Pest control is not a job of the municipality. You can contact companies that specialize in pest control. You can find these companies on the Internet.

An exception is the control of:

  • rats
  • oak processionary caterpillars
  • wasps if necessary in the public area

Bees

The municipality does not control bees. Bees are a vulnerable and protected species.

Sometimes bees and wasps are confused with each other. A nuisance usually involves wasps. These are more aggressive than bees.

Oak Processionary Moth

We advise you not to pick up these caterpillars or fight them yourself. Are you suffering from oak processionary caterpillars on trees on your own property? Then it is your responsibility to have them controlled by an expert company.

Do you see oak processionary caterpillars on a tree in a public area? If so, file a report.

Rats

Rat control is commissioned by the municipality and is always necessary due to public health hazards. Do you see rats in your residential area? If so, make a report.

See "Additional information about rats" for what you can do yourself to help reduce rat numbers in residential areas.

Muskrat or beaver rat

For the safety of the water system and thus the safety of levees, muskrats and beaver rats are actively controlled. Have you seen a muskrat or beaver rat? Then you can report it via the website Muskrat Control in the Netherlands or call 030 - 634 5756 or send an e-mail to meldingen@muskusrattenbeheer.nl.

Wasps

The municipality controls wasps only if a wasp nest can be designated and if it poses a danger to many people when using (buildings in) the public space.

For example, a wasp nest is removed if it is near:

  • schools
  • stores
  • crowded public buildings (e.g. City Hall-Forum)
  • playgrounds
  • bus and streetcar stops

A wasp nest in a park or forest will not be removed.

Do you see a wasp nest in any of the places listed above? If so, make a report.

Other pests

The congregation disputes none:

  • moles
  • caterpillars (except oak processionary caterpillar in public areas)
  • lice
  • birds
  • mice
  • cockroaches
  • spiders and other arthropods

You can hire a company to do this yourself.

Cost

You can report nuisance rats, wasps and oak processionary caterpillars in public areas free of charge.

Additional information about rats

Throughout Zoetermeer, residents are seeing brown rats. The brown rats are not as visible because they avoid contact with people. These rats are 20 to 25 centimeters long, have a tail of ± 10 cm and weigh about 500 grams.

Attractive city for rats

Zoetermeer is a green city with parks, shrubbery and many green spaces. But all that greenery also provides suitable hiding places for the brown rat.

Rats eat mostly food scraps. And where people live, food scraps are thrown away. Think of a leftover French fries, a half-eaten sandwich or an apple cobbler discarded in the street, in the park or over a balcony edge. But a garbage bag left next to the dumpster also attracts rats.

Another cause for the presence of rats in the city is a law that was passed, which changed the control of rats. We first ensure that the habitat for the rat is made as unattractive as possible. If that has insufficient effect, the municipality has them caught. Poison is used only in special cases.

Rat control is needed

Rats gnaw through plastic, metal, wood and concrete in search of food. As a result, they can cause quite a nuisance. Furthermore, rats can be carriers of viruses and bacteria (e.g., Weil's disease and paratyphoid fever). Rats therefore pose a risk to the health of people and pets.

What can you do?

You too can help reduce the number of rats in residential areas.

  • Do not leave food outside your home, such as food for pets, chickens, etc.
  • Do not feed bread to the birds/ducks. Rats are attracted to the food.
  • Do not throw food or food scraps on the street or over the balcony. You may still be able to cook a meal with leftover food (for more information, check the Food Center's website) or throw it in your GFT-e waste.
  • Do not put trash loose next to the (underground) dumpster.
  • Seal your trash bag tightly.
  • Repair or replace broken sewer pipes, downspouts, vents and tiles.

Together, we can ensure that the presence of rats remains manageable.