This section provides information about rodent infestations and control.
In law, rat infestations are the responsibility of the owner or occupier of a property to deal with, not the Council but currently the Council of the Isles of Scilly offers this service free of charge to residential properties only. Under ever decreasing funding from Central Government, this service may become chargeable at sometime in the future.
If you have a problem with rats please contact Pat Wardley (01720 424025), and you will be placed on the Council list for a visit the next time our Rodent Control contractors are on the islands.
Commercial pest controllers can be found in the Yellow Pages under Pest Control.
Several visits are normally required by the pest controller to lay bait, check progress and finally, clear away any surplus bait. It is the responsibility of the householder to arrange for the disposal of the carcasses. This can be accomplished by picking the dead rodent up using an inverted plastic/carrier bag and placing it in with your domestic refuse for collection.
Advice is also given on the nature of the treatment and any precautions that are necessary. Repairs or pest proofing is not included in the Council's service; neither can dead rats be retrieved from under floor voids, wall cavities or other inaccessible locations. Hopefully though, if you follow the precautions below, you will never require this service.
About Rats
The sight of a rat generally provokes a strong reaction. We associate them with dirt and disease, and history has taught us not to tolerate them at close quarters. Today whilst the 'Black Death' no long stalks our city streets, the rat is still implicated in the transmission of disease to humans to there is no room for complacency.
Rats are commensal animals, that is they live in close association with other animals, and humans and usually are nocturnal. They are not dependent on us, but our habits often favour them and they are quick to take advantage of circumstances or exploit opportunities we deliberately or inadvertently create. The risk of illness is not the only threat they pose. Rats cause a great deal of damage to buildings and contents due to their habit of gnawing.
All in all it is in everyone's interest to keep their numbers to a minimum.
Modern pest control measures are effective but cannot be relied upon entirely. There is also a cost associated with the use of rodenticides and because they have to be toxic, use needs to be kept to a minimum.
Reasonably, there are a number of preventative steps that we ourselves can take without necessarily resorting to professional help, or suffering loss through damage or incurring any unnecessary expense.
