<p>Pest control services are getting calls from restaurants seeking help to deal with the bandicoot menace.</p>.<p>Bandicoots — ‘heggana’ in Kannada — forage for underground insects and leave behind a series of holes in their path. They often enter buildings where food and grains are stored.</p>.<p>“Bandicoots can weigh anywhere between five and 14 kg. They are much bigger than rats and also can cause a lot more damage,” says Mukesh Kumar, manager of The Eradicators, a pest control service based in J P Nagar.</p>.<p>His company gets 15 calls seeking help for bandicoot infestations every week and 90% are from restaurants and warehouses that store food, he says.</p>.<p>Dr Arun’s Pest Busters, based in Jayanagar, has been getting a high number of calls for bandicoot control since February.</p>.<p>“This has been a constant problem in Bengaluru for a long time and it’s just getting worse every year,” says K S Arun Kumar, proprietor. </p>.<p>Last week, Aishwarya N and her friends came across a bandicoot while having dinner at a popular restaurant on Vittal Mallya Road.</p>.<p>“It walked right past our legs, after exiting the kitchen. Both the staff and customers were bewildered and many even complained about how unhygienic the entire situation was. The staff apologised,” she says.</p>.<p><span class="bold">Pandemic effect</span></p>.<p>As a result of the pandemic, many households and establishments skipped on pest control, which might have led to the increase in rodents in the city, says Faizal Khan, who runs a pest control service in Rajajinagar.</p>.<p>“Pest control wasn’t a concern at all for a majority of the citizens. At a time like this, when most restaurants and eateries were shut, the rodents were free to breed and roam free,” he says.</p>.<p>Sunita P, a resident of R T Nagar, found a family of bandicoots residing in the drainage system near her house. “We started looking when we found a few wires chewed up in the house,” she says. She says the BBMP must put in place a process to rid neighbourhoods of the infestation.</p>.<p>“Because of the pandemic, many organisations have left unfinished projects around the city, and they provide a breeding ground for bandicoots,” she says. Citizens also need to be educated on waste segregation and management. This will also greatly help them prevent infestations, says Mukesh.</p>.<p><strong>BBMP says</strong></p>.<p>Dr Balasundar, chief health office with BBMP says, his office has not received complaints about bandicoot infestation recently. The BBMP periodically conducts inspections in every ward throughout the city. “There is no strict time frame for these inspections but approximately four inspections are conducted every year. Based on the data collected during these visits, appropriate action is taken against the respective establishment where bandicoots or any other rodents are found,” he tells Metrolife. He believes the onus also falls on the establishment to ensure its premises are clean and tidy. “Restaurants, traders, and other establishments need to be independent and take hygiene more seriously,” he adds. </p>.<p><strong>Tell-tale signs</strong></p>.<p>- Burrows and holes</p>.<p>- Damaged plants and crops </p>.<p>- Disrupted compost and dust bins</p>.<p>- Bandicoot droppings</p>
<p>Pest control services are getting calls from restaurants seeking help to deal with the bandicoot menace.</p>.<p>Bandicoots — ‘heggana’ in Kannada — forage for underground insects and leave behind a series of holes in their path. They often enter buildings where food and grains are stored.</p>.<p>“Bandicoots can weigh anywhere between five and 14 kg. They are much bigger than rats and also can cause a lot more damage,” says Mukesh Kumar, manager of The Eradicators, a pest control service based in J P Nagar.</p>.<p>His company gets 15 calls seeking help for bandicoot infestations every week and 90% are from restaurants and warehouses that store food, he says.</p>.<p>Dr Arun’s Pest Busters, based in Jayanagar, has been getting a high number of calls for bandicoot control since February.</p>.<p>“This has been a constant problem in Bengaluru for a long time and it’s just getting worse every year,” says K S Arun Kumar, proprietor. </p>.<p>Last week, Aishwarya N and her friends came across a bandicoot while having dinner at a popular restaurant on Vittal Mallya Road.</p>.<p>“It walked right past our legs, after exiting the kitchen. Both the staff and customers were bewildered and many even complained about how unhygienic the entire situation was. The staff apologised,” she says.</p>.<p><span class="bold">Pandemic effect</span></p>.<p>As a result of the pandemic, many households and establishments skipped on pest control, which might have led to the increase in rodents in the city, says Faizal Khan, who runs a pest control service in Rajajinagar.</p>.<p>“Pest control wasn’t a concern at all for a majority of the citizens. At a time like this, when most restaurants and eateries were shut, the rodents were free to breed and roam free,” he says.</p>.<p>Sunita P, a resident of R T Nagar, found a family of bandicoots residing in the drainage system near her house. “We started looking when we found a few wires chewed up in the house,” she says. She says the BBMP must put in place a process to rid neighbourhoods of the infestation.</p>.<p>“Because of the pandemic, many organisations have left unfinished projects around the city, and they provide a breeding ground for bandicoots,” she says. Citizens also need to be educated on waste segregation and management. This will also greatly help them prevent infestations, says Mukesh.</p>.<p><strong>BBMP says</strong></p>.<p>Dr Balasundar, chief health office with BBMP says, his office has not received complaints about bandicoot infestation recently. The BBMP periodically conducts inspections in every ward throughout the city. “There is no strict time frame for these inspections but approximately four inspections are conducted every year. Based on the data collected during these visits, appropriate action is taken against the respective establishment where bandicoots or any other rodents are found,” he tells Metrolife. He believes the onus also falls on the establishment to ensure its premises are clean and tidy. “Restaurants, traders, and other establishments need to be independent and take hygiene more seriously,” he adds. </p>.<p><strong>Tell-tale signs</strong></p>.<p>- Burrows and holes</p>.<p>- Damaged plants and crops </p>.<p>- Disrupted compost and dust bins</p>.<p>- Bandicoot droppings</p>