By Exopest on Monday, October 12th, 2015 in Print.
CHRISTOPHER GILLETT
BUSINESSES and residents in inner-city suburbs and the CBD are being warned to expect an influx of rats.
Hot weather is set to bring a boom in rodents as the spring breeding cycle begins.
Sightings are on the rise, ac- cording to pest controllers. Melbourne City Council has baiting stations set up in hot spots, including Flagstaff, Carl- ton and Fitzroy gardens, and Batman Park.
Melbourne’s construction boom is also disturbing nesting habitats, making the rats more visible. Alarmingly, brown rats in the city can exceed 30cm.
Exopest operations man- ager Peter Ferguson said rats bred all year but numbers in- creased during spring.
“They’re shifting out of spots they are accustomed to living in. The hot weather will
force a few out, especially as Melbourne hits above 30C,” Mr Ferguson said.
WR Gay Pest Control direc- tor David Gay said people were living with rats in roofs, believing they were possums.
“What we’re seeing now is more food available, new growth on plants which rats will eat. They’re foraging and feeding, they seem to become more active and mobile,” Mr Gay said.