Vancouver named ‘rattiest’ city in B.C. second year in a row

For the second year in a row, a pest control company has named Vancouver the rattiest city in B.C.

“It’s a port city, so lots of water attracts rodents there; also, any sort of organics and recycling program such as that, and it’s turning into quite a green city, so that’s a draw for the rodents as well,”said Trina Butler with Orkin Canada – a pest control and management company.

Vancouver was followed by Victoria and Burnaby, with Richmond and Surrey also making the top five.

According to Butler, a lot of construction in those cities make the rat problem more visible.

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“It doesn’t mean their numbers are going to increase, it just means they are displaced and they are moving around now,” she said.

And with higher temperatures finally arriving, Butler warns the rodents will come out of hibernation.

“They want to go out now, they want to get their food, they will start nesting as well, and breeding season is going to ramp up.”

On its website, the City of Vancouver recommends proactively cleaning up, disposing of garbage, composting properly and maintaining buildings and yards.

The ranking was based on the number of calls for rodent treatment received by the company at both residential and commercial properties within B.C. from Jan. 1, 2017 to Dec. 31, 2017.