Reports of rats are on the rise in Tri-Cities. Here’s what you can do to stop them

Some Tri-Citians are reporting something they say they’ve never seen before in the Tri-Cities — rats.

Reports of sightings have popped up in neighborhood social media groups, including in south Kennewick and south Richland. One homeowner posted that she caught seven in traps since November on her Kennewick property.

The Benton Franklin Health District has received two reports of rats in the past month, even though such reports are usually few and far between, said Jodee Peyton, the district’s environmental health supervisor.

Austin Miller, account manager for Pointe Pest Control in the Tri-Cities, says the company has received significantly more calls for rat issues going back to late last year in south Kennewick and spring this year in Richland and northwest Kennewick.

He suspects, but cannot confirm, that population increases seem to be spreading westward across Washington.

There were more calls for rat problems in Yakima and Wenatchee in recent years before the problem also seemed to increase in the Tri-Cities, he said.

Washington state Department of Fish and Wildlife says rats can be found anywhere in Washington where people live.

Most of the Tri-Cities calls are for roof rats, although there also are some calls about Norway rats, Miller said.

Roof rats, which have tails longer than their heads and bodies, tend to be climbers and may be seen on fence lines and trees, Miller said.

Reports of rats in Tri-Cities neighborhood groups seem to be mostly outdoor sightings.

But roof rats are climbers and can get into houses through attic and other vents, and Norway rats might be found in places like dryer vents.

The Benton Franklin Health District said it had one case where the owner of a fast food restaurant was bringing extra food home and throwing it into their dog kennel, which attracted rats.

But often, if someone is creating a place for rats to live, it can be difficult for the health district to track down.

Keeping rats away

Pointe Pest Control says the main thing you can do is to control food sources, which is important if rats are in the neighborhood. That means not having pet food, bird seed or grass seed readily available.

Washington state Department of Fish and Wildlife says the strong smell of dog and cat food can attract rats from a distance. They also can subsist on a diet of dog and cat droppings.

They may scavenge rotting fruit that falls to the ground from trees or in a garden if produce is allowed to rot on the vine, the state agency said.

The health district recommends putting away pet food and water bowls at night and keeping garbage in rodent proof containers with lids, well away from the house. Rats can chew through heavy-duty plastic garbage cans, says the Department of Fish and Wildlife.

“Make sure there is no way they can get into your house,” Miller said.

Rats can squeeze through an opening the size of a half dollar, according to the health district. The Fish and Wildlife Department says they also can start chewing on a hole just a quarter inch in diameter until it is large enough to crawl through.

It recommends sealing openings around drainpipes, power lines and cables entering houses and sealing cracks and holes in building foundations and exterior walls and roof joints.

Use quarter-inch mesh hardware cloth, metal flashing, Stuff-it, copper Stuf-fit, mortar or concrete patch, it said.

It also is possible to temporarily stuff balled-up galvanized window screening, copper or stainless-steel mesh scouring pads into cracks and holes. Steel wool quickly corrodes after becoming wet, says the Fish and Wildlife Department.

Dryer exhaust vents should have outside screens and any crawl space vents also should have screens, Miller said.

Exterior crawl space entrances should be checked to make sure they are secure and haven’t deteriorated over the years, he said.

Rats don’t like to be out in the open, so keeping clutter and brush away from houses is helpful, according to the health district.

Miller recommends keeping shrubs and trees 3 to 6 feet away from a house.

If you suspect rats

If you suspect you have a rat problem but have not seen them, watch for droppings that are a half to three-fourth inch in length, according to health district information.

Rats also can leave dark greasy marks where they rub along walls and floor joints. They are most active at night.

If you want to put out traps rather than calling a service to take care of the problem, the health district advises that rats are wary creatures.

It recommends baiting snap traps with food like peanut butter or bacon without setting them to allow rats to get comfortable before trying to catch one.

Live traps and adhesive traps also are available, but adhesive traps can quickly lose their effectiveness if used outside.

The Washington state Department of Fish and Wildlife has more trapping and prevention tips posted at bit.ly/WAratpreventiontips.