NIfacingaratandwaspepidemic after hot summer, warns expert

Ireland is in the grip of a rat, mice and wasp epidemic as pest control companies report a record-breaking number of infestations.

Charlie Page, who set up North West Pest Control 47 years ago, said the hot summer led to an extended breeding period for rats and mice, which are now seeking the warmth of people’s homes.

And an unprecedented number of wasps are also keeping pest control company Pestforce busy.

Mr Page warned people bringing their Christmas decorations down from the attic to be wary of disturbing a wasps’ nest.

He said this has been one of the busiest years he has had in almost half a century of pest control.

“When I went into this business 47 years ago there really wasn’t anyone else doing it in the Derry area,” he said.

“Now there are other companies, but we are still working as hard as ever we did.

“In fact, things have stepped up considerably.

“This year we had a long, hot summer and people made the most of that by eating outside more, which in turn created an abundance of food for the rats and mice which contributed to ripe breeding conditions.

“The warm weather has also led to an increase in wasps and we expect to be called out to deal with wasp nests right up to January.

“The danger from wasp nests is that they can be in people’s attics without them even being aware of it.

“But when, for example, someone goes into an attic for Christmas decorations and switches on a light, this disturbs the wasps and they attack.

“A wasp nest can house anyNORTHERN

Busy: Charlie Page thing from 1,000 to 20,000 wasps, and at this time of the year they are dying and really aggressive, so they are a big problem for people.”

Steve McCart, who launched Pestforce in Co Antrim in 2004, said people can do a lot to help prevent rats and mice infesting their homes.

He has seen a real increase in the number of callouts this year.

“This has been one of our busiest years for wasp infestations but we are also receiving a serious number of calls about mice and rat infestations,” he said.

“We would always advise people to call us or their local council as soon as they see one rat because it will not be long before they see others, especially if that one rat was a pregnant female. We have come across incidents where rats are actually breaching the sewers and getting into the attics and cavities of people’s houses that way.”

Mr McCart added: “People can do a lot to prevent rats and mice from getting into their homes, like making sure there are no faults in the drainage systems or making sure garage doors are fully shut.

“A garage is a prime breeding ground for rats because people don’t really go into their garages much during the winter months other than to get in and out of their cars, so they may not even know there are rats and mice there until they have a real problem.”