A new study has recently brought to light that contrary to popular belief, the New York City rat population does not, in fact, outnumber the 8 million people living in the metropolis. So just how many rats do NYC commercial pest control professionals have to battle?
The magic number
According to study author Jonathan Auerbach, Ph.D., of Columbia University, no more than 2 million rats are taking a bite out of the Big Apple. The previously hypothesized one-rat-per-person calculation originated in the 1909 W.R. Boelter book, The Rat Problem, but has now been found to be an enormous overestimation.
Smaller in number, but no small problem
How did Auerbach come up with the present hypothesis? Classifying rat sightings by parcels of land in the New York City, he deduced that of 842,000 studied sites, 40,500 were inhabited by the rotten rodents. Assuming one colony of around 50 rats per lot, the total adds up to an estimated two million rats.
Not feeling better about that number? You’re not alone…
The mega-hoards of rats in New York City are more than annoying. The repelling rodents pose a public health risk. Rats are a vector for an array of dangerous diseases, including:
- Rat-bite fever
- Leptospirosis
- Bubonic plague
- Lymphocytic choriomeningitis (LCMV)
- Salmonellosis
- Typhus
- Hantavirus pulmonary syndrome
- Lyme disease
- West Nile
- And more…
Feeling outnumbered? Get a leg up from the NYC commercial pest control experts at Stern today!