Rats and New York City go together like peas and carrots.  There are rats roaming the alleyways, rats on the rooftops, rats pilfering through garbage cans, rats frolicking in droves in the parks, rats in restaurants, rats in hotels and motels, rats underground, rats above ground, rats in the daytime, rats at night, and rats burrowing along homes, apartments, and businesses.  Everywhere you look; it’s hard to not see a rat in New York City!

New York City rats are notorious for their day and nighttime antics throughout the entire subway system.  NYC rats have lived within the subways for decades.  Entire families of rats live within the cinderblock walls according to NYC pest control experts.  Each cinderblock can house between 8 to 12 rats, so you can see why the rats are so problematic.  Much to the passenger’s dismay, rats are often seen boldly roaming the platform areas and tracks in search of a tasty treat that has been discarded by passengers.

In the past, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority has tried to kill off the rodents by tossing poison bait packs onto the subway tracks, but to date, those tactics have not knocked the rat population down.

Despite the efforts put forth by renowned rat expert, Bobby Corrigan, to help the city get rid of the rats within the subway system, the rats remain.  Subway stations have trash rooms where trash is collected and stored until it is disposed of.  The trash rooms serve as a daily rat buffet for colonies of rats within the subway system.  The mishandling of subway station refuse is one of the primary reasons that the rat population has been able to continue to thrive in New York City.

Please check back on Monday for the conclusion.

They are quite small and to some they seem to be a cute a cuddly cartoon like character.  For others the mere presence of their long tails and bulging eyes in the house will bring screams of fear and trips atop the kitchen table.  It’s hard to imagine that a little mouse can cause such an uproar; but even the mighty elephant is afraid of the scurrying little rodent.

As the weather turns to bitter cold in New Jersey, many people are finding that mice are working their way indoors to seek shelter.  Mice can squeeze their nimble body into spaces as small as ¼ of an inch.  Any type of crack, crevice or hole around your home is fair game to a cleaver little mouse.  Basements, attics, wall voids and garages all serve as perfect mice nesting spots during the wintertime.  The trouble is, once mice move indoors, if the food supply is good, they don’t tend to ever leave.  Mice are prolific breeders and will have pups year round.  Having one mouse in your home can quickly turn into a serious NJ mice infestation.

Despite their timid looks, the deer mouse and the white-footed mouse are known carriers of Hantavirus.  Hantavirus causes a disease called Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome (HPS).  People become infected with the disease through the urine, saliva, or droppings of the mouse.  It can take up to five weeks for symptoms of the disease to appear so many people do not associate Hantavirus with their illness.  To further complicate matters, the symptoms resemble the flu so the disease is able to progress without treatment or is often misdiagnosed.

The best way to avoid Hantavirus and HPS is to keep your home free of a NJ mice infestation problem by hiring a licensed pest control professional.  For expert mice or rat removal and exclusion services, contact Stern Environmental Group today!

Continuing from Wednesday…

Other large U.S. metropolitan cities like Washington, DC and Chicago have subway systems that are not overrun with sassy rats.  This is because there is a “no eating” ban on the trains or within the train stations.  If riders are found eating or drinking, they are quickly issued a fine.  The lack of eating within the stations/trains gives way to very clean train stations and trains.  Because there is no other food sources underground, other than those provided by humans, Chicago and Washington, DC do not have rat infestations within their subway systems.  Due to the constant gravy train being offered to NYC subway rats by riders, Senator Perkins is proposing a “No Eating on Subway Bill”.

Senator Perkins is also proposing that more trash receptacles be placed throughout the NYC subway system to eliminate the trash that is on the floor which would help keep platforms and tracks cleaner.  He would also like to see trash cans emptied more frequently so rats will not be able to feast on the contents.  Additionally, he is asking that refuse storage rooms be secured completely against rat entry.  If Perkins gets his way, NYC will see a new public education campaign set in place as well.  Subway riders just might see cool signs in the near future that read…“If you feed em…You breed em! or “starve a rat today…throw your trash away” plastered on walls throughout the subway system too.

