As the morning rush hour unfolds in Chicago, commuters maneuver through bustling subway stations, creating a chaotic urban landscape.
However, alongside the throngs of city dwellers, small rodents scurry about, surviving in the same maze of the “Windy City.”
Despite their shared environment, these rodents are largely viewed as pests, fueling a prolonged battle against rats in Chicago.
In response to this dilemma, SenesTech has introduced a revolutionary product called “Evolve,” designed to address the city’s persistent rat problem.
Bryan DiMenna, chief revenue officer and executive vice president of SenesTech, likened Evolve to a “vegan hot dog” due to its soft bait consistency.
Unlike traditional methods that rely on traps and poisons, Evolve functions as a fertility control system, aiming to humanely manage rat populations.
A pilot program commenced in early April by the Wicker Park Bucktown Chamber of Commerce, deploying small bait boxes throughout alleys in Wicker Park and Bucktown.
DiMenna highlighted the rapid reproductive rates of rats, noting how quickly populations can balloon.
He stated, “You catch one a week, even one a day, and you think you’re doing great. The problem is one, two, three, four rats could become thousands. How many do you have to kill to effectively end the population? It’s a lot more than a couple a day.”
This underscores the vast scale of the infestation issue, which DiMenna perceives as far more significant than common belief.
DiMenna remarked, “Nothing is more effective for controlling the population of rodents, insects, and even humans, than birth control.”
Cities across the U.S., including New York and Washington, D.C., have begun utilizing Evolve as a cost-efficient solution.
Evolve consists of ingredients such as oat flour, cotton seed protein, and sucrose, appealing to rats due to its high fat content.
DiMenna further explained, “Fat is the number one energy currency in all of nature.
It’s rare for them to come across a food commodity with 30% fat. Insects, leftover pizza, wrappers — rats like the path of least resistance. Our soft bait is a super desirable product for them.”
Although Evolve has been available for 18 months, the underlying technology was developed over 14 years by SenesTech.
Initially created as a liquid bait, Evolve was adapted into its current form to ensure ease of use for consumers and pest control companies.
Jakob Shaw, manager of strategic initiatives at People for Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), supports rodent fertility control as a humane and effective method for managing populations.
Shaw explained, “Rats, just like all other animals, breed in response to the availability of food sources.
If food sources remain available, but you kill ‘x’ number of rats, all that happens is the surviving population breeds — they recognize there is an availability of food and less competition for it.”
He criticized traditional alternatives, such as glue traps and poisons, describing them as cruel and ultimately ineffective.
Shaw added that glue traps cause a slow, agonizing death over several days due to dehydration or starvation, highlighting the inhumanity of such methods.
“All animals are alike in the most important ways: their capacity to feel pain, suffering, joy, happiness, have social relationships and lead lives that are meaningful and fulfilling to them — just as ours are meaningful and fulfilling to us,” said Shaw.
In line with this ethical perspective, Peggy Mason, a professor in the Department of Neurobiology at the University of Chicago, has studied rat behavior for 15 years, particularly their capacity for altruism.
Mason’s research involves experiments where a free rat has the option to help a trapped rat.
She found that the free rat frequently assisted the rat in distress, demonstrating a sense of social responsibility that transcends genetic ties.
Mason pointed out, “We approach the rat as a good mammal, much in the same way that we are good mammals.
We don’t do it because we were taught to be nice in Sunday school or our parents said, ‘be nice to Susie and Johnny.’ We do it because we are good mammals. It takes a certain amount of action — to respond to another affective state is the default.”
With the ongoing success of Evolve, DiMenna hopes the product could redefine pest control methods across the country.
He asserted, “That concept, when you apply it to rodent control, is incredibly powerful.
If I have a chance to affect five, 10, 15 rats through poisons, that’s great. How do I affect thousands? The only way is birth control.”
In summary, the innovative approach of using fertility control in urban environments marks a shift towards more humane and effective rodent population management, potentially inspiring other cities to rethink their strategies.
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