Which states need to prepare for rat attacks this coming winter?
How will the European rat infestation reflect in the US?
Which U.S. cities are the worst rat cities in the world? Which products
are best for timely getting rid of the rodents, according to the
scientists in winter 2016/17?
Both Europe and the entire world
with it are going through hard times: many countries have been flooded
with rat hordes. They travel freely, eat, reproduce and threaten
people’s safety and health. Scientists have long
proven
that rats are very dangerous and that there exist a number of
rodent-borne diseases including rat-bite fever, Weil's disease,
Salmonellosis and Rickettsialpox. What is expected this winter and how
to get rid of rats?
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What are the reasons behind the frenzied rat activity in 2016?
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Abnormally warm winter of 2015/16 across the entire world
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Illegal waste dumping in cities which attracts rats to human habitation. This
happened in Ireland.
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Cutting down trees in rainforests facilitates the spread of invasive black rats
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Intensive urban construction as the dredging disturbs
rodents living underground, in burrows or in low bushes, forcing them to
come to the surface and wander around the cities.
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Poison resistance. In the beginning of 2016 super-rats
resistant to regular poisons appeared. They feed on these poisons and
increase their power. The British press reports that 18 inch resistant
rats have been seen. They are real mutants!
These and many other factors lead the rats multiplying
massively and ruling the city so such an extent that the citizens are
afraid to leave their homes and open windows. For example, people in
Belgium because of the terrible
rat infestation
are forced to look back when entering a house so that the rats can’t
run in after them. While it is possible to control the entrance to the
house, it’s nearly impossible to do aboard the ships. That is why
maritime rat migrations are an ever-dangerous factor. These tricky vile
creatures will effortlessly embark on a sea cruise across the Atlantic
Ocean straight to the U.S., and this is what they in fact are doing.
Rat Problem in the U.S.A. Prepare, Winter Is Coming
The rat situation in the States is extreme. 7 out of 10 worst rat cities in the world
according
to the Animal Planet channel are U.S. cities and this looks like a
national catastrophe. Chicago, where the issue deteriorates each year,
has also made it to the rattiest cities list. For first three months of
this year, the city’s 311 non-emergency system fielded 6,700 complaints
about rats, up from 4,200 a year ago.
According to the information from Anne Sheahan, chief of staff for the Department of Streets and Sanitation,
“We have received a 67 percent uptick in resident complaints. A lot of
that is due to the mild winter and increased construction around the
city. When excavation occurs, rodents are disturbed and often come to
the surface”.
Judging by meteorology forecasts,
the coming winter in the U.S. is also expected to be mild, meaning that
you should prepare in advance for these rodents’ attack rather than
relax. Warm winter is expected across almost the entire territory of the
US, except for some of the northern, western and eastern states. Let us
clarify that when it is freezing, the rats die of cold and hunger, and
so they instinctively rush closer to human accommodation. At the same
time, during an abnormally mild winter, they will be swarming all over
the place, because as any barriers to reproduction will no longer exist
and they are more likely to find food.
Which States Are Most Interested In How To Get Rid Of Rats?
As you can see from the diagram below, although rat
infestation is mostly seasonal, the interest of the Americans to the
topic of getting rid of them is growing steadily annually.
The inhabitants of both the southern states, such as Texas,
Georgia and Florida which traditionally have mild winters and of the
most rat-infested states, such as New York, California, Washington and
others are concerned with the issue. As the second Google Trends diagram
illustrates, people search most for rat repellents, including
peppermint oil and ready-to-use natural repellents. Are they as
effective as they seem to be? We’ll give an answer later on.
How to Get Rid Of Rats with the Best Ways Proven By the Scientists
Stoppestinfo has been studying rat infestations for a long
time, and so we don’t trust any rumors or myths as we verify all the
information and only trust the opinion of the experts. The following rat
control methods are considered effective by the scientists: exclusion,
habitat modification, trapping and poisoning. Trapping and poisoning
provide control of an existing rat problem, when exclusion can provide
long-term control.
Rat poison baits. This is the most
effective and trouble-free method. There are rat poisons of the first
and second generation. The former contain non-anticoagulant active
ingredients that lead to failure of rodents’ various organ systems
including the CNS, heart, kidneys, etc. But they have a cumulative
effect, i.e., death of poisoning is slow and comes only after consuming a
few servings. Second generation anticoagulants-based poisons violate
the blood's ability to clot and the rodents die of internal bleeding
quickly: it is enough to consume the poison just ones. The first option
will take more time, but the likelihood of the rats leaving your house
to die far away is higher. Whatever poison you use, be prepared that
rats can get into the walls and die there. This option is perfect when
there are too many rats to be handled by traps only- you'll find the
most effective poison baits in our review of the best
rat poisons.
Electronic rat traps. Electrocuting the
rodents is more humane than using the classic traps, because the current
instantly kills a rodent. However, be prepared to promptly clean the
traps manually as the rats will not go into the trap while there is a
kinsman corpse. This option is perfect if you only have few rats –
choose the most suitable trap in our
6 best electronic rat traps review.
Do Natural And Electronic Repellents Work?
The rodents are known to dislike certain smells (peppermint
oil, pepper, lemongrass, cinnamon, etc.). However, the University of
California Statewide IPM Program scientists
warn
us of the short term effect they cause: "Rats have an initial aversion
to some odors and tastes, but no repellents have been found to solve a
rat problem for more than a very short time". To conclude we’ll say that
the repellents have a short-term effect, because the rats get habitual
to them and are no longer driven away.
As for the electronic rodent repellers, most experts
consider them to be useless. The truth is that all repellents, including
electronic work, but they have a short-term effect. Rats quickly become
used to the ultrasound, so you can only turn the repeller on for 2-3
weeks, after that there will be no effect.
That is why you can use them this coming winter. To achieve
a guaranteed result you’d better combine them with 100% effective
treatment methods, such as rat poison bait and electronic rat traps.
