Increasing Rat numbers

[honeybee]

Originally Posted by ron1863

I had to phone the local council as I have just discovered rats under our decking. If you are having problems then go on to your councils website, there is a website address for pest control and the service is free apart from Wasps (£20 charge).

It really gets me angry when people get rid of wasps nests. I've lived with 2, one above the front door of our cottage a few years ago and one above the back door last summer. Nobody got stung on either occassions. I can understand it if you're allergic to the stings but half the time they're not causing a problem.
Also had a mouse problem where we are now in a victorian terrace, the mice can get through tiny gaps between the buildings. The council put poison down at my neighbours and I found a dead mouse in the airing cupboard. I'd put humane traps down. I told my neighbour I didn't really want dead mice under my floorboards and everywhere else. If you insist on killing them I think the killing traps are more humane than poison which causes a lingering, painful death and can poison other animals etc. You also don't know where they're going to die.
You can get humane rat traps too, bit expensive but you can probably borrow them from wildlife places as they're same as we use to catch water voles.

[prestonchris]

I was really interested by what your comments on the new refuse collection arrangements and rise in rats.

I am a student journalist here in Preston and would really lilke to follow up this story, focusing on the issues you raise, and take your comments to the council and envirnomental health.

If your interested my contacts are

cwjones@uclan.ac.uk

Just to clarify, as students our paper is not published (although if we get a good story there we may see if the LEP are interested in it), and if nothing else it might be intersting to see what the council and governmental agencies have to say.

Many Thanks