The Rat Race Is On

Rats, millions of them, are boosting Southern California’s population faster than ever.

El Nino storms in early 1998, followed by the gentle, well-spaced rains of the past season, nurtured verdant growth and a perfect habitat for a proliferating rodent population, county officials and exterminators agree.

“Due to a slightly prolonged rainy season, we are seeing a higher population of rats, mice and other rodents,” said Gail VanGordon, public health entomologist with the Los Angeles County Department of Health Services.

“The continued rain further into the year allowed for more vegetation to grow. That contributes not only to the food source, but also to the harborage of rodents,” she said.

The only good news is the increased business enjoyed by exterminators--up 40% to 400% over last year, according to area specialists.

“We have had more people call from Southern California than is typical,” said Greg Baumann, spokesman for the National Pest Control Assn. “For most of the country, the rodent season is March through November. But in California, it’s year-round.”

“I believe that with the increase we have experienced, it will only get worse,” predicted Dave Snyder, owner-operator of Canoga Park-based Zenith Environmental Pest Control. “Once the populations increase, the problem becomes self-perpetuating. They just continue to bear young and proliferate at an accelerated speed.”

Indeed, the rat problem happens in the best of families.

“Beverly Hills has a constant problem,” said Michael Katz, vice president and general manager of Irvine-based Western Exterminator Co., which has offices statewide.

“It’s in the older, more established neighborhoods, with thicker vegetation, ground covers and tall palm trees left untrimmed, that we see the most problems,” VanGordon said.

Many complaints come from homeowners in affluent hillside areas of the south Valley--Encino, Sherman Oaks, Tarzana and Woodland Hills, said Richard Cisneros, assistant manager of the Van Nuys office of Western Exterminator. Infestations are particularly acute in neighborhoods adjoining new construction, he added.

But Snyder, who services communities throughout Los Angeles and Ventura counties, said he sees no pattern in the invasion of rodents. “It’s bad all over,” he said.

Complaints to the county Vector Management Program, a branch of health services, typically increase in the spring and summer, when rodent populations explode, said Grace Shin, environmental health specialist.

Most of the annual 7,000 complaints center on the roof rat, or tree rat--which is smaller than the brown Norway rat--and most commonly found in urban and suburban areas, she said.

The roof rat thrives on just about everything found in backyards, from dog food and bird seed to fruits and vegetables. Even snails and pet droppings are a lure, Shin said.

The booming economy that spurs new home development also is displacing rodent populations into adjoining neighborhoods and at the same time forcing out many of their natural predators, such as coyotes and owls.

“We are eliminating an environment where rodent predators could live and thrive and instead planting ivy, lush vegetation and fruit trees,” Shin said. “We are actually making it more conducive for the rats to move in with us.”

The rodents generally are nocturnal and can be seen at dusk, running along overhead wires or darting around bushes. If you are seeing them during the day, watch out--that means there are lots of them, experts say.

Get ready for an even worse situation, advises Eric Paulsen, spokesman for Pest Control Operators of California, which monitors the state’s industry.

“As Southern California begins to dry up and turn brown, rodents will turn to homes for water and food sources. Our homes are the perfect environment for rats. They are happy to come and steal from us.”

Many residents expect the county to eradicate rodents for them, officials said. But, they note, the county employs health inspectors, not exterminators.

“We’re not in competition with pest control operators. That’s what they are there for,” Shin said.

However, the county does dispense free poison, inspections and advice on how to reduce rodent problems. A brochure is available by calling (323) 881-4046.

Tips recommended include clearing vegetation, trimming ground covers such as ivy, putting away pet food and bird seed, storing firewood at least 18 inches above ground and rodent-proofing structures by sealing or screening all openings and gaps.

Traps, poison and bait boxes, as well as other supplies, are readily available to homeowners at home improvement centers. Professional services also abound. They generally cost an average of $150 to $500 but can run much higher if extensive work is needed.

Many exterminators say the most effective weapon is the old-fashioned snap trap.

Besides carrying diseases and spreading bacteria, rodents can cause extensive damage, officials and exterminators say. They have been known to eat wiring in automobiles and gnaw through wood siding. Rats have been found buried deep in couches, electrocuted in attic wiring or in air conditioners, and trapped in stove vents.

The basic rule, Shin said, is for homeowners to eliminate sources of food, water and shelter around their homes.

“Eliminate all three and you can control the rats,” Shin said.

“But you can’t eliminate them from the environment. That is impossible.”

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Competing With People

Rats in Los Angeles County want the same things people do: food, water and shelter. The species most likely to move in under your roof is the roof rat (Rattus rattus); there are more of them in the county than people. Are you providing an environment attractive to rats? Older areas with lush or overgrown vegetation provide abundant harborage, but any neighborhood can be susceptible to infestation. Here’s how a roof rat might see your yard:

Sources: James Francisco, Orange county Vector Control District; Academic America; Britannica and World Book encyclopedias.