Rats Living it Up in Philly

When you move into a high-end neighborhood, you have certain expectations. One of them is that it's relatively free of pests, because with the rent (or mortgage) you're paying, you'd think you'd get a little pest control. Not so for residents of Philadelphia's Rittenhouse Square, where rats are

Posted 5:35 p.m. Oct 5, 2013 — Updated 5:35 p.m. Oct 5, 2013

When you move into a high-end neighborhood, you have certain expectations. One of them is that it's relatively free of pests, because with the rent (or mortgage) you're paying, you'd think you'd get a little pest control. Not so for residents of Philadelphia's Rittenhouse Square, where rats are apparently running rampant in the park. Are Philly's ratcatchers slacking on the job?

Not quite. Managing pests is always tricky; in this case, the city is taking sensible steps like choosing rat-resistant garbage cans, increasing garbage pickup, and setting traps (and, unfortunately, bait, which can poison innocent pets and wildlife) more regularly.

However, rats are also an inevitable component of urban living, requiring residents to make some adjustments too. That means more responsible trash handling as well as maintenance indoors to discourage pests from gathering, from the basement right up to their Philadelphia roofing, to make sure that every part of their homes is as hostile as possible for rodent visitors. Eliminating nesting materials, food sources, and shelter is critical for reducing the rat population whether you're in Philadelphia or sunny Miami.

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