The NPTA's much anticipated rodent report for 2008 shows a marked increase in the UK's rat population. By contrast, populations of mice appe...
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Rat numbers in our region are rising, according to a vermin survey. Figures collected by the National Pest Technicians' Association (NPTA) from the North Midlands show more reports of rodents were made in 2008, compared with 2007, and experts are warning the statistics may represent only the tip of the iceberg.
It is widely believed that charges levied by councils for pest control services are putting people off reporting sightings of rats as they will have to pay to sort it out.
In the North Midlands, the number of rat reports rose by 9% over the last year. There were 16,527 reports of rats and 10,010 reports of mice. The number of reports of mice fell by 3%.
This year's survey shows a marked increase in rat populations across the UK, reversing the drop in rat numbers which was recorded last year. The NPTA blames the rise on councils' failure to get on top of rat populations in previous years.
Because of the mild winter in 2006 to 2007 rats were not seen as often in buildings and streets, meaning fewer reports. But the surviving creatures then profited from good breeding conditions in the summer to cause problems come the autumn. Fly-tipping, littering, people feeding birds in their gardens and unsecured rubbish in back yard bins are also blamed for the rise.
The NPTA's National Rodent Survey says: "We can trace the clear increase in rodent problems directly back to a failure to get on top of populations the previous year. This underlines the danger of assuming rats and mice aren't there and don't need effective professional control simply because they aren't that obvious. As this year's survey so clearly illustrates, dropping our rodent control guard for even a short while can be disastrous."
The report also notes that "as well as continual monitoring for the tell-tale signs of infestations and immediate action as soon as they become evident we urge all concerned to employ the highest possible standards of practice to ensure rodent control is as effective and safe as it can be."
Council officers are asked to supply figures for the Rodent Survey for the number of brown rat and mouse treatments carried out in response to complaints in the last year, broken down into summer and winter. Anecdotal evidence is also supplied.
The National Pest Technicians' Association has been carrying out its annual survey of rat populations since 1999. Findings from these reports note that the brown rat is one of the most common types of pest rodent found in the UK.