Tauranga's rodent population is booming, with one pest controller reporting three times as many customers as usual, desperate to rid their homes of rats and mice. Pest controllers attribute the rise in rodents to the long, late summer - perfect breeding conditions for rats and mice. But following on from summer, therecent cold snap has seen the rodents seek refuge inside houses. It's not just the "ick factor" upsetting home-owners - the rodents are chewing through wires and pipes, causing electrical faults and floods. Eddy Staessens, of Bay of Plenty No Bugz, said business eradicating rats and mice had "gone through the roof". "We have done three-fold more than normal in the last three weeks. "They have had a bigger breeding season because of the long summer; they breed an extra litter." Mr Staessens said the problem existed throughout the Western Bay, but the worst-affected areas were near orchards. Omokoroa, Te Puna and Welcome Bay had been hit particularly hard. There were also more rats than mice making their way indoors, causing headaches for home-owners. "I have noticed when there are rats in the roof there is electrical damage, so you have to tell them to get an electrician to check the wiring, because it could be a fire hazard. "People also have hot water cupboards in the roof, and the rats can chew through the pipes," Mr Staessens said. Des Smith, of Wil-Kil Pest Control, said he was twice as busy as normal, eradicating both rats and mice. "There seems to be quite a lot. Every day we get three or four calls. I've just done three this morning. "Some people try and have a go themselves [at getting rid of rats and mice], then they call in the experts." Mr Smith said he had seen evidence of rats chewing through wiring, and flooding after rats chewed through dishwasher pipes. Terry Hayward, of A1 Pest Control and Handyman Services, said the rodent season was one of the worst he had seen in 10 years of operation. "It's generally all over the place, there's no set pattern to them." Mr Hayward said trees planted too close to houses could encourage rats, which used the trees as "ladders" to get in to the roof. Craig Knapp, of Genera Ltd, said the increase in rodents was to be expected after a dry summer. "The [rodent] population rises because there's plenty of food." Outside of Tauranga, Auckland and Wellington pest controllers had also noted the increase.
