RAT TRAP: 20 call-outs a day
Published 10 Aug 2012 09:20
9 Comments
RATS, ants and wasps are wreaking havoc in Fife as the area was named as one of the worst-hit for pests in Scotland.
Fifers made nearly 20 call-outs every day to the council for help and pest control bosses dealt with more than twice as many infestations of ants than any other local authority in Scotland.
The skins of Fifers will be crawling over recent results which show:
THREE call-outs made every day for rats.
The worst ant problem in Scotland.
SECOND highest number of wasp infestations in the UK.
The news came after pest experts at the British Pest Control Association (BPCA) conducted a survey to find out how many call-outs each council in the UK dealt with over a year.
Recent flooding problems have led to scores of rats being driven from the sewers and as councils throughout the country cut back on pest control services there are fears that problems with rats are about to deepen.
A BBC Panorama programme shown this week highlighted evidence that the removal of pest control services has led to some people trying to handle the problem themselves.
The BPCA also raised concerns that local authorities are cutting back on pest control budgets, stating that by doing so they are putting the public's health at risk.
BPCA chief executive Simon Forrester said, "The BPCA is concerned that pest control budgets are being hit.
"That may make it harder for councils in Scotland to respond as effectively as they would like, which could have implications for both quality of life and public health.
"Authorities are reducing manpower and looking at new ways of dealing with pests.
"Potential public health problems need to be dealt with by professionals and failing to tackle an infestation properly leads to additional expense and resident dissatisfaction."
The combination of an ageing sewer system, councils cutting back on services and insurers failing to repair damaged drains, is creating the perfect breeding ground for rats in residential areas.
Rats are well known as carriers of disease and also extremely difficult to get rid of once they have make a nest.
Fife Council's service manager Elaine Devine defended their pest control record and commented that there were a number of factors such as population density and the range of pests treated that had an effect on the statistics.
Despite a summer of floods and torrential downpours Ms Devine claimed that the high level of call outs was also affected by a recent spell of dry weather.
She said, "Fife Council is one of the few local authorities that provide a comprehensive pest control service.
"It is provided at a very reasonable cost so it is not surprising that we received a high number of requests for service.
"The recent spell of relatively dry weather has certainly generated a very high level of call-outs with wasps and ants which is keeping our team very busy indeed."
Have your say. Post a comment on this article.
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kaka30
311 posts
Aug 10, 09:36
Report commentPest control budgets should never be cut back, rats are a huge problem and they need to be controlled. We as the public though also have a huge part to play by discarding of our litter and waste properly & not giving this vermin a food source.
Recommend?
Yes 14
No 1
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DunfermlineEast
137 posts
Aug 10, 10:42
Report commentA lot of Fife is suburban, even the most urban of areas compared with say Glasgow. The green areas attract wildlife and 'pests'. The population living in suburban areas mean we want green spaces but not the 'pests' that come with it. If you live in the countryside you tolerate wasps and ants but if you are suburban you do not. That is the reason we have such high call out rates.
I cannot help but think the high numbers of rats is to do with rubbish bins being uplifted every 2 weeks and the higher number of 'green' areas around our villages and towns that allow them to breed undisturbed.
Recommend? Yes 11
No 3
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Stuartggray
30 posts
Aug 10, 19:18
Report commentNothing to do with the fortnightly pick up of rubbish. Of course not.
Recommend? Yes 12
No 2
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bicyclebob
159 posts
Aug 11, 14:05
Report comment -
alfiesmum
1 post
Aug 11, 23:03
Report commentEmpty the bins weekly ...... problem solved ......
Recommend? Yes 5
No 0
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kaka30
311 posts
Aug 12, 10:19
Report commentPeople putting their litter in the bins and buckets provided might help. People taking responsability for their actions might help.
I recently heard a quotation that i think sums up todays society ;-
*Every body nowadays knows their rights but not their responsabilities*
Recommend? Yes 12
No 0
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SmarmyGit
319 posts
Aug 14, 14:35
Report commentWhat the heck has fortnightly bin collections got to do with it, i assume all your rubbish is IN your bin and not strewn all over the place, if its the latter, there's yer problem, oh but hud oan, thats the easy blame option, the cooncil, its the cooncils fault AGAIN!
Making sure thetre are no food sources for vermin to get at is a good start, and that means litter from takeaways/food premises, food scraps etc (yes from your own home too!) oh and not putting too much food out for birds because it may say 'Bird food' on the packet but here's a thing, rats canny read!
Recommend? Yes 12
No 0
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midge1
53 posts
Aug 16, 00:59
Report commentsorry but I put food down lavy and if it keeps rats down in pipes and not running streets I am happy but dont get me wrong there is very little waste food in our house ,hubby keeps asking me WHATS LEFT OVERS ??(ha/ha)
Recommend? Yes 2
No 3
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SmarmyGit
319 posts
Aug 16, 13:36
Report commentYou'll choke yer Cludgie deeing that hen, stick in a compost heap, a year or so later you'll be able to grow brilliant tatties with it!
Recommend? Yes 4
No 0
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