Orkin pest control has released its list of the American cities with the biggest rat issues.
Orkin pest control has released its list of the American cities with the biggest rat issues, and Chicago has earned the dubious 1st place slot.
Rankings were based on the number of treatments the company performed in 2013.
Los Angeles was named as the second rattiest location. Washington D.C-Hagerstown, New York, and the San Francisco-Oakland-San Jose area rounded out the top 5 in that order.
Said an Orkin spokesperson, “Each city on this list is a major urban area that provides ideal conditions for rats and mice to thrive…rodents depend on humans and their resources to survive, so unless residents and city officials take proactive steps to prevent rodents, infestations can get out of hand.”
The company also mentioned that with temperatures dropping the animals are likely to start heading indoors and can get there through openings as small as a quarter.
Rats are especially problematic as they are known carriers of harmful germs and pestilence.
Among the notable historical health disasters they’ve had a hand in is the spreading of the Black Death.
Modern rats have been linked to a variety of respiratory and neurological diseases in addition to indirectly transmitting diseases like poxes and typhus.
People are advised to seal all cracks in their homes and conduct regular inspections.
