RI, MA EHS Pest Control Blog

Why do I have rats? Why is the city not doing anything? That is quite often the top two questions when a community, neighborhood, development, association, etc. is besieged by rats. I was called out to consult on a rat issue and offer my expert advice. The attached picture tells the story.

What rat would not want to live on this street? What you don’t see in this picture is the empty lot right around the corner of the building and in the lot is tons of wood scraps and debris, that is where the burrows are. They live in the lot and enjoy the spilled garbage buffet. Rats like humans want food, water, and shelter. In a 50yd stretch the rats have all this. The solution? Clean up the lot, clean up the trash and improve trash procedures, hire EHS to eradicate the existing rats.

George Williams,
General Manager - Staff Entomologist

Pest Control, RI, Pest Control, MA 

Giant Rat Found Inside Of A Foot Locker Store

Yesterday someone Tweeted this photo of a giant monster rat, supposedly discovered at a Foot Locker in the Bronx. You might recognize this guy, as he bears a striking resemblance to the 3-foot-long beast that was stabbed with a pitchfork in Brooklyn last year. That one was believed to be a Gambian pouched rat, and may have been someone's escaped pet. However, it wasn't the first one spotted in that area, and locals believed they were multiplying faster than Gremlins taking a bath.

With this spotting in the Bronx, we think it's safe to say this superbreed of mutant rat is priming for a takeover of the five boroughs (everyone grab some Mountain Dew). Was there anything in that Mayan prophecy about rodents?

George Williams,
General Manager - Staff Entomologist

Pest Control, RI, Pest Control, MA 

Rats Nibble at Paralyzed Patient in Government Hospital

An elderly paralyzed man, who was on ventilator support, has been seriously injured after allegedly being nibbled at by rats at a government hospital.

The 70-year-old man was found seriously injured yesterday morning by his family members at the Mathura Das Mathur hospital with his ears, lips, nose bitten allegedly by rats. However, hospital authorities have not confirmed that the man was injured in rat attack. It was brought to our notice by a patient's attendant.

George Williams,
General Manager - Staff Entomologist

Pest Control, RI, Pest Control, MA 

Rats can exhibit 8,000LBS of pressure per square inch! Their teeth are harder than copper, concrete, iron and many other materials. This picture shows how a rat got inside a building. The landlord used expanding foam with copper mesh. As you can see the rats buzzed right through it plus the wood door!

How does this stack up against other animals???

Pit Bull (dog): 310 lbs
Lions: 600 lbs
White sharks: 600 lbs
Hyenas: 1,000 lbs
Snapping turtles: 1,000 lbs
Crocodiles: 2,500-6,000 lbs
Tasmanian Devil: 5,100 lbs

George Williams,
General Manager - Staff Entomologist

Pest Control, RI, Pest Control, MA 

Boston Cop Mailed Dead Rats as Payback in Sex Ring

A Boston transit police officer has been suspended after he was caught mailing dead rats.

Why was he mailing dead rats?

According to CBS Boston, the officer was sending a message to a man who failed to pay the cop's girlfriend or another prostitute for sex.

Not your run-of-the-mill dead rats in the mail story.

MBTA Police Officer Greg Thorpe was caught mailing dead rats to a Hyde Park man, from a UPS store in South Boston about ten days ago. Sources tell the CBS Boston that Thorpe was caught on video by security cameras in a UPS customer service center, mailing two packages. At one point he reportedly looks at the security camera and smiles.

Sources say officer Thorpe's girlfriend offered her "services" on Craigslist and that the uniformed officer would drive her and her friends to appointments in his marked MBTA cruiser during his midnight shift, offering protection.

Sources say one man never paid one of the girls and so Thorpe mailed him the rats.

The MBTA police released a statement, saying, "Greg Thorpe has been placed on administrative leave pending the results of an internal investigation."

Sources tell CBS Boston officer Thorpe may at some point face charges from Boston police for intimidating a witness and animal cruelty.

Source: CBS Boston

George Williams,
General Manager - Staff Entomologist

Pest Control, RI, Pest Control, MA 

Dreams About Rats: Dream Meanings Explained

Dreams about rats are a common theme at bedtime. If you or a loved one has been covering this ground at night, you may have questions about what it all might mean. As part of a Huffington Post series on dreams and their meanings, we spoke to Cathleen O'Connor, Ph.D., author of "The Everything Law of Attraction Dream Dictionary," to get expert advice about the meanings of your or your loved one’s dreams about rats. Note: While dream analysis is highly subjective, this post might provide some insight into why this dream occurred or is recurring.

What do dreams about this subject mean?

Before determining what your rat dream means, you must first ask yourself what you associate with rats, says O'Connor. Are you afraid of them or do you think they're cute? "Rats are seen by many people as pests that carry disease or cause other problems so they have many negative connotations," she notes. "Yet rats are also survivors, able to withstand harsh environments and highly intelligent. The meaning will evolve from both your association with the qualities of rats as well as what is going on in your current life."

What can I learn about myself from dreaming about rats?

