London has always had a problem with rats, but the population of rodents in the city is running into unprecedented proportions.
London has always been a breeding ground for rats. Every city is. When you cram lots of humans into a tight space like that, you introduce sewage systems and food stores intermittently throughout, and you attract rodents. There may be things you can do individually to stop your home from becoming an easy target, but humans attract rats as a species. So just how bad is the London rat race, anyway? Is there anything we can do about it? Let’s try to answer these questions.
How Bad is the London Rat Problem?
In the quarantine days of 2020/21, CNN reported that rats were digging up flowerbeds, disturbing old ladies, and rummaging through the rubbish. Lockdown made them bolder. With fewer rubbish collections and businesses shutting down for weeks, the rats were free to riot.
Sources estimate there are 2 rats for every person living in London. That would mean there were 18 million rats in the nation’s capital. ITV put that figure at 19.9 million. Left unchecked these last few years, you can only imagine how the figures may have changed. It’s not just London, either. Rats plague towns from Exmouth to Glasgow.
What can we do about Rats?
With so many rats on the streets of our cities, what can we do to stop them? Other countries have innovative solutions for controlling rats and mice.
International Solutions for Pest Problems
More than one pest control Sydney expert believes the UK can learn from the Australian experience with rodents every year. Mouse populations increased to epic proportions in Australia in recent years. Could the rat problem in London be answered in the Australian outback?
Australian farmers plagued by mice have turned shipping containers into giant traps. Others use sticky traps to catch the beasts. One BBC report suggested New South Wales favors potent poisons to keep the mouse plague at bay. Unfortunately, none of these methods tend to those who prefer humane rodent removal techniques.
Humane Traps for Rodents
Why get a trap at all? Why not get a cat? Cats and rat dogs (miniature terriers) are the ideal companion for the pest plague. They are the best natural deterrent there is. Alternatively, you can get cages whose doors fall closed, trapping the creatures inside. If you empty the trap regularly, the rats will survive. Releasing the animals is the difficult part. Taking them away from the area to remove them isn’t always possible.
Prevention is Better than Cure
Prevention is the best way to stop rats from creeping into your property. Once you have rodents, they are hard to get rid of. To prevent a rat infestation in your London home, try the following:
- Keeping food in airtight containers
- Blocking holes in the walls and floors
- Disturbing any comfortable, warm spaces
- Getting a cat or small dog
Any of these deterrents will help keep rats and mice out of your property.
