The plague of rats in the city and eastern suburbs is among the worst Gordon Simms has seen in more than 30 years in the pest control business.

The Bugs Be Gone operator and AEPMA member said the surge in rodents could be for a number of reasons, including rubbish bins being left out for longer.

“There’s a lot of building going on, there’s a lot of road digging up, if a lot of construction is going on close by that adds to the activity and they’ve got to go somewhere,” Mr Simms said.

Once rats are becoming visible in daylight, the problem has become extreme, Mr Simms said. Rats can have 12 to 15 litters a year, with about 16 babies at a time.

“They are more visible because when there is more population, they get game, they tend to come out more and they look for harbourage areas and if there are too many rats, they search for other areas,” he said.

He has been working on some properties for more than 10 years, and even though he has a successful baiting program, he said he has experienced a resurgence this year.

“Generally we keep control, but if the rubbish isn’t picked up for long amounts of times, or if there is a building construction going next door you might have an increase in them,” Mr Simms said.

“But there is enough bait here to control them, we just notice that when you check the bait there is more eaten than previously.”

Mr Simms said there are about 30 per cent more rats than usual – and, alarmingly, it is not even peak rat season.
“Rodents are mostly always around, but they become more of a pest when it is cold, because they try to get inside where it is warmer, like us," he said.

Edited article and pictures from The Daily Telegraph (7 April 2015)

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