UNWELCOMED GUESTS
Rat calls keep exterminators busy.
It’s not easy being a rat. After all, the furry rodent has been vilified for hundreds of years, has been blamed for the plague and its name used to label informants who spill the beans.
In the 1931 film Taxi, Hollywood tough guy James Cagney uttered his famous “you dirty rat” phrase that has become part of North American popular culture.
But the rat survives — even here in Cape Breton.
Earlier this week, Orkin Canada released statistics, based on the number of calls it receives, that showed Sydney as being the ‘least rattiest’ community in Atlantic Canada.
That claim has made the rat a popular topic of conversation. It even stirred up a bit of controversy given there is no accurate way to determine how many rats live in a certain area.
Stephen McLaughlin, owner-operator of Sydneybased Cape Breton Pest Control, has been dealing with rats for almost 40 years.
When it comes to rats, he says the past few years have been the busiest he’s seen.
“We’ve been full out, we get calls on them every day, people are saying they’re seeing them run through their yard, I can’t keep up - we’ve been steady with them and it’s not just Sydney – it’s all over (Cape Breton),” said McLaughlin.
“No one likes a rat – people can handle the word ‘mouse’, but they can’t handle the word ‘rat’, maybe because they are bigger and scarier.”
McLaughlin said rats are always on the lookout for safe and warm places close to food sources. He believes green bins are part of the problem in that they attract rats. Once the rodents discover an ideal location, they are clever and resourceful when it comes to entering houses, garages, barns, sheds, and under decks.
Like most exterminators, McLauglin uses bait traps to lure rats into to a poisoned food source. The traps are placed in strategic locations near garbage bins and dumpsters. However, traps are not the only method of dealing with rats. Ultrasonic devices are sometimes used and the sound waves and vibrations they emit are not pleasant for rats and mice. But, they can adapt to the devices, so a multi-facet approach, including prevention, works best.
People with suspected rat issues are encouraged to be on the lookout for the critters, to rodent-proof their homes and to make their residences less appealing to the undesired guests.
“No one likes a rat – people can handle the word ‘mouse’, but they can’t handle the word ‘rat’, maybe because they are bigger and scarier.”
Stephen McLaughlin, owner-operator of Sydney-based Cape Breton Pest Control