In the 10 days since snow and ice hit the D.C. region, trash and pet poop have piled up.
Officials in Virginia, Maryland and D.C. say crews are working as fast as possible to clear out streets, alleys and paths but the frigid temperatures have left the snow frozen solid, slowing progress. Most jurisdictions began hauling away trash only this week.
In the meantime, officials and trash control experts urge residents to secure trash in covered bins and, if possible, store them in garages, sheds or covered porches.
And while rats may be less visible in winter, experts say they haven’t disappeared. Residents should still be careful about where — and how — they store trash, because loose garbage can attract rats even in cold weather.
Bobby Corrigan, a world-renowned rat expert, says that just as humans tend to stay inside more in the cold weather, so do rats.
They do not hibernate but hunker down in burrows and live off stored food, Corrigan said.
Rats can also burn off their body fat in winter and once they deplete their stored food, they’ll come up and look around for more. That’s when loose trash becomes a problem.
“In places like NYC or D.C.,” Corrigan said, “there’s always a sloppy neighbor you can depend upon to leave garbage bags out.”
He added that rats like those piles of dog poop that have been growing with no trash pickup.
“Dog poop is a snack for rats,” Corrigan said. “It’s like an energy bar. They’ll readily eat it.”
Rats, he noted, are originally from Mongolia. “They have no trouble getting through periods of cold just like this,” Corrigan said.
Gerard Brown, who oversaw rodent control for the D.C. government for decades and now runs his own rodent abatement business called “Rodent Man Consulting,” said rats usually reproduce quickly but tend to breed fewer litters when it’s cold because they have less easy access to food.
“Hopefully,” Brown said, “this cold spell will last long enough to disrupt their mating and breeding.”
Here are some tips from experts on dealing with trash and rodents in the winter snow:
- Make sure your trash is not stored on the ground but in containers or in a garage or shed where rodents can’t get to it.
- If your trash is outside, use heavy-duty double trash bags. Rats can chew through plastic.
- Be mindful of food scraps. Don’t just throw that juicy sauce in the garbage. Put it in a container with a lid — coffee cans work well so bugs and rodents can’t get to it.
- To keep rats at bay, try making a 10 percent bleach solution with water in a spray bottle and spritz it around the outside of outdoor trash bags and trash cans.
“As soon as their tongues hit anything with bleach on it — it’s a no-go for them,” Corrigan said. “You’ll at least stop them from hitting your garbage, but they’ll likely head down the street to the next guy’s.”
The post What to know about rats and trash during the cold appeared first on Washington Post.
