NYC's rat czar says stop feeding the pigeons if you want the vermin gone

• NYC's rat czar is waging war on the city's vermin.
• But human behavior will need to change to cull the population, she told New York Magazine.

If New York City wants to kick its rats to the curb, it may need to change a time-honored tradition: feeding the pigeons.

In a profile by New York Magazine, the city's so-called "rat czar," Kathleen Corradi, detailed how the city has been fighting its rat problem.

City employees have been pumping carbon monoxide into rat burrows — and say it's proven to be effective so far.

But Corradi said people need to change too in order to cut the rat population down.

One way people can help is to stop scattering food on the ground for pigeons to eat. Leftover crumbs end up becoming impromptu meals for nearby rats, Corradi told New York Magazine.

Instead, bird lovers in the big city should place pieces of bread on the ground and make sure the birds eat it all up.

Another method is the city's new pilot program requiring trash to be stored in containers, not thrown out in bags on the street where rats can gnaw their way inside and feast.

"We're a big part of the problem when it comes to sustaining rat populations in the city," Corradi told the magazine.

Those suggestions are in line with what rat researchers previously told Business Insider.

Michael Parsons, an urban-rat expert, said after Corradi's appointment last year that she'll need to focus on changing human behavior to tackle the root of the rat problem.

Parsons suggested picking up trash earlier in the day when rats aren't as active and sticking to data-proven techniques.

"Understand that rat control begins by changing people's habits, hygiene, and expectations," he told BI.