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4 months ago
18
It's been a bumper year for acorns, fruit and nuts.
While this may sound like something out of an autumnal fairytale, experts have warned it could trigger a surge in pests.
Specialists say the bumper season could lead to a spike in rat activity as the rodents take advantage of the extra food supplies.
And it comes as hunters already report catching rodents more than 20 inches long amid a 'horrendous infestation'.
A warm, dry spring followed by an early autumn means 2025 is shaping up to be a 'mast year', environmental consultants revealed.
These happen every five to 10 years and occur when certain trees and shrubs produce a synchronised bumper crop of seeds, fruits and nuts.
An abundance of nuts and berries – especially on woodland walks – is a telltale sign.
However, it can also lead to increased activity from the likes of rats, mice, acorn weevils and moths.
Large rats were spotted in Dagenham, East London earlier this year. Experts warn a mast year could trigger a further surge in pests
Dorset–based pest controller Terry Walker caught a giant 19–inch long mutant rat (left) while gas engineer Tony Smith, 46, spotted an enormous rat while working at a block of flats near Hackney Downs, north London (right)
This year's warm, dry spring followed by an early autumn means trees are producing a bumper crop of acorns, experts said (file image)
'The reason you might have noticed more acorns and conkers than usual on your autumn walks is because we're experiencing what's known as a mast year – a natural event that's causing a bumper crop across the UK,' Dean Meadows, Principal Arboriculturalist at Arbtech said.
'Mast years are an important part of the natural cycle, helping to maintain the long–term health and resilience of forests and green spaces.
'While these periods can lead to a short–term rise in pests, they're ultimately a positive for our ecosystems.
'Acorn production supports a wide range of wildlife and marks the beginning of new oak trees, which provide vital habitats for countless species.'
This food boost ahead of winter means populations of rats are likely to grow.
It follows warnings from Kieran Sampler, founder of the Yorkshire Rat Pack, who said a hot summer combined with fast food waste has created optimal conditions for the vermin to thrive.
He said his group was now catching huge rats, 'like a chihuahua', and he expects them to continue to grow in the coming years.
In August this year a rodent measuring 22 inches from its nose to its tail was caught at a property in the Normanby area of Redcar and Cleveland in North–East England – thought to be the biggest rat ever caught in Britain.
This summer, rats were pictured running around the streets of Birmingham as rubbish piled high amid bin strikes
Rodents have been gorging on rubbish left in the streets of Birmingham during this year's bin workers' strike
Measuring 22 inches from its nose to the end of its tail, the rodent found in Normanby, North–East England, is claimed to be the biggest rat ever caught in Britain
Palaeontologist Jan Zalasiewicz, Emeritus Professor at the University of Leicester, said: 'Rats generally do very well around humans because we create environments where they thrive.'
He said there is a theory that rats may even be evolving to be better able to digest junk food, with evidence that the shape of their teeth are changing to make them better able to eat the kind of food they can get from humans.
Despite the mast year warnings, experts added that larger wildlife and predators such as foxes and owls could also benefit as the increase in smaller mammal populations also provides them with more food.
The seeds and nuts that are left uneaten by wildlife create 'ideal conditions' for new trees to grow, they explained.
HOW SMART ARE RATS?
Rats are considered highly social animals that become attached to each other, love their families and can bond with their human owners.
It is believed they are capable of empathy and can recognise and react to pain in others.
A study by Jaak Panksepp, a neuroscientist at Bowling Green State University, found when rats are tickled they make chirping sounds that are similar to human laughter.
'[Y]oung rats have a marvellous sense of fun', said Dr Panksepp, adding that the rodents bonded with the human tickler and liked to be ticked as much as possible.
Contrary to their reputation they are also very clean animals and groom themselves regularly.
Rats are highly social animals that become attached to each other, love their families and can bond with their human owners
In September last year researchers from New York University found when rats are frightened in the day, the fear centres in their brains are re-activated during sleep - potentially helping to strengthen memories.
Researchers say that rats store maps of what they experience in both of their hippocampi - two curved structures inside the brain.
Different places that the rat experiences are processed by different groups of neurons that activate together in sequence as a rat runs around a maze.
After exploring an area, these sequences have been observed replaying as the rat sleeps - comparable to dreaming of the paths they'd taken when they were awake.
Researchers believe that this allows memories to be stored in the long term.
The most recent research by the University of St Andrew's found rats help each other out in return for favours in a similar way to humans.
The rodents were found to groom food-providers more often than partners who had refused to help.
In addition, common Norway rats offered more food to those who cleaned them, researchers found.
