The city council cannot say exactly how many rats there are in Bad Godesberg. "Experts assume that one to two, sometimes more rats live underground in cities per inhabitant", says Andrea Schulte from the municipal press office. That also applies to Bonn. If you look where rat infestation is reported to the city, you assume "that the rat population in Bonn has remained almost constant in recent years".

Where the rats prefer tolivecannot be said in general terms. Sometimes there are a lot of rats in some places who suddenly disappear - and vice versa. Then they appear in places where they have never been seen before. In principle, however, more rats are reported in summer than in the cold season, says Schulte. There are two reasons for this: On the one hand, people are outside longer and therefore observe more rodents. On the other hand, they find more food - and thus multiply more strongly.

The citizen services (for rats sighted above ground) and the civil engineering office (for the sewage system) take care of the rat infestation, a specially appointed specialist company is responsible on their behalf for the containment of the population. Every three years the contract for rat control is put out to public tender; the costs for this period amount to 185,000 Euro, i.e. around 61,666 Euro per year.

So far, the canals have been equipped with baits city-wide, at intervals of 18 months. "However, due to the amendment of the Biocides Ordinance, it is no longer possible to combat this infestation nationwide," said Schulte. In addition baits would have led to unnecessary additional costs. Therefore wedecided to change the procedure. So now baits are only laid out where rats have been sighted.

Above ground these are located in bait stations, which are provided with warning notices. They are also designed in such a way that people or other animals - dogs, cats or even smaller animals - cannot reach the poison inside. "Only pesticides approved by the Federal Institute for Risk Assessment are used," says Schulte. If the baits are left for some time, the company takes another close look at them. If they are eaten, they are replenished. If they are like new, they are removed.

But citizens can also help to reduce the rat population. In order to provide them with as few food sources as possible, the city council says that no leftovers should be thrown into the toilet. Waste should only be stored in closed containers, yellow sacks should not be accessible to the animals.

Anyone who has seen rats on the streets, in parks or on the banks of the Rhine - i.e. above ground - can contact the city on (0228) 772545 or online.

Whoeversuspects that the rodents are in the sewerage or in gullys,should dialthe (0228) 774140.

(Original text: Ayla Jacob / Translation: Mareike Graepel)