2,154 anti-rodent calls in Windsor in 2019

In 2019, the City of Windsor received more than 2,100 requests for rodent control. 

The city has had a steady stream of requests for rodent control since it offered the service free of charge. In 2018, there were 2,223 requests. The previous year there were 2,161 requests, while 2016 had the fewest, at 320, 2019’s numbers are an increase of 573 per cent. 

Windsor is one of the few cities to offer free rodent control programs to its residents. 

The City of Windsor has offered a free rodenticide program for the past three years and recently approved funding for the program in its 2020 budget. 

About 2,154 residents contacted 311 last year asking for bait for their properties, according to the open data catalogue. The data represents a request for the service and does not necessarily mean that the service has been completed. 

The program costs about $150,000 a year, and the committee has the option of renewing it annually. According to the executive summary of the 2020 budget, the service provides “free bait for residential properties to suffer from rodent infestation outside their homes”. 

The program was approved as part of the 2020 budget.

Last year, four districts used the most bait services. The data also showed that service requests were most common in July, August and September. The three winter months of December, January and February received the least calls.