This IPM approach can be effective in the long term, but it costs the consumer more. The pest control service now has to visit three or four times, instead of once or twice. “People sometimes leave it alone because the costs are simply high,” says Piké. “But sometimes they have to, because they are reprimanded by the NVWA.”
Combating rats is complex
However, it remains difficult to combat rats in this way. ”They are smart animals, they don’t just fall into a trap. And you can get a building rat-free, but it doesn’t help if there is a full container at the address next door. Then you’ll never win.”
To make climate change bearable in cities, a lot of greenery is being created. These are precisely the places where rats hide. It’s a battle between man and rat. “If I say that bushes should be removed from public gardens, I am considered crazy,” said Piké.
Ferrets and a dog as pesticides
Moreover, opinions are divided about the correct method of control. For example, at the catering facility in Amsterdam, which recently closed ferrets used to combat the rat plague. With this method, a dog tracks down the rats and lets the ferrets catch the rats. The rats are then killed by the dog or by a bullet.
The Amsterdam city council advocated applying this method in a pilot. Here went the alderman do not agree, because it would be animal unfriendly. It would cause stress to the animals to be hunted. In Rotterdam, the city council is starting a trial with ferrets.