New York City has very specific rules and regulations when it comes to the disposal of trash.  Besides being unsightly, trash is one of the ways that the rats in New York City have been able to successfully live and breed with such great ease.  If you take a look down any street or alleyway during the night, you will find rats helping themselves to trash at businesses and residences where the strict rules of the City are not being followed.

Douglas Stern and Bobby Corrigan recently took a trip into NYC to observe the rats in their comfort zones.  Take a look at the picture in this post.  In it you will see a NYC rat enjoying his nightly adventures among a pile of black trash bags that are ready for the sanitation departments pick up.  Without effort, this rat will tear through these bags and enjoy a feast that I am sure he will tell all of his rat friends about.

All NYC trash must be placed into leak-proof receptacles with tightly fitting lids.  This rule applies to all dumpsters as well.  Heavy duty black or brown trash bags are allowed to be used however, which clearly is no match for the powerful teeth of a rat. Despite the rules, regulations and fines that are enforced in NYC, many residents and business owners do not adhere to the guidelines and the rat population continues to rise.

Rats are not only a nuisance, they can carry dangerous diseases.  If you are experiencing a rat infestation in New York or New Jersey, contact a pest control specialist who knows how to get rid of the creatures.

Make sure to come back tomorrow as we chronicle Douglas Stern’s rat safari with New York City rat Czar Bobby Corrigan.