Norway Rats in the Treasure Valley

by Elton LK

Large Norway rats have recently migrated to Eagle and Boise since 2020. They can carry diseases transferable to humans. The City of Boise website recommends sealing entry points in your homes, and eliminating food sources such as bird and squirrel feed and fallen fruit from trees.

SB1271, the “Rodents of Unusual Size” bill, failed due in part to some Idaho lawmakers’ concern that government intervention undermines the free market. They believe only the free market should solve this problem. But it is a fantasy to believe the free market even can remove invasive species, let alone should.

Democratic socialists recognize that there are many things the free market cannot solve. Individual home and business owners hiring private pest control companies on an ad hoc basis cannot and will not contain this infestation. The problem must be addressed on a large, regional scale to get it under control.

A new bill, HB0781, gives local government some of the power it needs to address this threat, though not the funding. The bill would give county commissioners authority to exterminate pests “on any public or private lands,” including the infamous Norway rats called out by name, but also a variety of other threats to property, livestock or crops, such as gophers, crickets, or plant disease-causing organisms.