Tag Archives: New York rats

Disease Carrying Pests, Pest Control, Rats, Rodent Control

What You Need to Know About Rat-Carried Leptospirosis

Rats and New York City - Unfortunately They Just Go Together
Rats are Known Carriers of Diseases. Leptospirosis is the Latest and is Particularly Severe.

Most people know that rats carry diseases. This fact alone makes them one of the most dangerous of pests. One disease, which is known as Leptospirosis, can lead to severe health problems if it is contracted and treatment isn’t administered right away. This is just one reason why it’s important to secure NYC rodent control as soon as possible if you have a rat problem.

What is Leptospirosis?

Leptospirosis is a rat-carried disease that can easily be spread to humans. It can cause many symptoms, including:

  • Redness of the eyes
  • Stomach pain
  • Nausea and vomiting
  • Diarrhea
  • High fever
  • Chills
  • Headache

As you can see, it might be easy to mistake Leptospirosis for something else, such as a mild virus, or even the flu. Some people don’t even have symptoms at all. It can take between two days and four weeks to develop symptoms after exposure.

If Leptospirosis is left untreated, it can progress even further into problems like kidney failure, liver failure or meningitis. Recovery with treatment can take as long as three weeks, or even longer in some cases. Without treatment, it can take months.

Help From NYC Rodent Control

Ignoring a rat problem can be dangerous, and it can easily lead to disease. Here at Stern Environmental, your NYC rodent control specialists are standing by to provide you with the help you need to rid your property of rats. Contact us for help!

Animal Control, News, Rats

Rats and New York City – Unfortunately They Just Go Together

Rats and New York City - Unfortunately They Just Go Together
Rats and New York City – Unfortunately They Just Go Together

Rats have been around in New York City since the days it was first settled. So, as virtually every commercial pest control person will tell you, rats will continue to be around long after humans are gone. What that means is that we shouldn’t count on their elimination any time soon. However, we do have pest control methods that make it possible to control rat infestations in commercial environments.

Steps to Take

Commercial establishments, especially those that serve food and drinks, are always going to be magnets for rat infestations. After all, just like humans, rats need food and water to survive, so these are the places they will always look for first and foremost. But limiting these necessities, such as by cleaning up spilled food and mopping up liquids that get onto the floor, will take away the nutrition that rats need, so they will search for another place to find it.

Since they like basements and first floors, patch holes in the building, making sure doorway and window seals are tight. Plugging gaps around pipes where they enter a building will positively keep rats out.

Although you’ll never get rid of rats, you can keep them at bay. For questions about rats and commercial pest control, please contact us at Stern Environmental Group. We’re pest control experts and have been serving the NYC and New Jersey areas for over 17 years.

Animal Control, Commercial Services, Pest Control, Pest Management, Rats, Rodent Control

Video of Rats Crawling on Donuts Shuts Down Store

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When a cell phone video of rats crawling over the donuts at a Dunkin Donuts in Midtown went viral on YouTube, New York City Health Department inspectors quickly shut down the store. The health department’s inspection of the Dunkin Donuts at 37th and 8th found “conditions that could not be corrected at the time of the inspection, including a severe rodent infestation that requires professional pest control services,” ABC News reported.

The brief video shows a rat nibbling on the croissants and then climbing down the trays of freshly made donuts to sample the glazed. According to the ABC report, morning customers also saw rats on window sills inside the store.

Rats are a pervasive commercial pest that carry and spread serious diseases that are harmful to humans. Extraordinary climbers, jumpers and swimmers, rats can squeeze through small openings and gnaw through plastic, wood, cinderblock, brick and soft metals. They eat everything humans eat and quite a few other things.

Once they find a way into your business, rats breed and multiply quickly. Particularly in the food and restaurant industries, regular commercial pest management services are typically required to keep your business free of rats. Don’t risk a health code violation and loss of your customers. Call Stern today for information about our rat eradication services.

News, Rats, Rodent Control

NYC Subway Rats Getting Bolder

Despite measures by the MTA to reduce the rat population in NYC subways, commuters are seeing more rats on the platforms. MTA board member Andrew Albert said that subway rats are getting bolder, and it is not uncommon to see them sitting on benches.

One of the main reasons why there are more rat sightings in the subways is increased interaction with humans. The construction works, water leaks, and a rise in the number of commuters also contribute to the increasing population of NYC subway rats. As a way to control the rat problem, baits are placed on the tracks throughout the system once every month, but this does not seem to be an effective solution. Albert said that subway rats can cause health problems, and more extensive efforts should be made to control their numbers.

Some of the stations where rat sightings are more common include West 4th Street, Spring Street on the C, Chambers Street on the A, Jay Street-Borough Hall, and several 34th Street and Upper West Street stops.

Rats

Rat Attack in New York City

Rats are not just pests in New York City; they are a threat to public safety. Other than doing all the horrible things that ordinary rats do, such as stealing food and spreading diseases, New York rats are known to attack human beings. These four-legged New Yorkers are not your regular timid little creatures that scamper to the nearest hiding place at the sound of a footstep. With a well-coordinated effort, they can bring down anything from a cat to a human being.

Many residents in New York City have seen rats attack children as well as adults in tenements and alleyways, even in broad daylight. While some people managed to escape with only slight wounds on their legs, others were hospitalized or even killed. A number of homeless people had died because of rat attacks. Efforts to bring in cats and dogs to combat the rat problem have failed miserably, because New York rats are big (just slightly smaller than cats) and fierce, and they can attack intelligently as a group.

As a safety measure, residents of New York City should try to stay away from alleyways and sewer openings when walking on the streets at night.

If you need professional help to take care of rat problems in your home, you can contact pest control experts in NY and NJ.