BERMUDA'S rat population is under control.

The rodents have been contained through a dedicated effort by the Department of Health, which last month waged a public campaign to stem their presence.

Although it's anyone's guess how many rats are on the island at any time, Government's pest control team is confident that the numbers are significantly less than usual at the moment.

"Right now, it's not bad at all," said Ross Furbert, the team's general foreman. "It's at this time of year when complaints generally come in because daylight saving time begins and people are outside longer.

"It's busy, but it's not like in previous years, and so we hope that's a good sign and it's not just that the rats are getting smarter and staying out of sight." The Department of Health designated March as Rodent Month. The aim was to educate the public on how their actions could encourage or discourage the presence of rats.

Over the month, team members held signs during rush-hour periods at East Broadway, the Palmetto Road roundabout, in Flatts, and at the roundabout at South Shore Road. The idea was to draw attention to what could be a real problem if the public is not vigilant in their actions.

"Aside from the health risks, rodents are also very destructive," Mr. Furbert said. "They gnaw constantly ? on doors, on wires. Most important is that they could cause fires by exposing electrical wires. If they get in the roof and gnaw on the wiring there, imagine the structural fire that could cause."

He added that most rats are afraid of people, with few recorded instances where they went on the attack.

"If they are cornered or feel threatened, it is possible they will bite. Usually they try and get away as fast as possible."

The foreman refused to be drawn on the size of Bermuda's rodent population, saying only that there "appear to be less" than is usual for this time of year.

"(Our estimation) depends on the number of complaints that come in. If we get a number of calls from the same area, we consider that a pretty bad infestation, but most of the calls are scattered.

"When members of the public call, our inspectors go to the property and assess the situation to see if they're doing anything they shouldn't be doing. Our inspectors will go and try to find the source and deal with that first."

Rats "eat just about anything", Mr. Furbert said. Fruits, especially tomatoes, are high on their list of favourites, although compost and garbage left unprotected are just as tempting.

"One of the main things we try and highlight is proper disposal of garbage. Never put out your trash the night before or days before regular pickup and it should be in containers as opposed to garbage bags.

"Garbage bags do not do anything to deter a rodent. We try and encourage people to purchase metal containers. What we also encourage, if you can't use a container, is to freeze your scraps until the garbage is to be picked up."

In general, cats are far more picky than rodents. Despite a common assumption, many don't find rats appealing at all.

"Feral cats help keep the numbers down somewhat, but not to the extent that it would cause any real dent in the population," Mr. Furbert said. "All cats are not ratters. Cats have personalities just like any other animal and some are not interested in rats."

A constant problem in dealing with the scourge in the past is that residents will see one rat and ignore it, he added.

"If you see one rat, please report it. I've talked to people who have mentioned having seen a rat and aren't calling me until a month later, when the problem is out of control."

Mr. Furbert listed several warning signs for those concerned they might have a problem. Among them, obvious gnawing around a property, a certain odour, droppings and the smell of urine.

"And especially if someone is to excavate or do a demolition ? especially if it's an old building ? call us before so we can put out test baits to see if rats are present.

"If rodents are present and they're disturbed, they will scatter and can infest a whole neighbourhood. It's more difficult to kill them than if they're in one area."