DENVER -- Cities have a host of lists their top officials would love to be ranked upon, however this list likely isn't one of them. Orkin's ranked the top 50 cities infested with rats and Denver ranked as the 10th rattiest city in the United States.
The list, which was released this week, ranks cities by the number of rodent treatments Orkin preformed from October 1st, 2015 to September 30th, 2016. New York came in second and Chicago took the top spot.
It's no shocker to Denver's Above and Beyond exterminator, Rick Martin.
"They're everywhere, pack rat, Norway rats," Martin said. "They're just exploding."
Martin said we're just beginning to enter "rodent season," and downtown Denver is one of the places he sees the most infestations. On Tuesday he was busy switching out bait traps at seven locations around the downtown area.
"They've eaten like two sides on that one pretty much up," Martin described, pointing to the poison.
Blame it on the cold, he said. As temperatures drop, rodents head indoors in search of food. So how do you smell a rat? Martin said look for droppings in and around your home as well as chewed through holes and wires.
"They can be very destructive. I've seen holes through drywall, wood, they'll chew on rubber," Martin said.
Martin recommends:
- Sealing your house. Rats can fit through holes as small as a quarter.
- Keep food sealed up and put away, rats have a great sense of smell.
- Place traps near walls where rats are more likely to run.
- Know you may be battling the problem for awhile
"It takes months, and the most important thing is to get your house sealed tight," Martin said.
Check out the rest of the list released by Orkin here.
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