Radio 2: increase in rats during lockdown

[Neal 1,783]

I've just been listening to a topic on Jeremy Vine's show about how some pest controllers are seeing an increase in rat related call outs of up to 200% as a result of lockdown. 

The theory was that this was due to the rats not having their usual diet of food from bin bags outside shops etc but I'm wondering if maybe it's simply that people are at home more and simply seeing more of them. However, there were several people who called in to say that they've noticed the rats becoming more "brazen" and more in evidence during daylight hours.

There was inevitably a representative from PETA saying they're only doing their own thing and that we should let them be as rats are able to feel pain just like us and dogs and cats so it's cruel to kill them. Fortunately, not one other caller was of a similar opinion. 

Is anybody finding their work-rate going up? 

Edited June 12, 2020 by Neal

[terryd 8,014]

Due to being generally quieter out and about in work places etc that are quiet or empty i imagine 

[forest of dean redneck 11,183]

I can understand the theory of lack of takeaway /restaurant food waste, as when you think there's lot of uneaten food gets binned, and some places behind the scenes or out the back are pretty rank. 

So the rats are going to go where the food is, there has been several articles on sea gulls around Europe that as there's no chips or takeaway waste have gone from scavengers to hunters eating rats and pigeons. 

[stormyboy 1,352]

Our rat calls are well up for the time of year. I think it's a combination of the above, less food on the streets, folks at home more. And of course the rats resilience and survival instinct.

In saying that, last winter was one of our busiest ever for rat calls.

[happy larry 3]

I think it’s all down to the ruling on sgac and joe public can only buy amature use poison 

[DIDO.1 20,790]

I'm flat out with rats and mice. Alot of my calls are from people who have phoned the council first, found they aren't doing home visits, then phoned me. I'd say that has put a lot of work towards private pest control companies. Hence them reporting a massive increase. 

Our local councils are often booked solid for 2-3 weeks with them even giving 2 month waiting times at some points.....given these pest controllers work smaller patches and don't do any investigation work, often just throwing poison down and bolting, they do a lot of visits in a day. All these jobs are now hitting the private pesties. 

I'm not convinced by all these stories of no food at takeaways. Some times rats have good years sometimes no so much. Couple of mild winters, people feeding birds and more people putting decking in. Just one of them things. The media will be reporting on killer hornets or super mice next. 

[myersbg 1,355]

I have to agree with Dido about the food outlets if they had had that many rats they would have been closed down, i was a bit worried when this covidd sh1t started all the holiday cottages, hotel, guest houses and caravan parks that i do shut down, they will still of had problems but no one to spot them , when every thing opens i am going to be rushed off my feet.

With every one being home the domestic stuff has gone crazy, loads of Rat Mouse and moths, and now the wasp calls are coming in at 5 or 6 a day allready, another good thing for me is we dont have to compete with the council as ours don't do any pest control at all

[The one 8,391]

Since the campus has closed down we are seeing rats everywhere and the council guys been called in twice to put bait boxes down then top them up . We think its since the catering shut down all the rats that where at the waste food bins are now having to travel to find food 

[DIDO.1 20,790]

5 hours ago, The one said:

Since the campus has closed down we are seeing rats everywhere and the council guys been called in twice to put bait boxes down then top them up . We think its since the catering shut down all the rats that where at the waste food bins are now having to travel to find food 

Was there really that many rats in the bins? Iv seen some big infestations over the years but not linked to bins

[The one 8,391]

Aye they built a compost convertor to get rid of the university's  food waste and they started storing the waste  food in 30/40 green wheelie bins , and we open the catering doors at 04.30  for deliveries  and a lot of the drivers moan about the amount of rats around the bins 

Being plastic they just chew into them LOL , then the compost convertor was never fired up LOL . I was going to put traps down and try to help out since its so quiet but after a run in with my boss i thought sod it 

Rats are dirty  but its funny to see a Squirrel running away with a Morning roll in its mouth 

[matt the lamper 161]

I see the odd rat around the garden but not worrying  about it nice easy shooting out the window the women down road said seen a rat in her garden but it hardly surprising  when she feed the bird on ground lol