With a global pandemic at hand, the past year has been nothing short of life-changing. As humans, we have been forced to revisit all aspects of our life and come together to create our new normal. That being said, another species seems to have been hit pretty hard by the virus and has had to make some changes as well. While all of America was inside taking shelter to combat the Corona Virus, many businesses including restaurants and grocery stores have had to close, diminishing the food supply for the urban rodent population. With the streets empty and quiet, the starving species has made its way out of the shadows and a little too close for comfort in search of survival. Rodent control is critical to the health of a city or an ecosystem, as these creatures can spread all kinds of germs and diseases just through close habitation. And as they get closer and closer to our doorsteps, desperate and hungry, it may be time to rethink our current pest control strategy.
Don’t pick your poison. While poison might seem like the less messy of the options, it’s important to note that rat poison often kills more than just rats. So much so that California has passed legislation banning four out of the six super-toxic rat poisons after seeing the travesty it caused to other wildlife. Additionally, rat poison can harm humans as well. The EPA has banned the use of poisons called second-generation anticoagulants from the consumer market, but licensed exterminators are still allowed to deploy them. The ban came about due to the 10,000 children annually admitted to emergency rooms for rat poison exposure.
People often believe poisons are more humane than snap traps, but an animal bleeding to death from ingesting toxins is neither quick nor especially humane or hygienic. Then, on the other hand, you have sticky traps that offer a slow and painful death from dehydration, starvation, or suffocation — that is assuming the rodent doesn’t decide to chew off its own limbs in effort to escape. Less harmful to humans and ecosystems, but not especially humane, or hygienic.
The truth of the matter is we lack a good solution here. One that causes the least amount of harm to both the trapper and the trapped. A minimal contact solution that can be placed anywhere without putting children, animals, or your environment in danger. Something sleek, modern, and smart — and that’s exactly what we created.
This is the rat trap reimagined. An easy to look at box with long-lasting non-toxic bait. And it connects to your app through WiFi to let you know when it has caught something. The disposal is simple and contactless. When rodents enter the box, they are given an electric shock that kills them instantly, in the most humane and hygienic manner. Following this, you get an app notification on your phone that it’s time to dispose of the old cartridge and replace it with a new one, without ever seeing or touching the rodent itself.