The problems with rats in Swedish cities are increasing. It is worst in the counties of Stockholm, Skåne and Västra Götaland. At the same time as the problems are increasing, the legislation for chemical pesticides is being tightened. But a new sound technology creates opportunities for keeping pests away without using poison.
"We have developed a way to simulate acute threats through sound for the rat. It's not about volume, but about affecting the subconscious with the right type of signals so that the rat flees", says research leader Örjan Johansson, professor of technical acoustics at Luleå University of Technology, in a press release.
The sound is similar to the rats' own warning sound, which they make by gnashing their teeth. It deceives the rats' brain that something dangerous is approaching. The researchers have also seen promising results in other species such as mosquitoes and seals, and now they will develop the method further.
