Bird feeders, overgrown grass and warmer winters are causing busier rat seasons, pest control experts have said.
While milder winters have been positive for the human population of Ireland, it seems the lack of a cold nip has let the rat population blossom.
On Lunchtime Live today, listeners heard various stories of rat infestation, accompanied by advice from Trevor Hayden of 'Complete Pest Control'.
Overcrowded with rats
Concerned countryside dweller, Tina Koumarianos, called in to speak with Andrea Gilligan on Lunchtime Live about her "crazy" rat problems.
"I have got a veritable wildlife park in my back garden," Tina said.
"A building company started building houses up and down the road from me ... and I am overcrowded with rats in my back garden," she said
"I’ve always had wildlife, but they were pheasant and deer and nice things... But this is crazy.
"I came into the kitchen yesterday to find a large rat with its two little pink hands up against my patio door and this morning before I left the house another rat had brought her five babies to visit.
"The whole garden is moving."
Rat poison alternative
The Wicklow woman said she can't leave any of her windows or doors open for fear the rats will start getting into her home.
Her biggest concern is rat urine with a young grandson playing outside daily.
"I don’t want to put down rat poison you know because the rat eats it, and I’ve got a lot of Red Kites [birds] around, you know, a Red Kite comes down and eats the rat and it gets poisoned," she said
"So, I’m stuck to know what to do for the best."
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Drainage issues
Pest control worker, Trevor Hayden, advised Tina's issue is probably due to open drains.
"When it comes to builders, they general have pest control in place to stop this kind of situation happening," Mr Hayden said.
"There's rats in all the drains... if the drainage is open, they could be coming in and out."
Mr Hayden offered to deal with Tina's issue free of charge and free of rat poison.
Autumn rats
The pest control expert stayed on the line with Andrea Gilligan to answer some more questions in relation to rat and mice issues.
Mr Hayden said Autumn is a popular time of year to see rats aroud your garden due to the dip in temperature.
"The temperatures are starting to dip at night time - they start coming in to gardens and homes," he said.
"You can do certain things like making sure your garden is cut back.
"I'd be removing birdfeeders because it's a food source to them."
Mild winters
The pest control worker noted how much busier the "rat seasons" are getting.
"An awful lot of it is to do with the winters not being as harsh as they used to be," Mr Hayden said.
"What would kill off a lot of rodents in the winter would be when it gets really really cold, but sure, it hasn't been really really cold in a good few years now," he said.
"I'm doing this 20 years now and when I'm comparing them now to what they used to be like - they're definitely considerably bigger.
"They're living longer as well."
The pest expert added that modern cats are "too well fed" to properly hunt rats.
Listen back here:
Rats in Marlay Park in South Dublin, 2015. Image: Brendan Donnelly / Alamy Stock Photo
