Life without rats

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Everyone hates rats, right? Unless they have pet rats of course. My partner in particular is totally paranoid about rats and if he ever glimpses any unidentified furry thing he immediately suspects a rat Yesterday I listened to an episode of a radio series called ‘Life Without’; this particular programme considered life without rats. Would our lives be much better if there were no rats? Well the conclusion seemed to be, not really. In extreme cases – where children are bitten by rats while they sleep or dangerous damage is caused to electrical wiring, for example, then yes. But basically if there were no rats then some other creatures would probably take over that ecological niche. One statement that surprised me is that rats living in sewers provide a useful service by gnawing away at the fat and grease that accumulates along the walls, helping to prevent blockages. A horrible thought, but definitely important. And I think the disgusted reaction that induces in me is more about the thought of eating that residue than about the rats themselves Here we definitely have rats in the garden. The common saying is that ‘You are never more than 6 feet from a rat’ but in spite of that we very rarely see any. However I know they visit my various compost bins because I see evidence of tunnelling, and sometimes droppings or teeth marks on vegetable scraps. I try not to make life too comfortable for them by regularly emptying the bins and moving them around, and by adding material to different bins (I have eight scattered around the garden) so they can’t just settle in one and make themselves at home, waiting for food deliveries… On the other hand I admit that their tunnelling activities do actually provide a useful service in mixing up the contents of the compost bins for me! Successful composting needs a good mixture of material otherwise there is a risk of ending up with horrible slimy layers of, for example, rotten grass clippings, or just a layer of dry autumn leaves. Of course I never mention any of this to my partner Do you often see rats? All rights reserved. © Text and image copyright Fleur.