City Commission Nibbles at Ways to Combat Rats
Commissioners report that rat sightings are up.
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The Royal Oak City Commission is considering steps to address residents’ complaints about the town’s rodent population.
“Royal Oak has had a rat problem intermittently for as long as I have served at this table,” said Mayor Pro Tem Patricia Capello at Monday night’s City Commission meeting.
Capello along with Commissioner Jim Rasor called for the city to figure about ways to control a rat population that appears to be growing and moving around the city. The problem is so new to the Woodwardside neighborhood near 13 Mile Road and Woodward Avenue that neighbors have started a Facebook page to share information.
“The city is responsible for issues like this,” Rasor said, calling for a discussion of what city and county resources are available to address the problem. The commissioner noted the problem is not unique to Royal Oak, adding a quick Google search will show neighboring communities are also dealing with infestations.
Capello asked Jason Craig, the city’s chief building official, to deliver a map that visually outlines where rat complaints and violations occur in the city.
“There have always been hotspots in the city, typically they are located near restaurants,” she said. “I sense since the restaurants in my (Woodwardside) neighborhood are almost entirely gone that there is something else at work now.”
Craig acknowledged that complaint calls are up but said he has been unable to identify anything specific to cause an explosion in the rat population other than the role weather might have played.
“The warm winter we had did allow the weaker rats to survive where normally they would not,” Craig said. Rats had less trouble finding food and shelter, he said.
Capello noted there are measures the city provided in the past decade to control the rat population, including contracting with Royal Oak’s waste disposal contractor to do a citywide cleanup in which residents got rid of whatever debris they had lying around – from piles of concrete to piles of wood.
“There was all kinds of junk lying around,” Capello said, adding she would like to see the city look at doing another cleanup to pick up old sofas, broken down cars and whatever else people have lying around their yards.
In 2004, the city spent as much as $29,000 on an exterminator to rid the city of rats, said City Manager Don Johnson. He said he would check with the Oakland County Health Department to see if they can offer any help.
While the city looks for a remedy, residents are encouraged to review the Rodent Information Handout (attached to this article as a PDF) for information on how to help prevent infestations.
What can residents do?
Rats need three things to survive – food, water and harborage.
The most important thing people can do is get out and walk around their yard and look for things like wood on the ground, garbage and places where rats can find harborage, said Craig.
“Anything you don’t need, get rid of,” Craig said. And if you have a woodpile, it should be stored at least 18 inches off the ground, he said.
“You even have to look at your neighbor’s yard,” Craig said. “Not everyone knows that they might have a problem.” It needs to be a neighborhood effort, he said.
Residents should also look for burrows. A rat hole is generally about the size of a soup can, Craig said. They are usually found on soft slopes near structures, such as garages and sheds. Rats also look for harborage under decks.
Residents also need is to eliminate food and water sources, said City Manager Don Johnson.
Dog droppings are a major food source for rats so residents must clean up after their pets, the city manager said. Johnson also strongly urged residents not to feed bird or squirrels and to remove water sources, such as birdbaths or even old tires - anything where water may pond. Dog bowls should be brought indoors or monitored, he said.
“Food is the easiest thing to take away, “Johnson said.
Johnson encouraged anyone who notices a rodent problem in his or her neighborhood to contact the city at 248-246-3000.
Ray
11:58 am on Tuesday, August 14, 2012
So, they pretty much didn't do anything about the issue.
Last week in Warren, the Warren mayor appropriated $150,000 to their rat problem. If you are a Warren resident, the city pays for an exterminator to come to your property. I know, my son lives in Warren.
Why doesn't Royal Oak do the same by taking money out of the parking fund that supposedly has so much money in it?
Bill
12:58 pm on Tuesday, August 14, 2012
We have lived near 13 & Campbell for over 25 years and never saw a rat until 8 years ago. 3 years ago we had a rat chew through the eve of our garage.
Why? We do not keep garbage, bird seed or anything like that in our garage.
We called the city once and were told rather succinctly that “We don’t have a budget for that,” and the problem was ours to solve. I left my car running with the garage door closed - they didn't like that.
We currently have a few rats traveling across our property from one neighbor to another. I have actually watched, so I know without a doubt that rats are traversing our property.
