Have you seen a rat in broad daylight recently?
Rodent control and rodent proofing have never been more important as reported rodent problems have shown a sharp increase over 2020.
With some pest professionals partly attributing the increase to 2019’s mild winter conditions, the widely held belief across the industry is the increased rodent population has been exacerbated by the continued lockdown measures across the country.
The milder winter in 2019 may have increased the rodent breeding season meaning a larger population of rodents in winter 2020. Rodents look for food and water sources as the weather gets colder, seeking indoor harbourage for the winter months. A larger breeding population in 2019 means increased numbers of rodents seeking out safe harbourage, food and water sources indoors this winter.
TO PROOF OR NOT TO PROOF?
Effective pest proofing is essential to maintaining sustainable, environmentally friendly pest management. Top reasons to pest proof your home or business:
Reduce the impact on the environment – eradication is less necessary meaning non target species are less likely to be impacted and a reduction in use of chemicals is always a good thing! Restoring natural order, as far as is possible or practicable, allows natural predators to carry out pest control.
Sustainable measures – it’s not sensible, sustainable or responsible to regularly eradicate. Regular use of rodenticides is not recommended for the reasons mentioned in point 1 and there is the additional issue of rodents becoming rodenticide resistant.
Cost effective – it’s a cost-effective way to carry out pest prevention and has the added bonus of ensuring that your property is regularly maintained which saves money in the long term on repairs and restoration.
But individuals and businesses fail to take adequate pest proofing measures. A recent survey by one of the UK’s biggest pest control companies reported that 90% of its technicians said that customers who had experienced rodent infestations had not fully rodent-proofed their premises.
THE PUBLIC REPORTS REGULAR SIGHTINGS OF RODENTS IN BROAD DAYLIGHT
There has also been a significant increase in the number of sightings of rats in broad daylight. Many pest controllers put this down to the lockdowns with less waste generated as businesses have been forced to close and larger rat nest sizes so rats have had no option but to search for food during daylight hours. Rats are nocturnal creatures so sightings in daylight cause concern as there are likely to be large numbers of rats in the near vicinity.
One of the UK’s largest pest control companies carried out a survey on rodent behaviour recently which found that:
There was a 22% increase in rodent enquiries compared to the summer average over the past 6 years
Pest technicians were mostly called out to restaurants (43%) then pubs (42%) with residential properties following closely behind (41%) and offices (36%)
More than half of their pest technicians (59%) attributed the increased confidence of rodent behaviour to lockdown period at the beginning of the year reporting rats entering homes through toilets and, in one case through a letterbox!!
If you’re having a problem with rats in Hereford give PGM & Son Pest Control Hereford a call on 01981 241334 or 07964 370480 for a free no-obligation chat. If you prefer, you can email us at contact@pgmpestcontrol.co.uk or you can use the live chat facility on our website.
We’re always on the end of the ‘phone for advice so don’t worry about your rodent problems, give us a call now!
