Because many business establishments are not open 24 hours a day/7 days per week, rats and mice have the opportunity to easily infest a building or business and operate uninterrupted.  Storage facilities and restaurants that house large amounts of food products are highly susceptible to rat and mice populations.  While these locations remain quiet during the nighttime hours, rats and mice are able to chew and claw their way into precious food supplies, contaminating all that they touch.  It is estimated that rats and mice contaminate 20% of all of the food sources in the world.

Rats and mice are resourceful creatures.  They don’t care much about what they eat report NYC pest control professionals.  Rats and mice are typically nocturnal creatures, but will come out during the daytime hours if they are in need of food or water, or if their nesting area has been disturbed.

Stop by our website to read about our innovative “Track & Trap” system.  Invading mice don’t stand a chance when we use this device as we are able to track their every move which enables us to see where their entry points are and their nesting place is.  We can safely remove mice in no time at all by using the Track & Trap.

There are different methods to eliminate NYC rat infestations being utilized throughout the city. The options include live traps, glue traps, snap traps, and electronic rat stations. Most people are not fond of live traps because they must then relocate the unharmed trapped rat to a new location far away from its nesting site.

Glue traps are commonly used, but often times, a clever rat is able to escape from the glue trap by wiggling free or even chewing its own foot off to free itself. For the faint of heart, the sounds that a rodent makes when stuck to the glue trap can be difficult to endure. Snap traps and electronic rat stations are a fast and immediate rodent kill.

Some people choose to use poison to try to rid their homes or business of rat infestations.  Rodent poisons have proven to be effective at killing rats, but they are also extremely toxic to humans, pets and other wild animals. CBS News reported on March 10, 2012 that three seemingly healthy and uninjured hawks have recently been found dead in NYC parks.  Hawks provide some relief in the war against NYC rats as they are one of their favored meal choices. It is suspected that the hawks were poisoned by eating rats that had consumed rat poison. The NYDailyNews.com reported on April 10, 2012, that suspicions were indeed correct. A necropsy found traces of rat poisoning in the liver of the latest hawk that was discovered in Central Park according to the State Department of Environmental Conservation.

Traps alone cannot control rodent populations. Disease ridden NYC rats won’t leave on their own; a New York City pest control professional is needed to eradicate these pests.

Rats are a particular problem in areas where home and business owners are dumping plastic bags curbside instead of placing them into tightly covered trash cans.  Rats have strong teeth and claws which can easily rip open plastic bags enabling them to gain access to food waste products.  Once inside, it is a variable smorgasbord which attracts many rats in the area.  Even when trash receptacles are used, failing to properly seal them will result in an invasion of filthy disease ridden rats.

The New York Daily News reported on April 5, 2012 that the City New York City Health Department has released their new figures for rat hotspots in the city.  Although the numbers are a bit better than they were in 2010, clearly more work needs to be done to eradicate these vermin as they still pose a serious threat to New York City residents.  You may read the article here.

Don’t wait for the City Health Department to make a visit to your home requiring that you take action against pesky rats.  Hiring a licensed NYC pest control professional with experience in rat removal services will get rid of disease carrying vermin quickly.  Call Stern Environmental Group today for fast rat eradication services.

In the United States non-domesticated rats are considered to be pests.  It is widely believed that wild rats originated in Asia and were inadvertently transported via ships to other parts of the world.  There are two types of wild rats:

• The Norway rat or brown rat grows to be about 10 inches long with a tail that is shorter than the rest of its body.

• The roof rat or black rat will grow to about 8 inches long with a tail that is always longer than the body.

These rats are prolific breeders.  Female rats are ready to begin breeding when they are about 3 to 4 months of age.  Once pregnant, the females will give birth in about 21 days.  During her one year life, a female rat can produce up to 7 litters per year. Each litter will have between 6 and 22 babies.  Wow!

Rats are aggressive and adaptable creatures.  They are on the constant lookout for food, water, and shelter, which makes human habitats the perfect place for rats to hang their hat.  Outdoors, rats live in burrows that are located near their food source.

