RTÉ spent more than €7,000 on pest-control services during the second half of last year as the broadcaster battled infestations of rodents and insects.
The infestations affect different areas of the campus, including production stages, a canteen and a creche.
Pest-control services during the six months from July to December last year cost the national broadcaster a total of €7,135.86, representing a significant increase on the €5,400 spent during the preceding 12 months.
Mouse droppings were found in the creche on June 16th, while ant activity was detected in the hallway of the facility a week later. Insects were also found in a bathroom there on June 30th.
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A wasp nest was discovered “immediately adjacent” to the childcare facility, requiring treatment with an insecticide dust, after which staff were warned to expect increased activity as the colony “died out”.
A second treatment was required two days later as wasp activity persisted in the area, according to records released under the Freedom of Information Act.
A mouse sighting was reported in the canteen area of the RTÉ campus on August 25th. Previous images of a mouse in the kitchen area of the canteen had been described by the broadcaster as “an isolated incident” when they emerged last March.
Pest controllers responded to a suspected rodent sighting on June 24th, and found that the lid of a bin at the front of the canteen had been chewed, confirming “possible rat activity”.
A “suspected mouse” was spotted in the library on July 3rd, and another rodent sighting was reported between Stage B and the creche 12 days later. Stage B is used for Prime Time and some internal scenes from Fair City.
Staff also spotted a mouse in the credit union office on the campus, and controllers were called out on September 20th following a rat sighting on Stage C. They found droppings in a corner by some electrical cables.
Moths were a problem in a wardrobe area, while silverfish were reported in a ladies toilet, a studio technicians’ crew room and in a stage hands’ kitchen, where two spray treatments were required.
Last June, the Food Safety Authority of Ireland shut the kitchen and staff canteen area of the creche after finding a “significant” quantity of rodent droppings. RTÉ has no role in the day-to-day running of the creche facility.