We secure our garbage, we don’t feed the birds and we pick up after our dog quickly. Which is about as much as we can do.
However the grandkid of one of our neighbors prefers to dispose of his fast food garbage by tossing it under his car, leaving it for somebody else to dispose of properly. Ironically, this neighbor appears to be the destination of our traveling rats.
I spoke with the neighbor where they appear to originate, but he wanted to call the County to relocate the nasty pests...?!! Not the response I expected.
I hear spraying ammonia and/or mint repels rats. We plan to try that. Hopefully, we’ll be minty fresh and rat free.
Meanwhile, as our suburban neighbors such as Warren, Ferndale and Clawson strive to solve their growing rat problem - Royal Oak seems to be pondering whether the problem extends beyond the downtown area.
It does!
Ronald Wolf
7:17 pm on Tuesday, August 14, 2012
Rats are a problem wherever there are restaurants in any city and that includes fast food restaurants depending on easily penetrated garbage bags. Don Johnson is way off base on dog bowls. Ninety nine percent of the rat problem comes from the huge amount of food restaurants dispose of hourly. In New York the garbage bags in the subways litterally throb and walk with the rats that feed almost entirely on pizza crusts and discarded fries. So much that many now refuse to ride the subways since the cutbacks in garbage pick ups. My point is that there is only one solution and that is extensive baiting and the keeping of the steel lids that are supposed to seal the metal containers closed. I also disagree that this is a city problem in that the only thing the city should be doing is enforcing the closed container ordinances ( if any exist), and help with baiting the alleys and container areas. The restaurant association needs to take responsibility in seeing that all restaurants including the EMagine Theater which serves food as well keep their containers in good repair and keep their lids closed. This takes enforcement by the city as well. Rats like mice and other rodents can collapse their bodies to squeeze into spaces you would would not believe. This is nothing new, its has been a problem as old as civilization.
Jan Smith
8:01 pm on Tuesday, August 14, 2012
In the 55 years I lived in Royal Oak, rats were never seen in the neighborhoods until about 2005. My dad grew up on Center St. and says they occasionally saw a rat in the 1930s - 40s, but cats took care of most of them. There were only a few restaurants in town in those years. Can't say that now. Cleaning up after dogs and raising the woodpiles will help, but won't solve the problem.
It's pretty obvious that the rats are attracted by the many restaurants throughout Royal Oak. The problem will not improve if the surrounding cities take measures to run off the rats and Royal Oak does not. The taxpaying citizens deserve better service from the city for rodent control and police protection.
C
11:33 pm on Tuesday, August 14, 2012
Old story: Neighbors had a dog and did not keep their yard picked-up. I had cement patio stones ~ with rats living beneath. Purchased a ton of moth balls, stuffed them down every opening, then filled with pea gravel. Then packed with sand. Neighbors moved, and I have not seen even 1 rat since then. Now, my chipmunks are back, which I love! I've been told that I would not have any chipmunks at all, if I had any rats.
Chris
12:18 am on Wednesday, August 15, 2012
cook em, I hear they's good eatin
Royal Oak Ryan
3:02 pm on Thursday, August 16, 2012
Maybe rather than pay thousands of dollars for rat exterminators across the city - the funds are instead spent on an updated trash collection system. I know in other communities, each house is provided with a VERY large, rolling heavy plastic bin, with attached lid. No additional cans allowed. This ensures that all residents are using thick, lidded garbage cans. Most of the issues we've had with rats locally is due to neighbors that just leave trash out with no lid and holes in the bottom of the garbage cans.
Not sure that the issue is restaurants, maybe that is the reason downtown, but rats do not like to travel far from their homes, so if you're at 13 mile...... it's not downtown Royal Oak's issue. It's likely a neighbor who houses, feeds and protects the rats either unknowingly or out of sheer laziness.
Sammi
10:47 am on Friday, August 17, 2012
Rat controls must start at the home. If everyone does their part, there will not be a rodent problem for very long. The electronic rat zapper is just what homeowners need. This battery operated unit zaps them dead. Works on mice also. More info here, http://ratmousezapper.com/
Melissa
2:52 pm on Wednesday, August 22, 2012
Is there a link for the neighborhood facebook page?