Maggots on rabbit bait - control possible?

Predator Control strategy
#1

Hi all.

I’m new to this, just started helping out on Mt Taranaki, checking DOC200 stoat/rat traps.

I started in late summer, and at that time noticed that fresh (defrosted) rabbit meat baits got fly-struck very quickly. They were nearly all crawling with maggots–just three days after someone had placed them, according to trap.nz records. We’re trying to work to a three-week cycle, so a less-than-three-day effectiveness period isn’t great.

Now, in winter-time, flies aren’t a problem. But they will be soon, I think.

So, a few questions.

  1. Is it worth trying to keep flies off meat baits for a few more days? How long could I expect fresh meat to last (as bait) in 12-degree-ish temperatures? A week? More?

  2. Has anyone used covers like these disposable tea bags on their baits in DOC200 traps?
    https://www.aliexpress.com/w/wholesale-tea-bags-100pcs.html?spm=a2g0o.detail.search.0

A bait might need double-bagging to keep flies off, but if double-bagged it would not dry out as quickly either, so might be a net win.

  1. On the predator free NZ website I saw a suggestion to use metal mesh “tea eggs” to keep mice from stealing baits out of DOC200s. Like this:

Would that work for flies, too? Does anyone have anything to share about using these?

cheers – Greg

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#2

That is why we use salted rabbit - lasts for weeks, doesn’t get maggots on it.

#3

@dunlop Do you have a recipe for salting it? We get supplied frozen lumps of meat from DoC.

#4

We buy ours already prepared from a hunter. If you do use it, just make sure not to dispose of it where animals can eat it as they don’t like it and can become bait shy.
Instructions on salting rabbit are in Northland Pest Control Guidelines 2020, Pg 22. Can be found on Kiwicoast website, under Resources, Animal Pest Control.
kiwicoast.org.nz/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Northland-Pest-Control-Guidelines-2020.pdf

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#5

@dunlop Thank you very much!

I see - page 22 of the PDF. I see the leptospirosis warning - I’ve had lepto, not an experience I want to repeat.

#6

Dried rabbit from Conovation lasts well and is mess free if you don’t like sticky fingers.

#7

I no longer buy Erayz, because my results using it have been very poor. Also, the blow flies here lay maggots on Erayz ants eats it. After a week, all that remains is a small pile of crushed bones.

Goodnature’s Meat-Lovers’ Lure is the best way that I’ve found to keep blow flies and other insects away from flesh and fat lures, including Erayz. Presumably, flies can’t smell the food underneath the Meat-Lovers’. The predators here Meat-Lovers’, formerly called Stoat Lure, and they’ll have no trouble smelling stinky Erayz underneath it.

The only good thing about Erayz, IMO, is that small rodents and large insects find it difficult to eat, so they look elsewhere for food.

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#8

Thanks for the replies.

we were out this weekend on the mountain (Taranaki) and last time these traps were lured with a mix of erayz and fresh rabbit. I think erayz might be better for dry climates, maybe mid January to April here.

I might try the tea eggs instead though.

#9

Hi, suggest you change to salted rabbit, I did a longer term trial on Erayz after the salted rabbit trial easy to use is about all it has going for it, unless you just want to catch rats as it’s was a good rat bait but not so good for stoats/ferrets.
Link will take you to salted rabbit Trial and how to salt it
good luck

#10

Thanks Dave! I’ve been given a couple of sheets of erayz along with some rabbit. It’s all in the freezer, and the erayz can stay there till the summer. After that I’ll just get rabbit.

As I say I’m new to all this and I have yet to see a dead stoat. We have lots of ship rats on Mt. Taranaki, though. And not enough people yet to get round all the traps in a timely way. Hopefully the recent bait drop knocked back the population a bit so my average time per trap goes down a bit.

I have downloaded the PDF and read it. Looks pretty simple to salt the meat. Thanks again.

#11

Are they not doing any aerial bait drops down there? I’d be surprised if you could eliminate rats with traps in an area that big.