Rat Monitor

In order to monitor the progress and success of the Atiwhakatu Trapping Project and Project Kaka at Donnelly Flat we carry out regular monitors, generally two to three times a year.

Atiwhakatu Rat Monitor

In the approximately 1,000ha area of the Atiwhakatu Trapping Project we have 8 randomly placed monitor lines. In each line we have placed 10 plastic tunnels at 25 metre intervals, these remain in place all year round. During a monitor we put a piece of cardboard, with an inked section in the middle and clear sections at either end, in each tunnel and leave it overnight. Any pest, or insect, that walks through the tunnel will leave their prints on the card. The prints can then be identified when the card has been collected.

The number of cards with rat, or mice, prints does not provide an exact count of the pests, but does give us an indication of how many there are around. If 90% of the cards show rat prints, we have a lot of rats (not good!). If 3% of the cards show rats, that is low, and good.

Over time, following a number of monitors, we hope a trend will show of pest numbers going down, although there may be “blips” along the way.

The results for the Atiwhakatu monitor are published in the below table:

Key:

  • NR = No record
  • R = Rat
  • M = Mouse
  • I = Insect
Monitor8/5/20172/8/20186/23/201810/6/20181/5/20195/4/20192/15/20209/19/20205/1/2021
Tunnel
AV 1
100R+M+IRR+I0RRR
200R+M+IR0RR00
3000RIIRI0
40000I0RR0
50RR0IRRR0
600I0R+I0RR0
700NR0IR0R0
80M00I0RRI
9MM0RR+IRRR0
10000RR+IRRR0
AV 2
10MR+M+IIIRRNR0
20MR+MMMR+I0NRI
3IMR+I0RR+IRNR0
40R+MRR+IR+IRRNR0
50R+MR+IR+IRIRNR0
60MR+MRIRRR+I0
70RIR+IIRR00
8I0R+IRRRRI0
9R+M+IRR+IR+IR0R00
10IRRRR+IRRI0
AV 3
10MRRRRRR0
20MRRRRRR+M0
3IM0R+IRR000
4I0RRR+IRR00
5IIR+IRR+IRR00
60R+IRRR+IRR00
7R+I0RRR+IRR00
80MR+IR+IIRR0I
900RR0RR00
10I00R0RR00
AV 4
1I000IR+IR00
200R+I0R+IRR00
30RRRRRR00
400R+MR0R+IR0I
5I0R+MRI0R00
6I0RR+IRR+IRII
7I0R+IR+IR+IR+IR00
8I0R+IRR+I0RI0
9I0RRRIR0I
10I0R+IRR+I0R00
AV 5
10R+M+II0I0000
2IIR+I0I0I0I
300IIIR000
4I0IAIRR0M
5I000IRR0I
6I00RIIRI0
700IR0RR00
800IR0RR0I
90MIR+I0RI00
1000I0IRR0I
AV6
100IR+IR+IRR00
2I0R+IR+IR+IRR0R
3I0RR+IR+IRRR0
40RR+IR+IR+IRR00
5I0RRR+IRR00
6IIRR+IRRRR0
7IRR+IRRRRR0
8I0R+IRR+IR+IR00
9IIR+IR+IRRRRI
10IIRR0RRR+I0
AV7
1I0I0IRRRI
20RIR+II0RRR
3I000IRRRI
4I0R+IAIRI0I
5I0IR+IIRRI0
6IIIR+MIRR0R
7I0IIIRR+M0I
80I0II0I0I
9I0I0IIRRI
100R00I0RR+M0
AV 8
1III0I0R0I
20IR+IR+IR+IRIRR
30IRR+IR+IRRR0
4IR+IR+IR+IR+IRRII
5IR+I0RR+IRRR+I0
6IIR+IR+IR+IRRRI
70IIR+II0R0I
8IIIRR+I0R00
9I0IRRRR0I
1000R+IRR+IRII0
Totals
No. of cards with Rats indicated2154556415969255
No. of cards with Mice indicated21372000111
No. of cards with Insects indivated2814442857126222
% of cards showing Rats3195671517486336
% cards showing Mice31793000151
% of cards showing Insects3516553570158327
Atiwhakatu monitor results

Donnelly Flat Monitor

In the Donnelly Flat area of roughly 60 hectares we have randomly placed five monitor lines. Each line has five plastic tunnels set at 25 metre intervals which remain in place year round.

The results of the Donnelly Flat monitors are published below:

Donnelly Flat Monitoring results from 25 cards
Number of cards indicating species:
RatsMiceInsects
31/08/2016434
2/11/20174315
31/03/2018633
28/06/2018222
19/10/20185113
01/03/19208
5/20/2019901
2/15/20201079
9/8/2020200
4/29/20213010
Donnelly Flat monitor results
Donnelly Flat monitor results
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