We recently received a reader tip from our buddy Holly (heh, “buddy Holly”) over at Sock Monster. She’s worried about the squirrels on Burke Ave N., between 44th & 45th. She refers to that block as “squirrel row.”
Holly’s concern? Rat bait boxes in the squirrels’ habitat on the east side of Wallingford Center, near the sidewalk. Here’s what Holly had to say about the bait boxes:
“They are right along the fence on Burke right by where all the squirrels live and everyone can see them as they walk by. I don’t know why they have to put them so far from the building of Wallingford center if that’s what they are supposed to be for. They are unsightly and hazardous to the local wildlife.”
So I decided to go take a look. I was particularly interested in whether there was any rat poison near the child play area or the outdoor seating on the west side of the building. And no, there is not. Just one bait box in the dumpster area (behind a locked chain link fence) and one against the building on the east side, tied to the water meter in a hard to reach spot.
But there are 4 or 6 of them very close to the sidewalk on Burke. They are inside a chain link fence, and tethered to fence poles by a 1 or 2 inch metal wire so the boxes don’t tip. Dogs, cats, and children shouldn’t be able to get in the bait boxes due to their location behind the fence & the size of the small hole that rats would use to enter the boxes.
I asked Amy Singer, Property Manager at Wallingford Center about the bait boxes, and here’s what she initially said:
“The bait boxes have been here for many, many years (longer than I have worked here, 6 plus years). They are safe and we do use a product that is safe for the environment.”
Later, Amy wrote back to clarify and provide more information:
“I have a bit more information for you…the stations that you saw around the perimeter of the property are part of an inactive program that was in place a couple of years ago and those stations are in the process of being removed from the bushes. In general, the pest control company uses products that have lower toxicity than what is commonly available to homeowners and goes the extra mile in order to limit the amount of pesticide applied while also protecting the health of their clients and the public.”
Good to know, Amy, thank you.