Vancouver Ranked Rattiest City in B.C.

For the sixth year in a row, the city has won a competition that most people would rather not win. According to a Canadian pest control firm, Vancouver is the “rattiest” city in British Columbia.

Orkin Canada claimed in a news release announcing the yearly ranking’s victors – or losers? – that its experts had noticed “bolder behavior” among B.C.’s rats. The rodents are mostly active at night, but they’re becoming more visible during the day.

Other behaviors, according to the company’s anecdotal data, include adopting a “survival of the fittest” mentality, as detailed in a blog about the influence of COVID-19 on rat populations.

Cannibalism has been observed in rodent communities, meaning that the young, old, and weak rats will be removed, resulting in a population/colony reduction.

The more aggressive rats have to be tough to survive, the more likely they are to attack larger animals, such as people. These aggressive genes can be passed down to offspring. Fortunately, no evidence of a “dominant subsector” of exceptionally hostile rats has yet been discovered.

Another trend observed by pest management professionals is the movement of rats and mice out of metropolitan areas.

As we saw last year, the rats appear to be following the humans in certain ways. Because many people still work from home and don’t commute, there is less food available in once-hectic downtown neighborhoods.

Rats and mice are instead traveling to the suburbs and residential areas in search of leftovers in home trash and organics recycling containers.

However, Vancouver still looks to have the most rats in the province.

Anything a quarter of an inch (6.4 mm) or larger will get through to mice, and anything a half-inch (12.7 mm) or larger will get through to rats. To keep rodents out of the house, it is recommended to seal any minor gaps or holes in the walls and other surfaces.

Burnaby, Surrey, Victoria, Richmond, Kelowna, Vernon, Langley, Abbotsford, and Coquitlam round out the top ten.

How To Prevent Rats in Your Home or Building

• Install door sweeps on exterior doors and replace any screens that are damaged.
• Food should be stored in sealed containers, and rubbish should be disposed of regularly.
• Inspect objects brought into the house, such as supermarket bags, boxes, and other parcels.
• Replace any loose mortar or weather stripping around the foundation and windows of the basement.
• Remove all moisture sources, such as leaking pipes and clogged drains, which serve as ideal breeding grounds for the pests.
• Maintain good ventilation and dryness in attics, basements, and crawl spaces.
• Keep vegetation trimmed and clipped back from the home and store firewood at least 20 feet away.

How Advance Pest Control Can Help

Rats are a formidable pest due to their unique intelligence and physical strength. The Norway rat and the roof rat are the two most common types of rats found in Vancouver. Both species of rats are brown to black in color, have somewhat humped backs, sharp faces, and nearly hairless, scaly tails. They can both grow to be 40 cm long. Because they are both nocturnal, daylight sightings could indicate the presence of a huge infestation that requires the services of a professional rat control firm.

Every pest control company is a little different… There is no reason to wait between a first inspection, quote acceptance, and the start of your first pest control service, in our opinion. Our pest control professionals’ vehicles are always fully equipped with all of the products and equipment they need to get started right away on our first visit.

Our personnel aren’t only pest control experts. They have the structural know-how and hands-on expertise to give long-term fixes for the majority of structural flaws. In most situations, Advance Pest Control will have your house or business fully sealed against rats during our initial visit!

Moreover, when it comes to rat control, homeowners have the option of using poisoned bait or snap traps to get rid of lone intruding rats. However, because of their inventiveness and rapid breeding tendencies, it’s typically advisable to hire a professional rat control firm to help you with your infestation.

Our mice and rat removal services begin with an initial service in which we isolate and seal any points of entry while strategically putting baits and traps around the activity area. We continue to provide this service until the rodent problem has been resolved. Contact our rat exterminators immediately for more information on how we can keep rodents off your property!