Kokua Line
Kokua Line
State can help deal
with rat problemsQuestion: I called the Department of Health and asked them about the overrun of rodents this year along Aiea Stream. I live along the stream. They told me I was responsible for cleaning the area behind my property. I don't think I'm the only one having problems with rodents. What does the Department of Health intend to do, because I am not responsible for the entire Aiea Stream, am I? Am I the only one having problems this year?
Answer: Department of Health Vector Control Branch supervisors haven't heard of any "overrun of rodents" along Aiea Stream.
You did not leave a name and number, so we don't know whom you spoke to. But Robert Lopes, West Oahu supervisor for Vector Control, said his office hasn't received any complaints about rats along Aiea Stream.
Rats are very adaptive and attracted to areas where there is food, he noted. They'll thrive where there are three things: "food, water and harborage -- a place to live," he said.
Reid Himura, also of Vector Control, said, "There's going to be rats outdoors no matter what you do and where you live."
However, there are steps each resident can take to discourage rats from becoming pests, including making sure not to leave pet food lying around, either by overfeeding or leaving the food out in the open, he advised.
Also, make sure to bag all garbage and do not accumulate piles of items where rats can hide.
Lopes said to call Vector Control at 483-2535, and an inspector will assess your problem and recommend ways of dealing with it. The problem could be within your property or with a neighbor, and not necessarily the stream bank.
However, if you believe the problem is that rats are nesting in overgrowth along the stream, you can call the city Department of Facility Maintenance at 523-4548, said George Souza of the city Department of Customer Services.
That department could assess the situation and deal, if warranted, with any overgrowth, he said. However, he emphasized that problems with rodents are dealt with by the Health Department.
Auwe
To the woman who walks down Makaloa Street in the morning and dumps a bag of birdseed for the pigeons on the sidewalk in front of the KGMB-TV antenna. I stopped her one morning and asked if she lived in the neighborhood and she said, "No." I then asked if she fed the birds at her home; she said, "No, what's it to you?" I told her that I live in the neighborhood and the birds roost on our lanais and dirty up our buildings. She just turned and walked away. I wonder if she has ever had to walk on a sidewalk full of pigeons and have them fly into her face. The only other alternative is to walk in the street. Isn't there a way to educate people that feeding pigeons only breeds more pigeons and is not good for people or pigeons? -- No Name
Auwe
To TV and radio announcers who give the weather who always say "miles an hour." I would sure appreciate it if they said "miles per hour." -- S.T.
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