This year the same survey reported rodent control by local authorities was down by 51%. Great news, but scratch beneath the surface and there’s a far more worrying story lurking beneath the statistics.

The national rodent control survey outlined how the credit crunch has bitten public services, with local authorities seeking little alternative other than to charge for pest control. Peter Crowden, Chairman, NPTA, states that “failing to ensure adequate levels of local rodent control can be a seriously false economy given the cost of enforcement action under the Prevention of Damage by Pests Act 1949 as well as statutory public and environmental health obligations.”

The national rodent control survey received responses from just over half of the Chief Environmental Health Officers or officers responsible for pest control in each local authority. The report assesses the number of rat and mouse control treatments being carried out by local authorities, and can also serve as a useful tool for estimating the UK’s rat population.

The majority of local authorities have traditionally provided rodent control free of charge as part of their core public health responsibilities. The latest National Rodent Survey shows that over 60% are currently charging for some of their rat control services and nearly three quarters for house mouse treatments. This could rise to rise to 80% over the coming year.

Those local authorities who charge for some or all of their rat control work, for instance, recorded a 28% year-on-year reduction in treatment levels. In contrast, those continuing to offer rat control services free of charge saw treatment levels fall by just 9%. There were 164,000, total professional brown rat treatments in 2009/10, down by 51% on the 337,000-plus reported the previous year.

An estimated 445,000 local authority rodent treatments across the UK took place in 2010, 27% below 2008/9 and the lowest total level since the survey was introduced 11 years ago.

When cash is tight DIY pest control is sometimes the only option. But in some cases, particularly if an infestation is established, reactive pest control is more costly and ineffective. Poorly managed amateur practice can result in growing rat and mouse problems. The NPTA also outlines the negative implications of undertaking home pest control measures stating, “DIY treatments also suffer from the fact that they are invariably undertaken on an individual premises basis. This allows many rats to survive because their entire territories are not covered by the baiting, leaving more survivors to multiply and rapidly re-infest their immediate neighbourhoods and encouraging the development of rodenticide resistance”.

Only time will tell if the rodent population will explode or go into decline but we’ll keep you posted. It’s our ethos that prevention is better than cure. Take precautions not to encourage rodents. Simple measures like not leaving excess bird food out, seal up gaps to make sure rodents don’t enter your home and storing rubbish in rodent proof bins will go a long way to keeping the rat and mouse population down.

Full details of the survey and questions asked are available at www.npta.org.uk.

Surveying Britain’s Rodent Control is a post from: deBugged - The Rentokil Blog

For British rats, the worst of times has turned out to be the best of times… (read more)

It’s boom time for rats… (read more)

Two Berkshire towns plagued by rats… (read more)

Apparently, the recession is allowing rats to have the run of empty buildings as businesses shut down, a sort of rodent squatter if you like. But this isn’t the cause of increased rodent numbers.. According to the National Pest Technicians Association, who publish an annual Rodent Report, the general causes of increased UK rodent populations are largely the following, let’s look at each one in turn:

1. Over-feeding garden birds
2. Poorly secured household waste
3. Inadequately sealed compost bins
4. Gardening DIY projects

Over-feeding garden birds

Although having lots of wild birds at your garden ornamental bird table is a lovely idea, please don’t over-feed them. An excess of feed can invite unwelcome visitors such as pigeons and even hungry squirrels; as well as rats and mice feeding on the dropped crumbs/seeds around the base of the bird-table.

Poorly secured household waste

Fortnightly refuse collections are being blamed for attracting rats since not all homeowners take care about securing household waste. Post-festivities is also a problem. Around Christmas time and after birthdays or parties there are generally increases in the amounts of rubbish which means using plastic bags if the ubiquitous wheelie bin is full. Just take care and make sure they are tightly sealed and if you spot damage to the outside of the bag, either move it or put it inside another one until bin day.

Inadequately sealed compost bins

Compost bins, whilst being a blessing to avid gardeners and those keen food waste recycling, can also cause pest problems.  If they are not sealed correctly or placed on an appropriate surface, they are a rodent snack bar waiting to happen.

Gardening DIY projects

Finally, DIY. Who doesn’t like strolling around garden centres looking for inspiration and their next gardening DIY project. Unfortunately, decking can sometimes cause problems, despite it being a great addition to your outside area. How? Well, food can drop between the slats and become a food source. There is also ample space underneath for garden pests to make themselves a nice home. Just ensure you can access the under-decking area and clean it fairly regularly – and you should avoid any problems.

Don’t let rats and mice ruin your garden or property, the few simple tips above and here can help keep your property invasion free. However, if you do fall foul of rats or mice, its good to know that the pallette of the average rat or mouse is now understood much better by our experts – from technical experts such as Savvas who was mentioned in the Bloomberg post (mice like going for an Italian meal apparently) and front line colleagues such as Ben who contributes on this blog (peanut butter tastes nice to mice).

How You Can Help Stop The Rodent Invasion is a post from: deBugged - The Rentokil Blog