In the end, it will take a combined effort of government officials forking over money to help battle the NYC rat infestation; citizens making a commitment to abide by any new rules and regulations by keeping all food sources out of the NYC subway system so rats won’t have anything to feast upon; and a good Integrated Pest Management Program implemented by a NYC pest control expert, to knock out the rats that are rampaging through the subway system.

Rats running the streets of NYC not a new occurrence.  Take a walk on with wild side and glance down any NYC alley-way and you will see rats running along buildings, climbing in and out of garbage cans hunting for a good meal.  Rats living and thriving within the New York City subway system is also nothing new either.  Underground, the NYC rat infestation is out-of-control.  Rats are running amuck along train tracks enjoying the warm shelter, safe surroundings, and the absolute abundance of discarded food supplied by human riders.

Rats are more than just a nuisance pest.  These creatures can carry and transmit diseases that are dangerous to humans and pets.  Rats spread disease via their feces, urine, and saliva.  Rat populations can be controlled with Integrated Pest Management and proper treatment by a NYC pest control expert.

New York State Senator Bill Perkins (30th District) would like to see an end to the rats that are living in the NYC subway system.  He recently conducted a district-wide survey whereas he distributed 15,000 questionnaires to constituents asking about their rat sighting experiences in the NYC subway system.  An overwhelming 5,000 people responded, and staggering rat information has been gathered!

According to Senator Perkins survey, 57% of people who responded said that they see rats daily, 29% said that they see rats weekly, 12% said that they see rats monthly, and only 1% of riders said that they never see any rats on the subway system.  Of the people surveyed, 80% believe the subway rat problem is “severe” or at the point of a “state of emergency” level.  Almost 61% of folks think that the NYC subway rat infestation can be rat free at some point in time though.

Recognizing that NYC rats are not going to go away on their own, Senator Perkins has come up with recommendations and will be proposing legislation to help conquer the NYC rat infestation in the subway system.  There will soon be a hearing to discuss this new legislation and he will be asking the Metropolitan Transit Authority about their specific procedures in regards to eradicating the subway rats that are running wild within the subway system.  The hearing will be open to NYC pest control professionals and the public as well.

Please check back on Friday for the conclusion.

The New York Post recently ran an article about the growing opossum population that has now joined the forces of other unwanted furry creatures in Brooklyn, New York.  These marsupials are wandering the streets in high numbers, reportedly because the City Council decided to introduce them into the borough as a means of controlling the ever growing rat population.

The opossums were apparently set free at various parks and underneath the Coney Island boardwalk two years ago.  It was assumed that once the rat population had diminished, the opossum populations would as well because of the lack of food that would be available.  The problem is that these cleaver pointy nosed creatures have been able to thrive alongside other problem pests in Brooklyn with great ease.

Many area homeowners are crying foul as they wonder why the City Council would release another type of problem pest into the area.  But, perhaps the opossums are not as problematic as you might think.  According to The National Opossum Society, opossums are a beneficial animal for many different reasons.

Contrary to what some people believe, opossums do hunt, kill, and consume a large number of rats and mice.  Being nature’s ultimate scavengers, they will consume all types of dead animals (carrion) that they encounter.  They also eat many types of bothersome insects like crickets, beetles, snails, slugs, and cockroaches too.  Fallen fruit in neighborhood yards is a particular treat to a roaming possum.  Opossums do tend to carry fleas like other wild animals; but they seem to have a high immunity to most diseases, especially rabies!

Now if we could just train them to hunt and eat NYC bed bugs, perhaps they would be the perfect pet!

Opossums can be trouble when they rummage through trash cans and pet food left outdoors.  Like any other wild animal, they will bite if they are grabbed too.  If they happen to enter your home or attic though, you should never try to remove them yourself.  Wildlife removal is best left to professional pest control experts like the ones you will find at Stern Environmental Group instead!