Rats continue to be a problem throughout New York City, seemingly in even more ways than people originally thought. Besides infesting restaurants, office buildings, homes and alley-ways, large populations of rats can even be found throughout New York City parks.

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 living in New York City are as common as people are say NY pest control professionals.  Some experts even believe that for every New York resident, there is a rat living somewhere in a building, park, subway, restaurant, apartment, alley way, or burrow.  Walk the streets late at night and there’s no doubt that New York City rats continue to thrive as they scamper from trash can to trash can searching for a tasty meal.  Any morsel of food dropped on the street serves as a feast to the always hungry rat in the city.

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.