These Disease Carrying Pests Have Invaded & Spread In Tri-Cities

Two years ago my fiance was wondering what was eating a number of things out of her garden.  She had just put in a large stainless steel planter, then an overhang, to try and protect what she was growing.  Time and time again, crops were being eaten.  She tried traps, thinking it was a raccoon or a squirrel.  The traps never caught anything.

One night, as we were watching TV, we heard a loud bang outside.  The next morning she couldn't find anything in the yard.  A few days later her son found something dead in the front yard flower bed.  He didn't know what it was because he hadn't seen anything like it, but it had a gash in it's side from where it fell and hit the side of the metal bed.  It was over five pounds with black fur, and a thin charcoal gray tail.  A few months later, I would find out exactly what it was.

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It Was The First Time I Had Ever Seen One In Twenty-Five Years In The Tri-Cities

Last fall I was doing some work outside of her house when I walked around the corner.  laying dead on some gravel between the side of the house and the fence was a creature over five pounds with black fur and a thin charcoal grey tail.  I had seen something like it back east, but never here.  It was a large black rat!

Rats have become a growing problem in the Tri-Cities and it's like they arrived overnight.  While rats aren't native to North America, they've been on our continent for centuries.  Rats are more associated with urban areas, but have also found homes in rural areas for a number of reasons.  A string on Reddit has talked about finding rats in different housing developments like Creekstone in Kennewick and others in Richland.

Some of the things that may play a role in the increased rat population are:

• Construction - new construction affects all animal environments and force them further in or further out.  With rats it may well be further in.
• Food Waste - this is a standard anywhere.  It's why urban areas have so many issues with rats.  Overflowing dumpsters, garbage cans, and trash dumps are breeding grounds for rats, who breed faster than rabbits.
• Standing Water - believe it or not it isn't just mosquitos attracted to standing water.  If there is a water source, especially near unsecured food, you may see a colony of rats before you know it.
• Pets - It may sound creepy but there are plenty of people that keep rats as pets and black rats are some of the most popular.  It's not just lonely guys named "Willard" keeping rats anymore.  Of course you might not want to name your pet rat Ben just to be on the safe side.

There is one other thing that attracts rats more and more people in the Tri-Cities have started doing.

Raising Chickens

So many people in city limits have started raising chickens for their eggs.  In order to raise chickens you need to supply them with food and standing water, two things at the top of the rat attracting list.  Most people know someone who started raising chickens (particularly since COVID).  It's no guarantee the two go hand in hand, but if people are careless with feed, it could surprise you how fast you'll find a rat...or two.

There are a few people in our neighbor raising chickens.  Just last weekend I found another dead rat in the same spot.  This one looked more like a "traditional" rat size-wise, but it still had black fur and a long black tail, just smaller.  We do have predators that make rats part of their diet, (cats, owls, raccoons, and coyotes come to mind), but if you find the problem is getting out of hand call a professional.

Why Not Take Care Of It Myself?

You could, but traps don't always work, plus hit and miss could lead to more rats.  It's never wise to try laying poison on your own as you don't know what else may eat it by accident.  A professional will know exactly how to target and eradicate your rat problem without added casualties.  You can find a list of pest control companies in the area by clicking here.