In 2023, Anticimex caught 1,020,409 rats, which was an increase of four percent compared to the year before.
– The main reason is that the cities are growing and densifying. In an urban environment there are many places where the rat can hide and plenty of food among the rubbish we humans leave behind, says Anticimex– the biologist Thomas Persson Winner stone in a press release.
When the rats find their way into the cities, the risk of them getting into homes – and cars – also increases.
Mistakes attract the rats into your home: “Chewing through”
Photo: Erik Simander/TT
That’s how many rats Anticimex caught in 2023
Rats find their way into cars
In recent months have Home & Rent reported on how rats are gnawing apart tenants’ cars in Malmö, at the same time as SVT Örebro wrote about how rats built nests in vehicles.
– They probably get up from below through the engine compartment. Maybe it is possible to climb up via the wheelhouses as well?, says Thomas Persson Vinnersten about the increasingly common, but unwelcome, guests to News24.
And once inside the car, rats can cause major damage.
– In addition to soiling, they can of course gnaw on the wiring, with electric cables and liquid-filled wires, says Persson Vinnersten.
Filip’s nightmare – found live rat in the toilet: “It screamed”
Photo: Fredrik Sandberg/TT That’s how you stop the rats
So what can you do yourself to stop the rats from getting into the car? According to Thomas Persson Vinnersten, there are, among other things, sprays that are supposed to repel rodents, which can be helpful.
– But the best thing is, of course, to park your car in a place that has good protection against rodents.
Such protection can, for example, be digital traps, which notify if rodents are on the move.
In what situation should you contact pest control?
– Rats should not be near places where people are, such as homes or cars. So if you have a rat problem, you should contact your pest control company to get professional help, notes Persson Vinnersten.
Here, rats are fought with birdhouses