Boston to host second National Urban Rat Summit

For the second time, Boston will bring together experts, residents and health professionals to discuss the best ways to curb Boston’s rat population.

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The National Urban Rat Summit, scheduled for Sept. 23 and 24, will focus on evidence-based strategies for managing and reducing the city’s rat population, including trash management, birth control and technology-enabled monitoring.

“Boston is a home for everyone—except rats,” Mayor Michelle Wu said in a statement. “We’re proud to host the second-ever National Urban Rat Summit this September, where we will share our progress, hear directly from residents, and learn from other cities.”

The summit follows the inaugural conference in 2024, which coincided with the unveiling of the city’s Boston Rodent Action Plan.

The action plan uses data and analytics to detect, track and mitigate rodent populations from the root.

Under the plan the city has piloted sewer and surface traps, installed rodent-resistant trash bins, mapped rodent populations across neighborhoods, adopted safer alternatives to rodenticides and educated residents on mitigation strategies.

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Partner organizations include the Inspectional Services Department, Boston Housing Authority, Parks and Recreation, Waste Reduction, and Boston Water and Sewer Commission.

“In our work under the Boston Rodent Action Plan, the Boston Housing Authority has transformed our rodent control protocols and technologies, creating dedicated teams that have reduced rat burrows and colonies at a rapid pace,” said Kenzie Bok, Boston Housing Authority administrator, in a statement.

Other cities and academics were invited to submit research proposals to be presented at the summit.

“The goal of the summit is to bring the perspectives of national and international minds to share collective findings, new technologies, and innovations in city operations that promises collaborative cutting-edge updates towards the centuries-old challenge of controlling urban rats,” said Bobby Corrigan, Urban Rodentologist and Summit Planning Committee Member, in a statement.

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