Super Rat Plague – And it’s Not Fiction

Written by Nicole Afable for Bird-X, Inc.

You may be wondering what makes a rat so ‘super.’ Well, it’s not an explanation any rodent loather would love.  Super rats are defined by their abnormal abilities to grow larger in size and be impervious to common pest poisons. In places like Britain, these rodents have evolved into 2 foot long creatures that seem to continuously grow in numbers—potentially outnumbering humans by the end of the year.

According to Mirror Online, Britain may experience a huge plague with millions of super rats this summer. Since poisons have been the ‘go-to’ products for nonprofessional use, the rodents have not only been consuming the toxic substances but slowly building immunity against them as well. Meanwhile, pets are in greater danger of dying from eating poison rodent bait than the target rats.

It doesn’t help that the same types of poisons have been used since the 1950’s. The same family of poisons is in use in the US, where increased resistance is also a growing problem.  Not only did this long history allow for this new type of rat to emerge, but the difficulty of controlling these pests has dramatically increased. However, that is not the only factor that makes things tougher. “Rats are also hard to kill with poisons because they scavenge – they will eat a small bit of something and wait, and if they don’t get sick, they continue,” explains the article.

In addition to problems of immunity, the warm winter has had its effects on the situation. Unseasonably warm temperatures and lack of snow allow for more natural food to be available, not only providing abundant food sources for the rats, but also enabling them to breed rapidly.  It is forecasted that the number of super rats may reach a whopping 200 million by summer—equaling three rats to every one human in Britain.

The continuous use of rat poisons to solve the problem of infestation has proven not only to be ineffective but further complicate the situation.  Bird-X understands the benefits of using humane pest control to effectively remove unwanted animals from your property. For more information about alternatives such as natural scent barriers or electronic deterrents, check out our list of products.