July 20th, 2010 by Shaun Day

Rat populations are rising. Fact. There are no current accurate counts of their population, and there never has been a good educated guess; however city pest control companies are noticing a more than modest rise in the pests’ numbers. Population estimates range in the region of just less than one rat per person in London, with countryside and other cities at other ratios. Some estimates approximate that there are 36 people for each rat, and others state that there are 12 rats for every person. Whatever the statistic, they are a nuisance, causing damage to property, trawling mess across our gardens, and spreading their infected fleas - which once carried the bubonic plague. Currently, there are risks of the vermin carrying Wields Disease and Salmonella. Various news reports over the past year have alerted the general public to the cuts in government spending, making the rats life just that little bit easier. Weekly bin collections in many areas were cut to fortnightly collections and the ongoing cuts in council pest control departments is seen by many as a joke. Many London boroughs, such as Brent, as well as many county councils have completely closed their pest control offices in a bid to tighten up their huge government loans. Residents in Tunbridge Wells were recently told to simply call a contactor from the Yellow pages when they recently called their long standing, but now closed pest offices to enquire about arranging some of the previously free pest control. Pest control companies in the area reported dramatically increasing call-outs relating to rats. It’s also worth noting that in the news recently someone had correlated the growth in the rat population to global warming. True or not, related effects can be seen globally. Other sites recently reported a 50-100% rise in pest businesses in Singapore when the recent wet season forced the burrowing rats above ground.  Some sceptics believe that we may come face-to-face with the unwanted pests on local soil if we have our own wet summer as they could potentially be forced out of their usual hiding places. Residents of Co. Dublin already think that they are victims to this increase in rat numbers, coupled with the apparent tightening of their local council’s budgets for pest control. The residents are now taking pest control into their own hands, using rat bait stations – although some residents have just opted to use a shovel instead! Councils have a duty to monitor and act on pest problems in their area; however it is down to the Health and Safety Executive to really act on the majority of cases. In the above example, the HSE did place and monitor three separate traps, however they were not enough. A study in New York, where the rat population is particularly problematic has shown that poisoning rats dramatically reduces their numbers. Initially, this means competition for food is reduced, spurring on mating and reproduction, thus increasing the population up to and above the previous level. Rats do not find it hard to prove this fact considering a healthy specimen has no reason not to produce more less than 100 offspring in a good year. Experts the world over are now recommending a ‘prevention is the solution’ technique of dealing with the obvious problem. Storing waste in closed dustbins and waste refuse centres will limit the food supply to the rats. Keeping your gardens clean and streets free from food scraps, combined with the council dropping their recently adopted lassiez faire attitude will also help tackle the problem. To prevent an infestation near your property, rat poison kits can be used just in case. They are inexpensive, and could nip any problems in the bud before they mature.