[ad_1]
More than 4,200 homes and businesses in the city and county of Dublin have sought help to tackle the growing rodent problem in the capital during the first eight months of the year.
Figures provided by the HSE show that pest control officers have visited an average of 70 facilities each day in Dublin so far in 2020 in relation to rodent infestations.
A total of 4,292 calls for assistance to deal with rodents were received between January and August, resulting in nearly 17,200 visits to properties by HSE staff.
However, unlike in previous years, when a significant majority of reports of rodent infestations were located on the north side of the city, this year there is a 50-50 split with 2,155 reports from homes and businesses on the north side and 2137 from the south side.
The latest figures suggest that 2020 is on track to exceed the 22,607 visits recorded by pest control officials in Dublin last year.
An HSE spokesperson said that a request for an individual home always involves more than one visit before a situation is resolved.
Official figures indicate that pest control officers make an average of four visits to each place where rodents are reported.
An HSE spokesperson said staff conducted an initial visit followed by treatment and a follow-up to see if the bait had been bitten before making a final visit.
The spokesperson said pest control officers conduct a full inspection of each property when a request for assistance is received to determine the most appropriate form of treatment and to ensure that the placement of poison does not have any adverse impact.
“Venom deposited in bait trays or boxes is the preferred method, as they can treat a greater number of rodents per treatment,” the spokesperson added.
The HSE noted that its pest control officers were professionally trained and authorized to use poisons that are not available to the public.
According to the regulation that governs the use of pesticides, the treatments are reviewed after 35 days and they are changed or suspended according to the result of the evaluation.
Advice is also offered to the occupant on other rodent-proof measures they can take on their properties to prevent rodent infestations.
Dublin City Council admitted in June that there was a large increase in the number of rats coming out of the sewers to roam the streets and suburbs of the city, as the activities of pest control teams were restricted by the restrictions introduced in response to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Former Sinn Féin councilor Críona Ní Dhálaigh described over the summer how the rats spotted at Oliver Bond Flats were big enough to “wear a saddle.
The council blamed the city’s growth in the rat population on a combination of hot weather, fewer pedestrians and an increase in illegal dumping.
Its Pest Control Task Force reported a 15% increase in household waste levels during the shutdown, which was associated with an increase in illegal dumping of waste next to public containers on sidewalks and was a large contributing factor. to increased activity of rodents.
The South Dublin County Council said its environmental health service had seen an increase in rodent complaints between March and June, which were largely related to home backyards, public parks and roads.
A spokesperson for the council said the problem had been compounded by the shutdown during the Covid-19 pandemic.
“One factor is that most people were confined to their homes from March through June and spent more time in their gardens and public parks and witnessed more rodent activity,” the spokesperson said.
Dublin local authorities also claim that the closure of most food establishments and pubs and the consequent reduction of solid and liquid waste in sewers and garbage cans forced the rodents to go out into more public places.
“Most of the rodent activity can be traced back to rat outbreaks from sewers,” the spokesperson added.
Irish Water has taken responsibility for baiting rats in the sewers throughout the main drainage network.
The spokesperson said that persistent poisoning was a crucial factor in controlling the underground rat population.
[ad_2]