Does Urbanisation Significantly Impacts the Rat Pest Population?

Today, many tall buildings, commonly referred to as skyscrapers, have been and are under construction throughout Indonesia. The rapid growth of building skyscrapers certainly raises the question: does urbanisation have a major impact on rat pest populations, causing serious pest implications? The answer is yes!

According to recent data from the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTUBH) in 2016, Indonesia is classified as a country that has made tremendous progress in terms of building skyscrapers. Furthermore, it is estimated that there are 568 skyscrapers throughout Indonesia, of which 22%, or as many as 128 buildings, are located in the capital, Jakarta. This huge figure is referred to as an increase from previous years and makes Indonesia the fourth Country in the world after China, the United States, and South Korea in the construction of skyscrapers.

In addition, the increase in construction of state-owned and private property for both commercial and residential properties, as well as public infrastructure projects, has become more common in areas of Indonesia since last year. In terms of private residential unit properties, there was also an increase in rollout among developers compared to the last quarter of 2016.

With so much development and construction underway, what does it mean for the surrounding environment and related businesses?

For some rodent species, they live on top of buildings or environments, such as attics, roof boards, or ceilings. Some of them were also found underground or under buildings, where they built burrows for nested activities. Some construction activities have the potential to interfere with rodent nests or houses and encourage them to move to areas that are safe from human disturbance.

Related articles: Sound on the roof. How can I remove rats from the ceiling?

While there are several factors of urbanisation that we cannot control, such as limiting or minimising construction events, there are several protection measures you can take as a powerful remover by preventing and reducing the risk level of infestation with the rat pest itself.

First, eliminate the availability of food sources for these rodents. You need to know that they will only survive when food, water, and shelter are available. The habit of regularly cleaning and maintaining hygiene will certainly close the hole for incoming rats and foragers inside your property. Also, eliminate all possible hiding opportunities, such as clumps and piles.

Second, rodents are agile pests and good climbers. As long as they are in an open space, they can easily enter a building and take advantage of even the smallest gaps or holes to do so. This includes building entrances, building tops, basements, etc. They can also run or ride through wires and pipes to gain easy access to the building.

How to remove rat pests by utilising rat traps and rat baits by utilising bait stations is often recommended as a powerful way to eliminate rats and control their populations. However, to ensure adequate standards of protection and control, it is important to ensure that a soundproofing system is in place in your building.

• Close rodent entry into your building Use the strip insulation at the bottom of your door as a deterrent and close access to rodents through the space below the door
• Minimise openings in exterior walls  Especially around electrical cords or pipework, these gaps or holes need to be filled with stainless steel wire wool.
• Do not ignore the above access  Repair roof damage (such as a damaged roof ceiling) or use wire mesh to patch existing gaps.
• Rats can swim to damaged drain pipes and toilet pipes.  Use metal wipes or covers to cover drains, especially in underground areas (Note: you will also need to regularly check your building for pipe damage).

Construction work has destroyed many of these rodent habitats. By displacing the rat pest population, rodents come and go off the ground to wreak havoc and invade places where humans are generally located.

Construction sites will also soon become offices that include canteens, toilets, and other public facilities. Such places apparently provide an opportunity for rodents to evacuate to an ideal place to shelter and find food and water sources.

Control of rats should be performed in the early stages of development and throughout the construction process to address problems and reduce the risk of a rat attack that is notoriously difficult to control.

With the development of technology and innovation, there are other ways that can be used to control rat infestations. For example, by using digital screening to help you monitor and track rodent hiding spots, including detecting the presence of rodents at night, which are times when rodents generally appear. Find out how to effectively remove rat pests, which we do to help you minimise your risk and concern for rat problems, by filling out an online form or contacting us at 0 8001 333 777.