FOCUS PEST CONTROL
HIDE AND
28 JULY 2020
PAUL BLACKHURST, HEAD OF TECHNICAL
ACADEMY FOR RENTOKIL PEST CONTROL
ON THE SCALE OF THE PROBLEM
Rodents are traditionally timid creatures,
are nocturnal and prefer to stay sheltered
or out of sight from potential predators.
But since the implementation of social
distancing and lockdown measures, there
has been an increase in reports of rodents
changing their behaviour. Recently, the US
Centre of Disease and Control reported(i)
a rise of cannibalism and infanticide
among the rat population of New York, and
National Geographic(ii) suggested rats are
becoming bolder and increasingly spotted
in daylight. This is likely due to the fact
there are fewer people around in town and
city centres, commercial centres etc where
rodents are attracted by easy access to food.
In the UK, residential rodent enquiries
to Rentokil reached record levels for the
months of March and April; a time in which
rodent enquiries traditionally decline as the
weather warms up. While the 45 per cent
surge in enquiries over the lockdown period
can partly be attributed to more people
noticing rodent activity while they may be
working from home, there’s a longer-term
trend that we believe is contributing to the
rise. Warmer winters are allowing rodent
With many commercial buildings standing empty for weeks on end,
there is growing evidence that rodent problems could escalate. Pest
control specialists outline the problem and describe how the latest
digital solutions could provide a solution