More Rodent Activity In Surrey Since COVID

The coronavirus pandemic has caused widespread changes to most industries. From how we shop, to the way we eat, drink, and socialise, everything has changed. In the pest control industry, we’ve also noticed dramatic changes. One of these changes has been an incredible increase in rodent activity. Strangely enough, a great deal of this activity is happening in and around Surrey. But what is the reason for this?

Why has rodent activity increased in Surrey?

According to large pest control companies, there has been a 50% increase in clients seeing rodent activity. In addition to this, thousands of people are researching this topic online. In fact, our pages about rats have seen an 80% increase in traffic.

There are several reasons why this is happening. First of all, millions of people are or have been stuck at home under COVID-19 lockdowns or quarantines. What this means is that they are more likely to notice that there are rats in the streets. Previously these vermin may have gone completely unnoticed.

Another reason, according to scientists, is because winters are becoming warmer. This means that the number of rodents has increased. Cold Winters usually kill off large numbers of rats, but this is not the case anymore.  Not only that, this also results in more rats are surviving infancy. It also means that the number of litters per year has increased.

But the biggest reason for the increase in rodent activity is because of lockdowns. This has caused a marked change in human behaviours which are negatively affecting rodents. For example, most rats eat from behind restaurants and takeaways. Every night they go through the bins outside these businesses.

But with most restaurants being closed, they are no longer able to do this. Rats also feed on discarded food. Because most public spaces are empty, there is almost no food for them to forage.

What are the rats up to?

All of this means that rodents are desperate and starving. They have lived on human waste for millennia. Now that it’s gone the rodents have no idea what to do. This has made them far bolder than usual. Whereas previously they would hide away during the day, rodents are now emerging in the daytime.  They are coming out of the sewers in a frantic attempt to find food.

And believe it or not, some researchers have reported that rats are even resorting to cannibalism. This could be due to starvation.

Also, the reason why rodent activity is peaking in Surrey is because rats are moving from areas where they can’t find food into suburban parts of Surrey.