Pest control crews employ the help of dogs to hunt influx of rats
Pest control companies like Innovative Pest Solutions have received a record-breaking number of calls from property owners complaining about rats after the massive amounts of rain that dumped onto Southern California.
"Yeah, it's been giving them more food source, more water," said Michael Garcia with Innovative Pest Solutions. "There's been a lot of rain this year."
To help them in their fight against the rodents, Innovative Pest Solutions have employed the help of black terriers that are specially trained to sniff out critters. The dogs root out the rat's outside and inside nests. They also can the trails that rats use to access people's homes.
People in the industry said they've seen a rise in the rat population not only because of the recent rain but because of the restrictions on bait and California's organic waste recycling.
"It's pretty typical for restaurants to be discarding a lot of food waste anyway but now a lot of homeowners are doing it too," said Steve Shepherd, director of operations at Orange County Vector Control. "If they are not maintaining sealed bags, closed dumpster lids those odors can definitely attract more rodents."
While rodents are known for their dumpster diving endeavors, pest control workers said they can also nibble on residents' fruit trees. To keep them away from your precious apples and oranges they recommended residents do two things.
First, zip-tie a rodent trap to the tree. Next, eliminate anything rats like to eat.
"What we would like you do is pick up fallen fruit and that way rats won't use that as a food source," said one pest control worker. "And if you do have fruit that is ready to pick, ready to eat, pick it as soon as it's available that way they don't have a food source right there."
Backyard vegetable gardens, which exploded in popularity during the pandemic, can also be another likely source of food for the critters. According to experts, rats love tomatoes and strawberries. Additionally, they said it's best to harvest often and to use a peanut-butter-lathered trap to catch rats before they can get to your produce.
