That's Why Big Cities Can't Get Rid of Rats

Within every major city, there’s a hidden population. Each day is a struggle for survival, but these inhabitants have perfected the art. They’re unstoppable, indestructible, and cities can’t seem to solve the problem no matter what they do. Oh, Rats! How on Earth do they manage to thrive so well?

In New York City alone, there’s possibly 10 million rats, but some estimates put it up to 30 million! And those numbers grow exponentially. One mother rat can have 8 to 12 babies every 30 days if there’s enough food, water, and shelter. If you do some simple rat math, you’ll see that one couple can have 144 babies each year!

#rats #pests #brightside

SUMMARY:

• All the trash in the city makes it the perfect real estate for rodents. They can climb brick walls, trees, and telephone poles.
• Their teeth grow about 4 inches a year, so they need something to gnaw on. Again, urban living has plenty of materials for that!
• When they find some new food, they only take a tiny bite first to wait and see if it’s safe or not.
• Hoping to prove they can’t really be invincible, New York City started a $32 million anti-rat campaign in 2017.
• 10 years before that, Brooklyn officials tried a more extravagant solution. They let some opossums run wild and free in local parks, hoping they’d lower the rat population.
• In Chicago, they went even further and let coyotes roam the city streets! This was part of a research project to see how the animals survive and behave in the city.
• In Paris, where there are about 4 rats for every human, the “Le Smash” campaign takes place every spring. Special teams disinfect public spaces like parks, and people take care of their own homes and businesses.
• Since none of these solutions have worked so far, I guess it’s fair enough to say you’re never more than 6 feet from a rat in some places.
• Rats might not smell like your favorite perfume because they live in a pretty filthy environment. But they aren’t any dirtier than other animals.
• Cheese isn’t the best choice as a bait. If you’re looking for a better alternative, something sweet, like dried foods or peanut butter, will do much better than dairy.
• You might see pests as something that automatically comes with a filthy home, but they aren’t solely attracted to dust and grime. They’re looking for shelter, food, and water to start nesting.
• Fleas can live up to 155 days without any food source whatsoever. They’ll do fine even in a totally deserted home!
• Even if your house looks pest-free, it doesn’t mean they aren’t there. Termites and carpenter ants hide and feast inside the walls. Bed bugs are active at night, so you won’t see them during the day.
• Mosquitos aren’t attracted to light. They, like a lot of biting insects, use their sense of smell to detect a food source.

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