Do you have rats in your house or apartment? You are not alone.
Orkin released a list ranking which metro areas had the most rodent treatments over the last few years.
Their list is called the 2017 Top 50 Rattiest Cities List and Baltimore is ranked at number 8.
The company's study also said that an average of 21 million homes reports a rodent issue each year in the U.S.
They also say that it only takes a hole the size of a quarter for a rat to squeeze inside your home, and a hole the size of a dime for mice.
Below is Orkin's Top 50 Rattiest Cities List:
- Chicago
- New York
- Los Angeles
- San Francisco – Oakland
- Washington, DC
- Philadelphia
- Detroit
- Baltimore
- Seattle – Tacoma
- Dallas – Ft. Worth
- Denver
- Minneapolis – St. Paul
- Cleveland – Akron
- Atlanta
- Boston
- Hartford – New Haven
- Portland
- Miami – Ft. Lauderdale
- Indianapolis
- Houston
- Milwaukee
- Pittsburgh
- New Orleans
- Cincinnati
- Richmond – Petersburg
- Sacramento – Stockton
- Kansas City
- Charlotte
- Norfolk – Portsmouth – Newport News
- Buffalo
- Columbus, OH
- St. Louis
- Raleigh – Durham
- Grand Rapids – Kalamazoo
- San Diego
- Albany – Schenectady
- San Antonio
- Tampa – St. Petersburg
- Rochester, NY
- Nashville
- Champaign – Springfield – Decatur
- Greenville – Spartanburg
- Memphis
- Phoenix
- Syracuse
- West Palm Beach
- Orlando – Daytona Beach
- Madison
- Flint – Saginaw
- Green Bay – Appleton
Orkin says the ranking includes both residential and commercial treatments.
To help people avoid the health and safety risks that are possible with these pests, Orkin recommends the following tips to help prevent rodents around the home:
- Inspect both inside and outside the home for rodent droppings, burrows and rub marks along baseboards and walls. The more quickly rodents are detected, the better.
- Look for possible entry points outside the home and seal cracks and holes if any are found. Think, “where would YOU hide or enter if you were a rodent?” It’ll be hidden, dark, probably warm, and difficult to reach!
- Install weather strips around entryways, especially under doors, to help block rodents from sneaking inside.
- Store food properly by keeping it sealed tightly in rodent-proof containers like plastic bins or metal canisters. Otherwise, rodents may smell food and break into weaker containers.
- Clean up crumbs and spills as soon as they happen to avoid leaving food residue or sugary substances that can attract rodents.
- Cut back trees and bushes to at least three feet away from homes to avoid giving rodents a “jumping off” point to access the gutters, roof or other hidden openings.