Besides contaminating everything that they touch, rats are known carriers of a variety of diseases that are dangerous to humans.  Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome, Leptospirosis, Rat- Bite Fever, and the Plague are common reasons that rats tend to cause panic in humans. Don’t let rats come in and threaten the health and safety of your home or business. Contact a New York City pest control expert for expert rat removal services!

There are 16 species and 18 subspecies of Triatoma in the United States. Just like a bed bug, the kissing bug survives solely on the blood of mammals.  These bugs will attack wild and domestic animals, as well as humans.  In North America, opossums, raccoons, rats, armadillos, cats, and dogs have fallen victim to kissing bug attacks.

Kissing bug bite wounds are often misdiagnosed as spider bites, bed bug bites, herpes zoster, flea bites, and erythema multiforme.  In extreme cases, death from anaphylaxis is possible from the bite of a kissing bug.

The main reason that the kissing bug bite is so dangerous is because it can spread Chagas’ disease.  The disease is spread when the kissing bug bites their victim and leaves their feces behind in or near the bite wound.  If a person scratches or rubs the feces into the bite wound, the disease can be contracted.  Some people will show signs of the disease immediately, some will not.  Symptoms include a rash, fever, vomiting, and a swelling near the eyes.  The disease often goes misdiagnosed by the medical community.  Additionally, some people will not show any symptoms of the disease for years.  Chagas disease will lurk in their blood and surface twenty to thirty years after the bite wound occurred.  When this happens it is difficult for doctors to determine the digestive and heart problems that the victim is exhibiting.

Please check back on Monday for the conclusion.

Ridgewood-GlenRock Patch reported on December 16, 2011 that 20 rat burrows have been found in three areas within one block in Ridgewood in Bergen County.    Reports are that rats have not been a problem for the Village in the past and these burrows are located in the Central Business District of the Village.  Unlike other cities where rat infestations are found, this NJ rat infestation is located where a minimal amount of restaurants are located.  The Village Manager is hopeful that the pesticides combined with the cold winter months ahead will wipe out the rat population that have moved into the Village.  You may read the article here.

Rats live in burrows outdoors so the cold winter weather does not affect them.  They are however on the constant hunt for food, which is not aplenty during the winter months.  Normally dining on seeds and plants which are gone during the wintertime, rats will turn to homes, businesses, and trash receptacles as a means to gain a meal.  Rats are excellent at climbing and can enter a structure via the soffits or attic vents.  They have powerful teeth and can chew their way through a variety of different building materials to reach their desired food sources as well.  Rats are so resourceful that they can squeeze their body through a hole the size of a quarter.

Rats can be dangerous pests to contend with as they are known disease carriers and can cause fires when they chew on electrical wires.  A NJ pest control professional can help you keep rats out of your home or business.  Call Stern Environmental Group today for expert rat removal services.

Not fearful in the slightest, you can find rats foraging in trash cans and large garbage bins throughout the city. They inhabit playgrounds, parks, apartments, homes, restaurants, offices, and of course the New York City subway system.

The mere sight of a rat can bring fear and often flight when a person sees their budging eyes, long scaly tale, large body, or pointed teeth. The fear of rats is real. Called Musophobia, it is one of the most common phobias in the United States. Musophobia can be triggered by a variety of different experiences with rats or mice. People report having this phobia when they see a rat or mouse on the television or in the movies, when they smell rats or mice, when they hear jokes about them, or when they are in the same room with the pests.

Just as people vary, so do the symptoms and reactions for those that suffer from this phobia. Some folks are mildly bothered while others suffer from sweating, rapid heartbeat, shaking, nausea, and shortness of breath.

Rats can become dangerous when they enter your home as they are known disease carriers. Additionally the razor sharp teeth of a rat are able to chomp into sealed food sources. Rats will contaminate food and food preparation areas as they leave urine and feces behind in their path. A NYC pest control professional can help determine where the rats are gaining entry and will provide fast rat removal services.

