While rats are active year-round, sightings tend to increase from late summer to early winter, as the animals prepare to find a warm place to nest and gather a food stash for colder months.
That’s no different in Forest Park, where Steve Glinke, director of the village’s department of public health and safety, says he’s hearing an increasing number of reports of rats around town.
“We’ve had an outbreak of rats that’s literally without precedent. It’s randomly distributed from north to south, east to west,” Glinke told the Review. “Never have I seen anything like this,” he added, saying that residents are reporting rats in locations that historically haven’t experienced them.
Glinke said the spike in the number of rats can likely be attributed to garbage build-up or feeding wildlife.
“The community-wide spike went up during Covid because [people] never left the house and they were generating double the garbage at home than they normally did,” Glinke said.
He mentions a recent rat outbreak in the 500 block of Circle Avenue, where one resident was “pouring birdseed on the ground,” Glinke said.
To address the issue, Glinke said he goes door-to-door to affected houses, offering a free rodent treatment sponsored by the village. He also suggests an ongoing treatment plan with Smithereen Pest Management Services for $150 for three visits, a 50% discount from the usual price.
Glinke said the village quelled the rat issue on the 500 block of Circle Avenue in about a week, getting no new hits on set bait traps or reports of rat sightings.
If you see a rat, rather than calling the village to report a sighting, try to first have an idea about where it’s nesting or eating. If you can provide such information, Glinke said he’ll come to the property to tell residents what to look for and avoid.
“We need to jump on these things,” Glinke said. “You can try to educate, but there are still going to be people who let their garbage overflow or feed wildlife,” he added about what he usually tells residents dealing with rats.
In order to decrease the number of rats in Forest Park, residents can do a few simple things. Make sure your garbage isn’t overflowing and compost bins are rodent-proof. If you have a bird feeder, be sure to regularly sweep up seeds, and pick up dog poop so the rodents don’t have anything to feed on. And regularly mow your grass and manage weeds to restrict the options rats have to burrow. If you have information about rat nests or food sources, contact the health and safety department at (708) 615-6284.