What to do about rats? NYC to host first-ever summit to tackle rodent problem

Rat experts from around the country will hightail it to New York City this fall, where they will sink their teeth into solving the Big Apple’s rodent problem.

The first-of-its-kind gathering — dubbed the “National Urban Rat Summit” — will take place from Sept. 18 to 19, according to a news release from the office of Mayor Eric Adams.

“The best way to defeat our enemy is to know our enemy,” Adams said in the release. “That’s why we’re holding this inaugural summit, to bring experts and leaders from across the country together to better understand urban rats and how to manage their populations.”

New York City is currently home to an estimated 3 million rats, following a dramatic population increase over the past decade, according to The Guardian. In 2023, it was named the third “rattiest” city in America by Orkin, the pest control company.

And the rodents are more than just a nuisance. As carriers of disease, they pose public health risks, can make homes unlivable and render businesses inoperable, officials said.

Adams has made rodent mitigation a key focus of his administration, launching a “war on rats” — fought by reducing sidewalk trash, which the animals use as a food source.

For the mayor, the issue is personal, as he has been ticketed twice for allowing the animals to burrow beneath his Brooklyn home, according to the Associated Press.

Some of his administration’s efforts appear to have paid off, with rat sightings down close to 14% in designated “Rat Mitigation Zones.”

“We continue to make progress, but we’re not stopping there,” Adams said.

By hosting rodent experts from around the country, New York officials hope to learn better ways to control the city’s rat problem.

The summit, which will be hosted by the city’s Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, will bring in municipal experts from Seattle, New Orleans and Boston.

“Municipalities are charged with managing rats on a large scale, but there are only a handful of technical resources intended for this important audience, and subject area experts are similarly rare,” Matt Frye, a senior extension associate with the New York State Integrated Pest Management Program at Cornell University, a summit partner, said in the release.

“This summit is a leap forward for urban rat management, forging new relationships between municipalities and academic partners,” Frye added.