that roam, the cats can eat the rat poison also.

Best thing is to get humane rat trap and prime it with food, such as peanut butter, then the rat is trapped live and you can dispose of it that way. Take it somewhere.

 

[LouisFerdinand]

https://flic.kr/p/Wmxbmh

 

[LouisFerdinand]

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/361906520062932283/

 

[Eeilee]

OMG, just read this about the rat poison, and you have cats that roam, the cats can eat the rat poison also.

Best thing is to get humane rat trap and prime it with food, such as peanut butter, then the rat is trapped live and you can dispose of it that way. Take it somewhere.

This is what we do.
I’m a terrible person and would prefer to shoot rats and dispose of them that way but my family thinks I’m a monster so we trap them and my husband drives them to a wetland several miles away.

 

[Esther Knapicius]

This is what we do.
I’m a terrible person and would prefer to shoot rats and dispose of them that way but my family thinks I’m a monster so we trap them and my husband drives them to a wetland several miles away.

I see nothing wrong with shooting rats. my neighbor shoots squirrels. good target practice. Before someone gets all warm and fuzzy about shooting squirrels ----will have to share----on two occasions I had almost tragic events with to cars because of squirrels. My little white sports car---the engine smoked up because some squirrel decided it was a good place to hid nuts, so almost an engine fire. And our big truck its breaks failed because some squirrel chewed the break lines, good thing I was able to stop the truck before I got to the street------had to pay for a tow truck $$$ to get it to the mechanic to fix the break lines $$$$$.

 

[DirtMechanic]

This is what we do.
I’m a terrible person and would prefer to shoot rats and dispose of them that way but my family thinks I’m a monster so we trap them and my husband drives them to a wetland several miles away.

Our biology dept has us kill the animals rather than upset other area balances or create starvation and disease conditions. Use a silencer. I have a gamo whisper in 22 cal.

 

[Eeilee]

Our biology dept has us kill the animals rather than upset other area balances or create starvation and disease conditions. Use a silencer. I have a gamo whisper in 22 cal.

My dad was a truck broker and most of what his drivers hauled was grass seed.
You can imagine the rats in the grass seed warehouses.
My sister and I worked in those warehouses every summer loading grass seed bags into trucks.
We become little Annie Oakleys before we were 10 years old

 

[Esther Knapicius]

Never forget my first sighting of real rats running about in New Orleans down by the dock area. They certainly are large. Which made me realize, be hard for a cat to handle that size of a rat. Guess that is why the Rat Terrior dog was developed. And one time, at a resort in the Dominion Republic, saw some running about on a roof there. SMH. We really don't have any out here in the country. Just have little cute field mice.

 

[Eeilee]

Never forget my first sighting of real rats running about in New Orleans down by the dock area. They certainly are large. Which made me realize, be hard for a cat to handle that size of a rat. Guess that is why the Rat Terrior dog was developed. And one time, at a resort in the Dominion Republic, saw some running about on a roof there. SMH. We really don't have any out here in the country. Just have little cute field mice.

Not enough terriers around to make a dent in their population unfortunately.
I loathe rats. I know we’re supposed to believe everything plays a part in this system but I’m with dirt….22 plays its part as well!