No different than the human population the San Francisco rat population has exploded in the last 5 years.
According to San Francisco health officials, in 2015 they received 824 rat complaints however officials are expecting to receive approximately 1,272 by the end of 2017.
The number may not seem astounding, but the reports are only a small fraction of rat sightings in the city.
San Francisco Rats even coming in through the toilet bowl
It happened 3 or 4 times this year, true story, according to Larry Kessler manager of the cities healthy home vector program.
Why are they sliding through?
Good question, of course population growth brings in trash which attracts vermin that’s a given. In addition construction is leaving rats homeless,scrambling to find a new habitat, of course this is where you come in.
Your job is to make your home as uncomfortable as possible for a rat.
Rats love easily accessible, junk ridden homes.
Even if your home isn’t particularly cluttered rats find certain homes irresistible.
Here are the trouble spots to abate if you are having a rat problem.
Of course if you are rat free you want to ensure those parts of your home are vermin proof as a precaution.
- Sheds. It’s as simple as closing your shed door after you use it and sealing off any holes. Do not disregard a hole or crevice no matter how small it looks.Use expanding foam mixed with steel wool to fill even larger holes. The steel wool will prevent the rats from chewing through the patched hole.Check out the video below for a great instructional video.* Do not disregard this step, without a doubt rats are experts at fitting through the smallest of crevices.
- Garages We can tell you from experience most Americans don’t use their garage to store cars, no doubt most Americans use their garage as a sort of workshop, storage area and if there is room there may be a car or two in there.As a result rats can sneak in and wreak havoc on your stored personal belongings.
- Wood Piles/ Firewood This one is a given, if you have brush, or wood piles rats are certainly feeling right at home.
- Inspect all crawlspace doors, hatches and vents and seal vents with metal screen material.
- Hot tubs are magnets for vermin, usually hot tubs stay on during the cold winter months providing the perfect warm habitat for rats to tunnel through.To prevent this from happening make sure all pump motors are closed. Never leave the hatch to your hot tubs motor open. Inspect all around your hot tub for holes.
The plague struck San Francisco twice just a little over 100 years ago.
As you probably already know rats are responsible for carrying the fleas which transmit bubonic plague.
San Francisco was truck with two different Bubonic Plague outbreaks in 1900-1904 and 1907-1909 !
Think the plague is a problem of the past? Think again. The San Francisco Rat problem is not a joking matter.
Infected fleas or rats can easily catch a ride from Yosemite on someones dog or car.
Remove all clutter, old wood piles, patch all holes with steel wool and expanding foam of course keep garbage in sealed containers.
Follow these simple directions, you will make it a lot more difficult for rats to inhabit and even infest your home.
Need service? How about all this!