Description
Previously unused in rodent removal, litter bins have been redesigned by Secu-rat to become an innovative means of rodent population control that is appropriate, efficient and targeted while limiting the use of chemical rat bait.
Secu-rat is an effective tool for controlling the rodent population since it monitors their feeding sites, leading to direct action as soon as the first signs are detected. What’s more, the rodent population is efficiently regulated by limiting access to their food sources.
Secu-rat is not just a means of removing rodents (rats, mice, voles etc.) at the sites they are most attracted to, it is also a device for monitoring their population. Encompassing detection, surveillance, monitoring and control, it perfectly dovetails an Integrated Pest Management approach.
a single system, several levels of action
- Detecting the presence of rodents for quick, appropriate, coherent and timely action,
- Automatic monitoring of the expansion of the population for targeted rodent control,
- Chemical rodent bait in the event of extensive infestation,
- Dual mechanical trapping system to contain the rodent population at a minimum level.
“Rodent control must be anticipated – not endured.”
Backstory
The spark of an idea may lead to many things, but it is through encounters with competent people eager to raise challenges that projects come to life.
“Litter bins have a magnetic effect on rodents.”
A design engineer with comprehensive experience in sustainable urban furniture; a doctor in ecology specialised in both the study of the population dynamics of invasive species and the effectiveness and assessment of the ecological toxicity of rodent control solutions; a company manager with a solid background in urban furniture; and an ecologist and former farm manager fostering the reintroduction a critically endangered rodent. In short, the very minimum required for the Secu-rat concept to take shape.
In all, 3 years were required to develop Secu-rat - from the concept to concrete realisation via an initial prototype and deployment for testing on the ground in several cities. Not to mention the scientific validation of the findings, fine-tuned adjustments, technical choices and rationalisation of the equipment factoring in an ecological design.
Objectives
Secu-rat meets requirements on several levels: society (the presence of rats is perceived as a hygiene hazard); economics (the presence of rats is costly in terms of the damage they cause and the management policies that have to be implemented for population control); the environment (protecting wildlife and pets from rodenticides); and health (rats are carriers of around 60 diseases that can spread to humans, such as leptospirosis).
“Secu-rat perfectly dovetails an Integrated Pest Management approach by proposing a device that detects, monitors and controls the rodent population, thereby helping to fine-tune policies in this field.”
Design
Even when waste placed in litter bins is inaccessible to rodents, the smell acts as a magnet for these species that are constantly on the look-out for food. Secu-rat is an effective means of controlling high-density rodent populations and containing the population in the long term. Our device has been thoroughly tried and tested. However, it is still essential to restrict access to waste in public areas as far as possible and not to provide animals with feed in open urban areas.
Each situation is unique and requires a tailored solution. Which sectors should be prioritised? What method selected between mechanical traps and using rodenticides as bait? What active substance to choose to raise the challenge of “efficiency, resistance and eco-toxicity”? We provide you with all the advice you need to deploy and use Secu-rat.
Secu-rat can be adapted to a broad range of existing litter bins.
Our aim is not to create a new need in litter bins, but to limit the environmental impact in terms of deployment.
Safety & the environment
Our system has been devised to make it attractive to the rodents it targets. Firstly because it is located on ground level, which waylays suspicions, and secondly, because the rodents find themselves in a “covered” area, giving them a sense of security.
Rodent control in urban areas is at the heart of several issues: waste management, availability of food sources, favourable habitats, animal ethics and risk of exposure to and poisoning by rodenticides for non-targeted species. Acting directly at waste collection sites helps limit rodent populations by restricting their food sources.
Our system means action can be taken as soon as the very first rodent is detected – before the population has a chance to expand.
positive impact
- Reduction in the use of rodenticide bait;
- Option of mechanical trapping alone if necessary;
- Significant reduction in the number of poisoned rodents that could be consumed by predators.
Children, pets and non-targeted wildlife – safety all round.
Research protocol
Four different prototypes were tested in real conditions with brown rats to prove their efficiency. Each prototype varied in terms of the size and shape of the entrance hole, the internal configuration of the traps and the position of the bait.
Tests were carried out in a variety of habitats: near green areas and bushes, near flowery meadows, along river banks, ponds and lakes, in carparks, picnic areas and children’s playgrounds. Each test was conducted in two urban areas with different population densities. The first in a town of 20,000 habitants and the second in a city with 180,000 inhabitants. The efficiency of the 4 different prototypes was tested by comparing the number of rodents visiting each device with secure traps placed in strategic locations. Our measurements took into account the quantity of placebo bait consumed inside each device (bait without an active substance) and also the number of rodents visiting the devices through a presence detector and video monitoring in order to obtain a scientifically valid product.
A tool for operators/service providers and autthorities/decision makers
In the public domain, rodent control is inhibited by a number of barriers, in particular the lack of a safe, efficient means of placing bait boxes and traps in areas frequently used by the general public. Secu-rat solves this issue by providing pest control operators (PCO) with a device that can be used at the very heart of public spaces, without them being visually obvious.
The very shape of Secu-rat precludes any type of vandalism linked to the trapping and baiting device, thereby guaranteeing effective rodent control over time, total safety (children, pets and wildlife) and savings in terms of equipment and time.
Contact us
25, rue de la Grette
25000 Besançon France
contact.web@secu-rat.fr
English (UK) 
Français