Tag Archives: Rats of NYC

Disease Carrying Pests, News, Pest Control, Pest Eradication, Rats, Rodent Control

What’s That Smell? Critter Cologne Is NYC’s New Rat Strategy

What's That Smell? Critter Cologne Is NYC's New Rat Strategy
What’s That Smell? Critter Cologne Is NYC’s New Rat Strategy

Could a cologne be the key to solving NYC’s rat problem? Scientists have been looking into using male and female rat pheromones to deter rats from going to certain areas. While this critter cologne is still being studied, keep in mind that you’ll need to rely on professional NJ pest control if you have a problem with these rodents.

Rat Pheromones

Pheromones are scent hormones given off by male and female rats. Researchers found that rats tend to avoid visiting areas that are filled with the scent of male rat pheromones. Instead, they typically visit areas where female rat pheromones are more distinct.

Using male-scented rat pheromones could end up being a way to keep rats away from certain areas. One problem with this approach is that it attracted more cats than usual, which could lead to other problems.

Dealing with Rats

Pheromone critter colognes aren’t on the market yet, so it’s important to have pest control experts handle rat infestations for you. Relying on professionals helps ensure that your rat problem is under control, which helps lower your risk of disease, property damage, food contamination, and other issues. Pest control experts can also help reduce your risk of having more rat problems in the future.

If your property has a rat problem, contact Stern Environmental for NJ pest control services. We can safely eliminate rats or other rodents and pests from your property.

Disease Carrying Pests, News, Rats, Rodent Control

Wild Norway Rat Behaviors Impact Commercial Businesses

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Wild Norway Rat Behaviors Impact Commercial Businesses
Wild Norway Rat Behaviors Impact Commercial Businesses

Norway rats weren’t always a problem for business owners in the NJ and NYC areas. However, these invasive rats have become a big issue in our region. Knowing more about their behavior can help you understand why they’ve been so successful at building large populations and why they’re such a menace to local business owners.

High Birth Rates

Norway rats don’t have a long life span. In fact, they only live for about a year in the wild. However, these rodents make up for that short life span by having a high rate of birth. Norway rats were found to have a birth rate that falls between one and six percent per month when conditions favor their reproduction. This allows them to maintain larger populations in many areas even if individual rats don’t live very long. These large populations also make professional NJ rat control a must for business owners who have an infestation of these rodents.

Food Access 

Norway rats in the wild sometimes live completely apart from humans, but this usually doesn’t last long. These rats have learned that food is easy to find around human dwellings and businesses, causing them to hang around dumpsters or get into restaurants, homes and other buildings.

If Norway rats are invading your building, Stern Environmental can provide prompt help. Contact us to learn more about our NJ rat control services.

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, News, Pest Control, Pest News, Rats, Rodent Control

Rats: Less Than Expected, but 2 Million is Still Too Many!

Rat Facts
Rat Facts

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!