Nearly 300 actions targeting rats and approximately 200 for cockroaches have been executed over the past five months in the capital, specifically from 9 July to 5 November 2024. These measures against both pests have once more dominated the disinfestation and deratization campaigns conducted by the Public Services and Environmental Sustainability department of Santa Cruz de Tenerife City Council this year, as indicated in a report presented by the area councillor, Carlos Tarife, to the PSOE during the recent municipal control meeting, which DIARIO DE AVISOS has obtained.
In this account, the local council states that throughout this year, “it has acted in line with the stipulations of the specifications governing the pest control contract within the municipality, continuing with the planned disinfestation and deratization.” These efforts are executed across all public thoroughfares, open spaces and facility networks, as well as within municipal buildings, including schools, rural locations, drainage systems, bait traps set up throughout the city, and targeted reinforcement in areas with significant infestation levels.
During the aforementioned period, the capital’s pest control unit has undertaken a total of 288 interventions aimed at the eradication of rats; roughly 190 against cockroaches; eleven for wasps; six for ants; five targeting fleas; three for mice; one addressing ticks; and three efforts against rodents in trees, among other species, in response to community or municipal alerts about their presence.
These actions are designed to prevent the growth of pest populations and are, thus, central to over 90 disinfestation and deratization campaigns executed in various areas throughout the municipality to deter the spread of urban pests.
In addition to these fumigation efforts, 30 actions have been undertaken in municipal facilities, notably at the Casa del Carnaval (wasps); the Museum of Fine Arts (ants); the municipal nursery (rats); the Palmetum (wasps); the La Granja park skate park (rats); the Music Band headquarters (wasps); the Ana Bautista and Quico Cabrera pavilions (rats and cockroaches, respectively); and the García Escámez football pitch (cockroaches), among others. Furthermore, there have been 62 actions in public schools aimed at eliminating rats, cockroaches, fleas, and ants in recent months.
Conversely, technicians have addressed 16 specific cases upon request from the Municipal Institute of Social Care (IMAS) to resolve cockroach infestations identified in the homes of low-income individuals across different areas of the city.
Moreover, the statistics reveal that interventions have been implemented in all five districts of the municipality this year, with Salud-La Salle taking the lead with 224 interventions, followed by the Southwest district (197); Centre-Ifara (193); Ofra-South Coast (189); and Anaga (89).
