Nina Droff, edited by Julien Moreau 06:19, February 09, 2023

The trade union chamber for rat extermination, disinsectization and disinfection (CS3D) recorded, in 2022, a 35% increase in the number of rat exterminations.

A phenomenon that concerns both the Paris region and the rest of France.

Europe 1 followed two exterminators in Essonne.

Rats proliferate in cities and countryside.

The trade union chamber for rat extermination, disinsectization and disinfection (CS3D) recorded, in 2022, an increase in the number of rat exterminations (+35%).

As a result, deratizers are increasingly in demand.

Jordi, a resident of Essonne, contacted several, alerted by scratching in the attic during the night.

"At first, I thought it was the pigeons on the roof, but when it happened in the walls I understood that it might not be that," he said. 

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A danger to public health

Armed with flashlights and plastic gloves, the exterminators, Cyril and Thibaud, had to go to Jordi's accommodation and they thoroughly inspected the attic of the building.

As a reminder, professionals in the sector had to intervene more than 6.4 million times in 2022. 

After a quick tour of the premises, the two specialists quickly discovered droppings which confirmed the fears of the Essonnian.

"When we find droppings like that, there is no doubt that we have a presence of rats", announced one of the two exterminators at the microphone of Europe 1. "We are going to put a poison which should kill them within four or five days," explained the exterminator.

“But there is also an urgent need to find out where the rats are sneaking into the attic,” he added.

The phenomenon constitutes a danger to public health since rat urine can transmit diseases that are sometimes fatal to humans.

Rats have reappeared in France

These interventions have become the daily life of these two exterminators.

Since the confinements, rats have reappeared in large quantities throughout France.

Other factors come into play: the new rules on poisons, the cost of interventions and works, such as those of Greater Paris, scare the underground rats away.

"They no longer had to eat in the parks and the basements, so they moved closer to the houses to survive. We are even seeing the day come out of them now which never happened before", declared Cyril, the exterminator , at the microphone of Europe 1.