Hamilton County, Cincinnati Rat Control Situation:
Thanks for your helpful information on your website. In our situation, we have some sort of rodent(s) between the ceiling of the first floor of the house and the floorboards of the upstairs. At night, we definitely hear scurrying above us when we're in bed on the first floor. Because that space is not connected to the attic, nor is it a drop ceiling, it's impossible for us to access without cutting holes in our ceiling. We have tried to do a very thorough check around the exterior of the home, but we're not sure where they might be coming in. Thus, we have no idea where to set traps. Every time I call out our Terminix guy, he just puts out a little rat bait in a few random areas around the exterior of the house (we don't have pets or small children) and says we'll hope for the best. So far, no luck, as we still hear them almost nightly. We have absolutely no signs of rodents on the interior of the house, such as in the kitchen, so we're assuming that they must be traveling through the wall space and outside to get food. Is that a reasonable assumption? We have also checked the attic (which is above the second floor) and there's no sign of them there. Do you have any suggestions for what type of service we might be able to call who could actually help us with this problem since Terminix doesn't seem to have any answers? Thanks so much for any help you may be able to give us.
Hi David, I have a rat in my apartment!! I liv e in Cincinnati OH. I noticed the rat early last Sunday morning after Ieft a pizza box on the floor. I heard the rat trying to get in the box. First, I tried glue boards, which failed. Then I tried 2 black cat brand snap traps & the rat just ate the bait w/o tripping the trap. I am now using the Victor wooden rat trap w/ the yellow, plastic plate where the bait goes. The rat keeps licking the peanut butter off w/o tripping the trap. An exterminator came & reset the traps, but still nothing. Maintenance came & put steel wool in the two holes they found. This rat is smart & keeps eating the bait w/o tripping the trap. The exterminator said it's definitely a rat b/c of the droppings he saw, which were only by the sliding glass door to the patio. There are no signs of the rat any where else. I'm running out of patience! I'm terrified to say the least & I haven't had a restful sleep in more than 7 days. Please help! Any advice is greatly appreciated.
Cincinnati Rat Control Tip of The Week
New York City's Rat Problem
The Norway Rat:
The majority of rats in New York City are Norway rats, otherwise known as brown rats. Brown rats typically weigh 1 pound and they can grow up to 16 inches long. A brown rat needs just 1 ounce of food and water every day to survive.
Agile Creatures:
Brown rats are known for their ability to climb through pipes and get through small spaces. Even though some of the largest brown rats can be up to 20 inches long and weigh more than 2 pounds, it's easy for them to fit through a hole that's the size of a quarter. Rats have some serious superpowers and are capable of falling up to five stories without any injury and leaping up to 4 feet for climbing.
Going Through Any Material:
Rats also have extremely strong jaw muscles and quality teeth. There are rats in New York that are capable of chewing through cinderblocks and sewer pipes.
Where Rats Live:
Most rats will rarely travel more than 600 feet away from the area that they were born. Most rats like to nest and burrow in soft ground as well as below ground to live in colonies. A rat colony is usually between 30 to 50 rats and the number of rats in a burrow or family is usually between 8 to 12. Rats stay close to their food source and they can often be found just a few hundred feet from where they go every day to be fed. Public garbage areas, alleyways, and more can be a hotbed for rats and NYC produces its own information portal on areas where rats are heavily concentrated.
Massive Population:
It's estimated that there are roughly 2,000,000 rats in New York City and this means that the rat population in New York City sits around 25% of the total number of humans.
