TORONTO, February 9, 2024 — Abell Pest Control, a leader in pest management, reports a concerning rise in rat populations within suburban areas. As communities regain a sense of normalcy post-COVID-19, a new challenge is surfacing nationwide. Rats that made their way to the suburbs during the pandemic are now firmly entrenched in suburban residential zones, presenting a threat to public health and safety.
"In 2020, amidst the pandemic, Abell Pest Control witnessed a staggering 50% surge in service requests linked to rats. Since then, inquiries have risen by an additional 24%. This significant uptick for a single pest is alarming, and we anticipate the trend persisting," remarked Mike Heimbach, Abell Pest Control.
Historically, Abell’s rat investigations were mainly focused on downtown areas, particularly near waterfronts with many restaurants and hotels. Rats rely on garbage left in back alleys as their primary food source, which makes them unlikely to move. However, due to the pandemic, many businesses were forced to shut down, which meant that there was no more garbage left outside for the rats to feed on. As a result, they moved to find new food sources.
Large infrastructure projects have also caused significant numbers of rats to relocate. These rats have traveled far and wide, looking for new places to call home, and have ended up settling in suburban communities. "Rats reproduce very quickly and this has prompted an unprecedented flood in calls from residential communities unaccustomed to their presence,” said Heimbach.“These rodents are not motivated to vacate; they've made themselves at home and are here to stay.”
Rats are known for their exceptional ability to enter homes and buildings through gaps in doors, cracks in foundations, or openings around pipes. They can squeeze through spaces as small as ½ inch, which is roughly the size of a quarter.
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