"The first thing to think about is whether you or someone you know is behaving unethically in a situation in your life," suggests O'Connor. "You often hear the expression that someone is a 'rat,' meaning he is untrustworthy or has betrayed someone." Alternatively, a rat in your dream could represent feeling like you're caught in a maze somewhere in your daily life.

Are there any tricks to avoiding or inducing dreams about this subject?

If you fear rats, set the intention of waking up in a dream if a rat appears. "This is a technique known as lucid dreaming," she says. "In a lucid dream, you can notice you are dreaming and take control of the dream events and overcome your fears." If you want to dream about rats, then visualize rats before falling asleep.

Beyond analysis, what cultural symbolism can be found in dreams about rats?

"In Chinese culture, the first symbol of the zodiac is a rat and people born in a rat year are said to possess the positive qualities, including creativity and intelligence, of a rat," explains O'Connor. "In Hindu tradition, rats are associated with the god Ganesh, who is worshiped as the remover of obstacles. In some Native American traditions, rats are symbols of survival and lack of fear." Dreamers from these various cultural traditions may find a different meaning from those in a traditional western culture.

Who tends to have dreams about this subject most frequently?

According to O'Connor, rat dreams do not affect one swath of the population more than another.

Does it mean anything if the rat is dead in my dream?

Dreaming about a dead rat may mean you're overwhelmed or frightful about a situation in your real life. It could also represent letting go of a relationship, especially if that relationship involves betrayal. "In that case, the dream is letting you know that the situation has come to an end," notes O'Connor.

SOURCE = HUFFINGTON POST

George Williams,
General Manager - Staff Entomologist

Pest Control, RI, Pest Control, MA

UPDATE: Wal-Mart Deli, Bakery Reopen After Rodent Problem

The deli and the bakery at the Wal-Mart superstore in Lebanon have reopened after being shut down for a rodent problem.

News 8 initially reported the problem on Thursday, Aug. 4. A store spokeswoman said the problem was first discovered at the end of June but that pest control efforts were unsuccessful. The spokeswoman would not say what type of rodent had gotten into the store.

Here is the complete statement the company issued on Thursday:

"Unfortunately it has come to our attention that rodents have found their way into our store in Lebanon, Pa. We are aware of the situation and we are working to resolve this issue.

As part of our commitment to food safety, the bakery and deli remain closed until the problem can be corrected. We’re working with a pest control company, a professional cleaning service and the Department of Agriculture to remedy the situation.

We make every effort to ensure our stores are clean and pest free and apologize to our customers for this inconvenience. Once the Department of Agriculture inspects our store and gives us the okay to re-open, we will."

On Friday, a company spokesperson updated the situation, saying the store had passed the inspection and the deli and bakery are open for business

Source = wgal.com

George Williams
General Manager - Staff Entomologist

Pest Control, RI, Pest Control, MA

Rats! New Bedford Woman Threatens to Sue Landlord

Jacqueline Tome hates rats but loves her apartment. Therein lies the problem.

Tome says she has locked horns with her landlord, Steve Menard, over what she calls a rat infestation for about a year. The 81 Cottage St. resident has filed a complaint with the city's Health Department, has begun to put her rent into an escrow account and vows she and her landlord "will be going to court over this one."

Menard counters he has done everything asked of him. He says "we're happy to clean it up ... but we can only do what's possible." "We're taking advice from the Board of Health and contractors. I don't know what else we're supposed to do," he said. "We're doing everything the professionals are recommending." Menard said he has had no other complaints from tenants in Tome's apartment building and is unsure what Tome "is looking for." Tome's apartment is one of six in the building.

He suggested the rats may be drawn to Tome's cat food. "She yells and screams and swears at me," Menard said of Tome. "I've told her to submit everything in writing."

The city's Health Department has a file documenting her complaints and the numerous inspections that followed. "I literally have no more strength, no more energy," said Tome, a 46-year-old who works for Comcast. "I'm burnt out." So why not move out of the place she has called home for the last nine years? "My apartment is beautiful. I have off-street parking and it's safe," she said.

George Williams
General Manager - Staff Entomologist

Pest Control, RI, Pest Control, MA

I am the rat killer of Boston!!! Frank the tank! This picture shows just some of my vic’s!

Seriously, we get a call about a large number of rats in a parking garage. The previous pest control company had not been able to solve the problem after months of trying. I see rub marks from the rats and follow their trail to a locked room. At the door it has a seriously strong rat odor. Those in the industry know what I mean! I tell the maintenance guy that this is the mother ship and we need to get inside. He does not have a key and said the other guy never went inside there. I told him that is why you still have rats.

Once we get inside there are rat droppings EVERYWHERE in the room. There is no doubt that this is where they are coming from but why? I find a lead out tunnel that heads into the MBTA subway system and that is the source. I set up snap traps and schedule us to come back every 3-5 days. The seven rats you see are just three days after I placed them down! In 10 days I have caught a whopping 35 rats!!! Based on rat breeding I have literally removed over 300 potential rats from the city of Boston…WHOAH!!! I should get a key to the city!

The battle is still going on as of this blog post but once we go 2 weeks with no catches I will seal off the tunnel with stainless steel mesh screening and this will eliminate the issue.

Frank Diaz
Service Specialist

Pest Control, RI, Pest Control, MA