This is a note from Christine Bongiorno, Director of Arlington’s Health and Human Services Department, which is responsible for town-wide rodent control:
In June of 2022, the Arlington Health Department began a pilot program for SMART Box usage in the Town of Arlington. SMART boxes are a multi-catch system which detects the body heat of a rodent and uses an electrical current to exterminate the rodent. The box then places the rodent in a bag and resets for the next capture. Each box can hold up to five rodents at a time. Additionally, each box sends data to each time a catch is made. This allows staff and pest control professionals to constantly be aware of the level of activity at each box. The usage of the SMART boxes represents a new technology that can be used to combat rodent activity without the use of rodenticides.
The Arlington Health Department deployed six boxes over three pilot sites. Since then, the boxes have caught over fifty rodents and helped end two large infestations. The SMART boxes have also allowed the Health Department to identify when activity is increasing in an area. This allows the Department to provide targeted outreach and education to area residents to help address the underlying causes of rodent activity. Health Officers can provide area residents information on best practices for trash disposal, safe gardening, and other integrative pest management techniques.
You can find more information about Arlington’s policy on use of SGAR’s here:
Arlington Policy Prohibits Second Generation Anticoagulant Rodenticide Use on Town Properties
This policy also applies to Arlington Public Schools unless a waiver is granted.