Rep. Ted Lieu (D-CA) is introducing a bill in Congress to ban the sale and use of rodent glue traps. The bill is co-sponsored by Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA).
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Glue traps are boards of various sizes covered in strong glue that are a popular alternative to snap traps for indoor control of rats and mice. Glue traps are banned in a few countries, mainly in Europe. The California city of West Hollywood banned glue traps in 2023.
The push for glue trap bans is being led by the radical leftist group PETA which claims several large retailers have stopped selling the glue traps as well as companies and institutions that have sworn off using them.
Lieu’s main objection is that the glue traps are cruel to rats and mice.
A New York Post article on a 2022 proposal in New York state to ban glue traps reported on the downside of using them (excerpt):
Experts told The Post that glue traps are not particularly effective compared to other types of devices that aim to curb the city’s growing rat population by poisoning them, spring-snapping their necks, or zapping them with a very unhealthy jolt of electricity.
One weakness of glue traps — which lose their stickiness once dust and other debris accumulate — is how something like a stuck cockroach might tip off clever rats about the danger ahead, according to an acclaimed 1998 study by the University of Nebraska cited by the lawmakers.
“Not only are some [rodents] aware of the dangerous glue surfaces, but they are also adept at learning or knowing how to neutralize them,” reads the study.
Glue traps also sometimes stick to furry friends like dogs and cats while leaving any human in earshot of a struggling rat with vivid memories of scratching, screaming, and screeching to pass on to friends.
Companion bills introduced in 2023 in New York are stuck in Senate and Assembly committees with only a couple co-sponsors in the Senate.
Press release by Lieu:
Today, Congressman Ted W. Lieu (D-Los Angeles County) introduced the Glue Trap Prohibition Act, a bill to place a national ban on the possession and use of glue traps to catch rodents. Glue traps – boards coated with adhesive used to catch and kill pests – are among the cruelest ways to eliminate rodents. In their attempts to escape the glue, animals may tear off their skin, and some may even gnaw off their own limbs. Animals that do not escape die of blood loss, suffocation, or dehydration. Glue traps also pose a public health risk. The CDC urges Americans not to use glue traps, as ensnared rodents can spread disease.
The traps are already banned in England, Iceland, Ireland, and New Zealand, as well as in over 100 airports across the country. Last year, West Hollywood became the first city in the country to ban glue traps. Congressman Adam Schiff is an original cosponsor of this bill.
“Glue traps are ruthless, inhumane, and can be dangerous to the health of humans and their pets,” said Rep. Lieu. “There are numerous other ways to trap small animals that don’t prolong their suffering. As a proud member of the Animal Protection Caucus, I’m pleased to introduce this bill to stop the needless suffering of these animals.”
The Glue Trap Prohibition Act is endorsed by PETA and the Humane Society Legislative Fund.
“PETA thanks Rep. Ted Lieu for his compassion and leadership in introducing the Glue Trap Prohibition Act of 2024,” said PETA Executive Vice President Tracy Reiman. “This crucial legislation can help protect vulnerable species of wildlife and save tens of thousands of small animals each year from being injured, permanently disabled, and killed by dehydration, injury or starvation in these primitive, cruel traps.”
“Glue traps are cruel, inhumane, and outdated methods of removing rodents from homes and businesses,” said Sara Amundson, president of Humane Society Legislative Fund. “Wildlife and even our household pets can be inadvertently harmed by these devices and all animals face slow, agonizing deaths in these traps. Representative Lieu’s Glue Trap Prohibition Act will ultimately make a more humane world by placing the U.S. alongside the U.K., New Zealand and others who have banned the use of these traps.”
Read the full text of the bill here.
Rodent control is not for the squeamish. It involves killing disease spreading, food eating, property damaging rats and mice that are a threat to human health and safety. Bait traps, glue traps, poisons and electric shock traps all have elements of pain and cruelty. The question is what role, if any, should the federal government have in regulating rodent control and how would it be enforced: Armed FBI raids at dawn on rat-infested apartments or family farms over glue traps for rats and mice?
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