Published on 06/06/2025
That’s the opinion of Pieter Van DerWesthuizen, UPL NZ regional manager upper North Island.
He says it’s not just a matter of putting out bait, no matter how good. There also needs to be a plan. “You can’t just fill a bait station and walk away.”
He recommends a six-day, at least, cycle of monitoring strategically located bait stations and keeping them well filled.
The bait Van Der Westhuizen advocates for (and uses on his own property) is Generation Soft Bait, manufactured byDe Sangosse.
He says what makes it unique is the combined behavioural and scientific approach researchers took to developing the product.
“It wasn’t just about experimenting on lab rats. They use feral rats caught in the wild to do their testing.”
He says there’s a big difference between the behaviours of lab rats feeding and feral rats feeding.
“De Sangosse scientists made this bait for real life. There’s nothing else like it on the market.”
The vegetable oil and crushed grain-based formulation in Generation Soft Bait gets rats’ attention faster, with the soft bait’s paper ensuring the tempting aroma disperses more widely. It’s also very easy to deploy.
“Just skewer the plasticine-like 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 anti-coagulant on the market, using difethialone 25 ppm as its active, which rodents can’t detect.
There is no known genetic resistance among rodent populations.
The smallest non-dispersible bait on the market, Generation Soft Bait kills effectively and in a single feed. Two to three grams kill a rat and 0.3-0.4 g a mouse.
A rat’s average daily dietary intake is 20 g. For a mouse it’s about 3 g per day.
In contrast, their output is prolific – one rat can produce 50 droppings, and 50 ml of urine a day.
Van Der Westhuizen says evidence of even one mouse or rat probably means there’s a more significant problem.
He recommends using bait proactively as the best approach.
“It’s going to save you money down the track.
“The attractiveness of Generation Soft Bait is vital and, because its effects are delayed a bit, once the dominant rats have fed, other rats gain confidence and follow their lead.
“But, if you don’t keep monitoring and keep the bait stations well topped-up, rats will eventually move on to find alternative food sources and not come back. Keeping the bait stations full will greatly increase the effectiveness of the program.”
Generation Soft Bait contains Bitrex, a bittering agent which reduces the risk of consumption by non-target animals.