Urban Ark – Manawa Taiao
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  4. Pulsing

Pulsing

Tired of visiting your trapline twice a week all year round? Why not try pulsing?

What is pulsing

Keeping traps set all year round requires dedication in our busy lives. Here comes ANJA to the rescue. We focus on four pulses each year: August, November, January and April. Keeping our traps set in these four months each year is most effective based on their reproductive cycle.

Why pulsing?

Pulsing strikes a balance between maximum effectiveness and volunteer fatigue. It can be nearly as effective as continuous control if carried out with high enough intensity and coordinated over a wide area. In the case of using poison bait, it also reduces toxicity in the environment.

Community groups will usually find it is easier to get publicity for pulsing campaigns, than for continuous ones. A continuous campaign stops being ‘newsworthy’ after about the first month, but local media will often continue to report each pulse starting.

Coordination

Pulsing must be timed to coincide across a large area, otherwise pests from the areas where the pulse wasn’t carried out will re-invade the areas where it was. For example, pulsing is unlikely to be effective in an isolated property.

ANJA

The ideal times to carry out pulsing are widely agreed to be August, November, January and April – an acronym commonly referred to as ANJA.

August At the end of winter there is less food available, so baits and lures are more attractive simply because there are fewer alternatives on offer. Trap boxes and bait stations provide shelter too. While the absolute catch numbers may be low compared to April, this is the pulse with the biggest impact on the relative rat population. At the same time this helps cutting down the rat population before they start breeding in earnest, and prior to native wildlife starting to breed in spring.

April Rat population is typically the highest towards the end of summer. Which makes is more likely to catch higher numbers.

Nov / Jan Rats start reproducing at the age of 3-5 months. Having four pulses per year ensures each rat has a chance to find a trap or bait station before they breed. in practice, many volunteers are on holiday at the beginning of January, so timing your pulse from mid-January to mid-February may suit your volunteers better.

In this section

  • Resources
    • The Workshop
      • Making trap tunnels
      • Rat-proof your compost
      • Build a wētā motel
      • Nest boxes for ruru
    • Tool library
    • Trapping resources
      • Setting rat traps
      • Setting a Trapinator possum trap
      • Humane trapping
      • Pulsing
      • What's the best lure?
      • Blaze your tree
      • Recording your catch
      • Dealing with dead rats (and possums)
      • New technology
    • Promotional resources
    • Pest monitoring
      • Chew cards
      • Wax tags
      • Tracking tunnels
    • Being a good citizen
    • Seeking funding
    • Cats
    • Dogs
    • Schools
    • Businesses
    • Health & Safety
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© Urban Ark – Manawa Taiao 2022

Photo credits: Bartek Wyptch (grey warbler)

Urban Ark – Manawa Taiao logo: Glenn Jones

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    • Report a catch
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      • Rats
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    • Remove weeds
    • Plant natives
    • Make your garden native-friendly
    • Become a trustee
    • Other ways you can help
  • Biodiversity
    • Birds
      • Kākā
      • Kākāriki
      • Kererū
      • Korimako / Bellbird
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      • Tūī
      • White-faced heron
      • Rogues gallery
    • Bats
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    • Invertebrates
    • Landscapes
      • The maunga
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      • Te Auaunga / Oakley Creek
      • Rock forests
  • Resources
    • The Workshop
      • Making trap tunnels
      • Rat-proof your compost
      • Build a wētā motel
      • Nest boxes for ruru
    • Tool library
    • Trapping resources
      • Setting rat traps
      • Setting a Trapinator possum trap
      • Humane trapping
      • Pulsing
      • What's the best lure?
      • Blaze your tree
      • Recording your catch
      • Dealing with dead rats (and possums)
      • New technology
    • Promotional resources
    • Pest monitoring
      • Chew cards
      • Wax tags
      • Tracking tunnels
    • Being a good citizen
    • Seeking funding
    • Cats
    • Dogs
    • Schools
    • Businesses
    • Health & Safety
  • News
  • Events
  • About us
    • Our vision
    • Our plan
    • Our partners and supporters
    • Our trust board
  • Support us
  • Contact