Cooler Weather Will Drive Rats Indoors

The two-year boom in the local rat population continues to cause problems for some residents, forcing them to deal with everything from damaged electrical outlets to leaky dishwasher hoses.

“Simi and Moorpark are our biggest accounts, they seem to be busy all the time,” said Manny Perez, manager of Stanley Pest Control, an east Ventura County pest-control company that specializes in controlling rats.

The onslaught of El Nino two winters ago produced ideal conditions for rat populations to grow by creating an increased food supply, Perez said. Now, as cooler weather approaches, rats will begin looking for warm places to nest--which often means people’s homes.

“More often then not, you’ll hear [rats] running around in the attic at night,’ Perez said. ‘They are nocturnal.”

Last month, the county’s Environmental Health Division issued a release warning residents of the current problems with rats and advising what can be done to prevent rat infestations.

“If people see the problem and start to control it, they can make the environment less survivable for rats,” said Randy Smith, a specialist in the county’s environmental health division.

Residents need to play an active role, because rats won’t just go away, Smith said.

“I would not call them clever, but they are very persistent and if they want to get somewhere or want to do something they will work at it to the end,” he said.

No one can predict if the rat problem will be as severe in upcoming months as it was the last two years--it depends on the weather. But the more it rains, the more likely it is that rats will show up inside homes.

“It depends on the environmental condition, which is somewhat unpredictable,” Smith said.

As rats show up in neighborhoods, they often bring less desirable creatures with them.

“The snakes follow the rat population,” said Kathy Jenks of Ventura County Animal Control. “But I’d rather have snakes than rats. Anywhere you have snakes you are going to have less rats. It’s a food chain thing.”