I stumbled upon an article a couple of weeks ago titled, "Blame Rain for SC Marsh Rat Invasion". First off, people often call me, "Sandy, the Fearless". Okay, no one calls me that, but I like to think of myself as someone who isn't afraid of anything and doesn't hold any phobias. As most people are deathly afraid of spiders and bugs, I am deathly afraid of rodents. Rats, mice, you name it. I cringed when I read the title of the article, but I heard somewhere that the more you are exposed to your fear, the less you will be afraid of it. So I read the article.
Published on Nov. 24, 2012 and written by Tom Barton, the article discussed the increase in rat population in Hilton Head, South Carolina. Pest-control companies have been busy the past few weeks due to this problem. Billy Karijanian, director of operations for Critter Management on Hilton Head, said the population has exploded because of last winter being warmer than usual and plenty of rain this year. "A freeze last year would have killed off some of the population," Karijanian added. Abundance in food and water has also supported the rat population.
John Kaiser with island Pest Control on Hilton Head and education director at the LowCountry Institute Tony Mills mentioned that the rat population actually didn't increase by that much. They contested that due to high tides covering their habitats, these rats are ending up in people's yards and homes because there are fewer places for them to go. Other worries with the rats include health hazards and infectious diseases.
The hantavirus, a severe, sometimes fatal respiratory disease that kills about a third of those infected. There have been no reports of hantavirus in South Carolina in recent years, mentioned S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control spokesman Mark Plowden. The virus is located in the rodents' urine, droppings, and saliva, and primarily spread when people breathe in air contaminated with the virus. People can also get the virus by touching items contaminated with rodent urine, droppings or saliva, and then touching their nose or mouth.
The agency recommends removal of food, water, and items that produce shelters for rodents; covering gaps around fireplaces, walls, pipes, dorrs, vents, and etc. where rats and mice can get inside. Setting traps and cleaning up mouse and rate urine, droppings and nests with a disinfectant or mixture of bleach and water and also help mitigate againt this virus.
It's interesting that rain water can contribute to the "increase" of pests in residential areas. I've come to understand that though we (humans) often feel like we're on top of things, we're actually a part of a huge cycle within the environment. A part of us want to have contol of our surroundings and blame the environment when things go wrong, and this article is a perfect example of that. Being so afraid of rats, I appreciate the tips given at the end, but I certainly don't have to worry about a rat population (at least not yet) in Eau Claire.
Though this article didn't exactly cover a "hazard", I felt that it was important to be contributed into this blog for its environmental relevance. As we all know, the east coast was affected by Superstorm Sandy recently, and there has been a fear of the possibility of an increase in the rat population, specifically in New York (http://www.weather.com/news/winter-crab-dredging-20121123).
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