Chicago ‘rattiest’ city in US — again

CHICAGO: Pestcontrol giant Orkin has released its annual list of ‘‘rattiest cities’’ in the United States, and Chicago is once again No 1.

The ranking is based on the number of new rodent treatments Orkin carried out in a given city between September 1, 2019 and August 31, 2020. This marks the sixth year in a row that Illinois’ most populated city tops the ‘‘rattiest’’ list.

Los Angeles finished second on the list, New York placed third, Washington was fourth and San Francisco rounded out the top five.

‘‘In an unprecedented year, the visibility of rodents has increased, creating concern for homeowners and business owners alike,’’ Orkin said.

‘‘As reported in the spring, the pandemicdriven closure of restaurants forced rodents to find new food sources. Without food waste to consume, these pests were seen scavenging new areas and exhibiting unusual or aggressive behaviour.’’ — New York Daily News