Except translation, this story has not been edited by achinews staff and is published from a syndicated feed.
As the seasons change, property owners may inadvertently give a warm welcome to rodents looking for new sources of food and warmth.
“With pest control, it’s basically making sure you take care of the outside of your home before you let them in,” says Rick Barret, owner and operator of ABC Pest Control Services of St. John.
Barret says property owners should remember that a mouse can fit through a hole the size of a dime, and inspect their buildings for small openings accordingly.
Barret says residential yard and neighborhood maintenance can often be a key indicator of rodent activity.
“Bird feeders can be a problem,” Barret said. “A lot of the problems we’re facing at the moment are around litter.”
Ensuring that all rubbish is stored in sealed containers and that compost is properly sorted can help prevent rodent activity. Installing leaky pipes can also eliminate a water source for mice and rats.
This week, Orkin Canada’s “Rattiest Cities” list for 2024 has Toronto in the top spot. St.
The rankings are based on the number of commercial and residential rodent treatments performed by Orkin Canada between August 1, 2023 and July 31, 2024.
Kenneth Penney, who is Orkin Canada’s area manager for Newfoundland and Labrador, says the relationship that pests have with human behavior is “almost parasitic in a way.”
“We noticed that big time in COVID, when a lot of restaurants and commercial places closed and people worked from home. Suddenly we had a big increase in activity on the residential side.”
Penney says that port cities like St. John’s, Halifax, and Saint John, DS, ideal for rodent activity, with Moncton’s distribution hub status also an emerging concern.
“We import a lot of our essentials, so rodents come in with those,” Penney said. “That’s one element of it.”
(Except translation, this story has not been edited by achinews staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
source link https://atlantic.ctvnews.ca/more/change-in-seasons-has-rodents-seeking-new-food-heat-sources-1.7093167