Caring for traditional sewer pipe rodding set

Bog pan was backing up , so no time for such niceties. Set of 30 or so wooden rods with brass couplers and looks like a 3/4 inch copper pipe bending spring on the end. Initial blockage in a downstream manhole must have been a huge ants nest or perhaps wasps as late season wasps attracted to the smell. Decided as solids were not getting through, and upstream manhole full to overflowing. I'd risk 3 yard long rods and spring, rodding the short pipe between the 2 manholes from downstream. I did try dry bending each rod and then bending pairs of rods to check the couplers . Not too concerned if a rod broke down there , as a short pipe run and aware only rotate one way. Immediate problem is overcome, so can now consider care of the whole set of rods. Or would the panel recommend ditching them, as too risky for a long pipe run, and buy new grp ones.? Could be perhaps 100 years old, they've been in my loft for decades and unknown previous history from a odd-job retiree. How to keep ants/wasps out of manholes? perhaps annual inspection is the way to go.