One pest controller with three decades in the trade says his phone has never rung so often about rats. “I’ve been working in this industry for 30 years and because of a cocktail of problems combining at the same time, I have never had more calls about rats – and it’s getting worse,” he said.
Britain has sweated through the week at 39C, and the Met Office and the UK Health Security Agency have put out a red heat health alert. Pest specialists are now predicting what could be “the worst summer for rat invasions ever.” Their reasoning: the rodents want out of the sun.
Why the heat sends them indoors
Rats are usually a cold-weather nuisance, coming inside for warmth. Good Housekeeping points out that a heatwave can produce the same result. Animals hunting for water and scraps find plenty near homes, where more people are eating outdoors and bins are spilling over. Open windows and doors do the rest.
Longer, hotter summers add a second push. “Warmer, extended summers create a perfect storm for mice and rats, as it prolongs the breeding season,” the magazine said, and it described global warming as having a direct impact on infestations.
The scale is hard to ignore. Close to half of all pest callouts now concern rodents in homes and offices, and some people describe animals “the size of a small cat or dog.” A year earlier, Rentokil had warned that rat numbers were up 30 per cent, which it put at 33.75 million extra rats.
Breeding explains how fast it can snowball. A female rat averages six litters a year, with up to 12 young in each. Rats reach sexual maturity after about a month, so two of them can become as many as 1,250 within a year.
What not to do, and what works
Some householders have started laying poison themselves. Pest experts caution that it endangers wildlife and pets, and that it settles nothing if the rats are getting in from the sewers, because they simply return.
The advice from the experts centres on keeping them out while still letting air in. Mesh screens on windows and doors help, though rats can chew through even metal, so check for gaps and seal outside openings with coarse wire mesh. Cut back tree branches and climbers such as ivy to at least 5-6ft from rooflines and windows.
Bins matter as well. Heat speeds up rotting, and the stronger smell draws pests. Rats can pick up the scent of food from more than 2km away, so kitchen and wheelie bins need tight lids, ideally stood away from the house walls. A damaged bin can be swapped through the local council.
Then there is the cheap fix in the headline: garlic. Cayenne pepper or garlic cloves scattered near entry points can irritate a rodent’s sensitive nose, and a four-pack from Tesco costs 87p, or 22p a head. Vinegar wiped over surfaces removes food smells. Peppermint or cinnamon oil works briefly. For something longer lasting, plant mint, lavender or marigolds around the garden’s edge.
Cats, owls and breeds such as the Jack Russell terrier can also keep numbers down, and owl boxes may bring hunters into a garden. Neighbours count too, since rodents move from house to house. Clearing alleyways and parks together cuts the rubbish that feeds them.