They are curious, cold, and above all else…always hungry.  They don’t care that they are dirty, or that they carry fleas, ticks, or can transmit a variety of dangerous diseases.  They are not toilet trained and will not hesitate to drop urine or feces throughout your home.  They won’t ask for food, they just take it…ripping packages and containers open by using their razor sharp teeth.  They prefer grain type food, but these hungry rodents will settle for anything to fill their bottomless pit stomachs.  Any food that is not sufficiently stored will become part of their menu plan.

Fall is a good time to check your home for rat and mice entry points.  Seal any holes or cracks where entry can be made into your home.  Trim branches and shrubbery away from the roof, windows and exterior walls.  Wood piles should be kept away from your home to discourage easy access to your structure.  Seal exterior pipes with expanding foam to discourage mice entry.  Rats and mice are prolific breeders so it’s important to call a NJ pest control professional at the first sign of their presence.

Rats and mice are the worst house guest that you can have entering your home.  Even if your home is sealed up tight, you could experience an invasion from these cleaver creatures.  Rodent control should not stop during the winter months.  If you find that you have mice or rat activity at your house, contact a licensed pest control specialist before these critters multiply out-of-control.

Once rodent droppings are discovered, you should contact a licensed pest control expert who will devise a plan to trap the invading rodents.  There are various rodent traps that can be used:  traditional snap trap, glue trap, electronic trap, ultrasonic rodent control, humane mice control trap (catch and release), and rodenticides (rat/mouse poison).  Consumers and pest control experts likely have a preference as to which one is their favorite device to use.

It should be noted that reports vary as to how effective the ultrasonic rodent control device performs.  Recent studies have shown that rats and mice quickly become accustomed to the noise emitted and don’t mind living with the sound waves that they hear.  Using rodenticides without proper training can be very problematic for home and business owners.  Rats and mice will eat the poison and can then be attacked and consumed by household pets or wildlife, which will then become poisoned as well.  In addition, many times rats and mice consume rodenticide products and then scurry off into attics, crawl spaces, wall voids, and behind cabinets where they meet their demise.  The smell from their decomposing bodies can be unbearable to live with and impossible for a business to explain away to customers.

A New York City pest control technician will be able to fully eradicate mice or rats that have invaded your home or business by using the most up-to-date monitoring and trapping techniques.  For expert pest control services in New York or New Jersey contact Stern Environmental Group.

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority utilizes eight flatbed refuse trains and many above ground trucks to remove the 90,000 tons of refuse that is collected every day from NYC subway stations.  The refuse trains are scheduled to pick up trash at various train stations at the wee hours of the morning as to not impact the vast amount of NYC subway passengers.

The “Daily News” reported a story this week, complete with a photograph, which is sure to upset many subway riders.  According to their account, workers for the Metropolitan Transportation Authority used an in-service NYC passenger train, with passengers on-board, to transport a huge pile of trash bags between stations…which is a big no no!  The trash bags in question should have been carried up to the street for a Metropolitan Transportation Authority truck to pick up.

According to the Daily News article, an un-named transit worker admitted that this is not the first time that he has seen small mountains of orange garbage bags sharing cars with passengers.  The transit worker further reports that the stinky trash bags in question blocked doorways, seats, and leaked fluids inside the train as well.  To make matters worse, according to the Daily News article, John Samuelsen, president of Transport Workers Union Local 100, said “the bags can contain rats looking for a meal.”  He additionally said “To bring those bags on passenger trains and expose riders to potential of rats jumping out of the bags is outrageous. When track workers walk past those bags, we give them a wide berth, knowing if you walk close to a bag, a rat could jump out right on top of you.”  Can you imagine being stuck in a subway train car when rats decided it was time to emerge from filled trash bags?  Frightening!

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority has launched an investigation as this is not proper procedure.  The end result of the investigation is that the subway supervisor is now facing disciplinary actions for not following protocol, so perhaps it won’t happen again.  The NYC rats still remain within the subway system and will do so until new protocols are developed.

If you have a problem with a NYC rat infestation, contact a pest control professional with experience in rat removal services.