The pest control unit on the sister isles recently visited a number of farmers and home owners to introduce its rodent control program to the island.
The program which started two months ago will assist farmers and homeowners with necessities such as food fly traps, rat poisons and an information guide.
Its all in an effort of minimize the negative impact of rodents on the island’s crop production for the upcoming planting season.
Pest control officer in the Ministry of Carriacou and Petite Martinique Affairs, Patrick Maturine, said that while very few homes on the island are faced with the challenges of rodent infestation, there are some extreme cases to be dealt with.
He says the proactive action is taken now in the dry season, as rats and mice from the bushes find themselves into people’s home due to the scarcity of foods in the fields.
Once the rainy season begins and people start planting, the pest control officer is hopeful the problem of rodents destroying the crop would be minimized.
The fruit fly trapping program is also being done on the Sister Isles. Maturine says it was introduced in Petite Martinique a few years ago, but due to the availability of materials the program was interrupted. He noted however a recent supply of materials from the pest management unit in Grenada, the program can continue.
He noted also that with red plums in season, the unit will be monitoring to ensure if the plum, which fell victim to fruit flies in the past, will again succumb this year.
He added that with rodent control being a part of food security, the pest control unit is committed to playing its part in ensuring better quality and quantity of crops are produced on the island.
