I was appalled on a recent morning to see rat poison just placed in the open in The Strand parking lot. Many tourists and especially young children will not know that this is serious poison as it looks like a blue bar of soap. I have no idea who does the pest control in this parking lot but this is very negligent and unnecessary. It is pure laziness on the part of any company to have not placed this in the appropriate black box which is used for this kind of poison so that no child, pet or anyone else can touch it. I am appalled at this negligent act.
Ask Auntie sponsor
Auntie’s answer: I agree that placing rat poison out in the open like that would be extremely reckless and dangerous. To clarify the situation you described I contacted the Department of Environmental Health (DEH) and sent them the photos of the blue bar you supplied (see below right).
Blue soap bar found in The Strand parking lot
A DEH official assured me that the bar in question was actually soap, though explained it can resemble rat poison, saying, “There are some types of rodenticide that may bear a shape comparable to a bar of soap; however, bait is usually smaller, has a granular appearance and a hole down its centre.”
I did an online search and the images I found of blue soap confirmed that assessment. I have also included a photo of actual rat poison from the company’s website (see below left).
Blocks of rat poison
By the way, DEH is not tasked with the regulation of pest control activities but will administer rodenticide at private residences and government offices. A private company would be hired to lay down any bait or traps at a shopping complex.
Since we are already discussing rats, I thought it might be helpful to include some information for people who face this infestation at home. The official explained that residents can call DEH at 949-6696 to request a pest control technician come to their home.
The technician will then visit you to place bait in areas where it will be “most visible to rodents and least accessible to children and pets. It is should be noted also that the DEH does not provide bait for placement by residents,” the official said.
The department pointed out that signs of a rat problem include the presence of rodent droppings and chew marks, along with squeaking and scratching noises.
The DEH also offered tips to avoid attracting rats:
- Keep your surroundings clean
- Store garbage in covered containers until it is collected by the DEH
- Remove all old appliances, unused zinc and boards, etc to the landfill
- Trim overgrown vegetation around your property
- Demolish all dilapidated structures.
And that is all I care to say about rats and rat poison.
About five years ago when they were tearing down the old Hyatt for a structural survey, Snug Harbour had an infestation of rats as well as other vermon. I called DOE and they came and set blue blocks without traps. I was told that they don’t provide the boxers to set the bait safely inside. My cat caught most ot the rats and the blue bait did nothing. I bought my own rat bait and set it in my attic which was more successful than the blue blocks. In hindsight, it must have been laundry soap that was in my yard that I eventually took to the dump!
So who is in control of who here , if the private Company can do what it want . Again no law and enforcement of the land . which Company and person that don’t know that rats don’t drive in and park in the parking lot to get into the building. They get in by following the walls til they find the first opening to get inside . Then to prevent the rat and the poison from being spread , the rat needs to be trapped .
I would fire the company that I hired to fix the rat problem, and put rat poison in the parking lot .
HEY DINGDONG!!! Did you NOT READ Auntie’s answer????
West Bay Premier you disappoint me. You should be embarrassed by your response. I am!
Read the entire thing and then look at your comment. It’s NOT rat poison. Even I recognized the familiar blue bar of soap. There was only one bar, not all over the lot…
This type of blue soap is very common in Cayman and the Caribbean generally and are usually used to remove stains from clothing
Jamaican Big Blue Soap-Laundry detergent soap looks exactly like a rat poison bar.
Does anyone sell blue soaps in Grand Cayman? Why would anyone put blue soap on the ground precisely where the reader saw it? I’ve never in my life saw a bar of soap on the ground, let alone blue soap, existence of which was unknown to me.
Foster’s sells a blue laundry soap just like that, someone probably dropped their bag and it fell out.
Welcome to the developing world the Caribbean, where all sorts of people live and need to learn and appreciate that everything is not perfect. I imagine where some people originated though is perfect in every aspect and that is why they are here.