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Limburg fights resolutely against rat plague: bait campaign begins!
On October 8th, Limburg will start a two-week rat control campaign with bait in canals and on the banks of the Lahn. Citizens can send rat reports to the public order office.
Limburg fights resolutely against rat plague: bait campaign begins!
Today is an important day for the city of Limburg, as a large-scale rat control operation will start on Wednesday, October 8, 2025. This measure will run for a period of two weeks and ends on Friday October 24th. During this time, bait is placed in locked boxes in all canals and along the Lahn in order to get the growing rat population under control. How ffh.de reported, this is the second rat control operation this year, after the first was successfully carried out in March.
The city administration already drew attention to a problem in the summer: illegal waste disposal in the Lahn area could be a factor in the rat infestation. This problem is being specifically addressed by the current rat control campaign. In addition, a plan to kill pigeons to reduce the downtown population was abandoned due to a referendum and a court case, although this plan was supported by many citizens and city councilors.
Reporting rat infestation
The citizens of Limburg are called upon to report rat infestations to the public order office. André Blättel is the contact person who can be reached on 06431 203-291 or by email at ORDESSBEHOERDE@stadt.limburg.de. These reports are particularly important in the next two weeks in order to enable a comprehensive clarification of the facts. The city administration is keen to make people in Limburg aware that everyone can make a contribution to combating rats.
In addition to active control, there are also helpful tips to avoid rat infestation. It is recommended that you only dispose of leftover food in closed garbage containers, that you do not store waste outside and that you only put out the yellow bags shortly before collection. Overfilling garbage cans should also be avoided, and feeding pigeons or ducks is also not advisable.
Responsibility of the homeowners
In addition, homeowners are required to ensure that rats are removed from their private property. Landlords must respond to written requests from tenants; Otherwise, the tenants have the opportunity to inform the public order office. This civic duty is crucial to reducing the rat population in the long term.
The rat problem is not new. The Federal Environment Agency has found that the rat population in many cities remains stable or is even increasing, despite years of using rat poison to combat it. Climate change, urbanization and a growing urban population are mostly to blame for this imbalance. A sustainable solution, which has also been successfully implemented in other cities such as Tokyo and New Orleans, involves reducing food sources for rats. The Campaign for Sustainable Rat Management (KaRMa) recommends, among other things, disposing of food waste in special trash cans and avoiding wild garbage dumping in order to make the city unattractive for rats ( Umweltbundesamt.de ).
In summary, the upcoming measures in Limburg are a step in the right direction. It remains to be hoped that rat control will be successful not only in this city but everywhere through a coordinated approach and conscious waste behavior.