Record year for rats and mice in the attic, due to Hurricane Harvey

Wednesday, September 26, 2018
HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- Pest control companies are seeing a record year in rodent activity, thanks to Hurricane Harvey.

Tom Baldwin knew his phone wasn't ringing...but didn't know why.
[Ads /]
"The phone guy came out and looked at it and said something had chewed through the wire," said Baldwin.

He called a pest control company. "Yeah, they said it's roof rats."

Normally there's an offseason for rodent activity, but not this year.

"The populations have grown to a level it's never been anywhere close to over the last 35 years," said Raleigh Jenkins with ABC Home and Commercial Services.



Jenkins said, "Since Harvey, there has been a big change. There has been a huge increase in rodents that were nesting in other places that have up and moved into attics."
[Ads /]
Flooding brought the rats inside, Jenkins wants to keep them out.

"I can look at a house and in a couple seconds go - problem, problem, problem, problem," said Jenkins.

Jenkins says rodent proofing is all about plugging holes, "A mouse needs the size of a nickel and if you can stick a nickel in there, a rat or mouse will be able to get in there too."

Follow Katherine Marchand on Facebook and Twitter.
Copyright © 2024 KTRK-TV. All Rights Reserved.