Rat Birth Control Shows Success in Wicker Park & Bucktown
WICKER PARK — An innovative rodent control program utilizing birth control for rats is showing promising results in Chicago’s Wicker Park and Bucktown neighborhoods, with organizers planning an expansion of the initiative later this year.
Special Service Area (SSA) No. 33 began deploying Evolve, a rat contraceptive developed by Arizona-based SenesTech, Inc., in alleys along major commercial corridors including North, Ashland, Milwaukee, and Division Streets last year. The program aims to reduce the rat population without relying on traditional poisons, which can pose risks to other animals and the environment.
According to data collected by SenesTech using specialized plate sensors, there was an 88 percent reduction in “track density” – a measure of rat activity – in monitored areas between August and January. Amanda Stidham, a field scientist with SenesTech, stated that this reduction translates to fewer rat sightings and less movement in shared spaces.
The initiative was spurred by ongoing issues with rat infestations in neighborhood landscaping and the potential public health concerns associated with rodent populations, according to Alice Howe, program manager for SSA No. 33. “Our tree pits and our planter beds were just not thriving in the way that they could have been,” Howe said. “We weren’t able to really retain up with the perennials, and we were spending a lot more money in landscaping, because we constantly had to refill beds.”
The program’s appeal lies in its humane approach. Unlike traditional rat poisons, Evolve’s active ingredient, cottonseed oil, affects the fertility of both male and female rats without causing harm. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has classified Evolve as a “minimum risk pesticide,” indicating it poses “little or no risk to people or the environment,” according to the company’s website.
The choice to pursue this method was also influenced by concerns over the impact of rodenticides on other wildlife, particularly after the death of Flaco, a beloved owl in New York City, who was found to have ingested rat poison.
SSA No. 33, funded by an additional property tax levy within its boundaries, is one of over 50 special service areas across Chicago dedicated to providing enhanced services to local businesses and residents.
Chicago has historically struggled with a high rat population, though the city recently dropped to second place behind Los Angeles in Orkin Pest Control’s annual “rattiest cities” ranking. The city’s Department of Streets and Sanitation dismissed the Orkin ranking as a marketing tactic.
Similar pilot programs are underway in other Chicago neighborhoods. In Lincoln Park, a fertility control program launched last year in partnership with Ald. Timmy Knudsen’s office, the Chicago Bird Alliance, Lincoln Park Zoo, and the Lincoln Park Conservancy is expected to release data this spring.
SSA No. 33 plans to expand the rat birth control program to additional areas within Wicker Park and Bucktown, covering a larger portion of its nearly 14-mile footprint. The specific locations for expansion will be determined in the coming months.