Neglected waste handling draws rodents to Tallinn

Neglected waste handling is helping rodents spread in Tallinn, ERR reports. The North Tallinn district government is collecting reports of rat and mouse activity until mid-August to direct pest-control work to the most affected areas.

Kadri Karnau, a communications specialist at Tallinn’s Environmental and Public Utilities Department, said the city does not keep central statistics on rodent numbers because their population cannot be reliably assessed. Residents’ observations are nevertheless welcome because they can help identify larger colonies.

Rodent control in the capital is divided by areas of responsibility, giving housing associations an important role. When a colony is discovered, residents should first contact the owner of the private property or the apartment association responsible for pest control, Karnau said. The city and district governments can carry out control measures only on land they manage.

The Environmental and Public Utilities Department uses rat poison placed in special plastic boxes. Karnau said the districts do not carry out extensive preventive poisoning because it could endanger pets, birds and people. Control measures are targeted and based on specific nesting sites and routes used by the rodents.

Joosep Sarapuu, a zoologist at the Estonian Museum of Natural History, said local pest control would not eliminate rodents from the city.

“It is not practically possible to achieve the complete eradication of rats. If one colony disappears, the area becomes available to new arrivals again,” he said.

Rats are also difficult to control because of their biological behaviour. They experience neophobia, or a fear of new objects. When a plastic box containing poison or a trap appears in their environment, rodents may take time before approaching it.

Sarapuu said the common belief that rats send the weakest members of the group to test poison is not entirely true. Dominant animals do not investigate new objects because they have established routes and a reliable food supply. Lower-ranking animals are forced to seek new feeding areas and routes, which means they are the first to encounter poison and traps, he explained.

Sarapuu recommended checking homes for rodent access before colder weather arrives, when pests may try to enter buildings. Small gaps and openings should be sealed, and food waste should not be left easily accessible.

Karnau said a clean neighbourhood is the best way to keep rodents away. Waste shelters and containers should be kept tidy and closed to prevent food waste from spreading into the surrounding area. She also advised against feeding birds and squirrels and recommended keeping the ground beneath bird feeders clean.