Why "rattiest city" rankings are so unreliable
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Illustration: Brendan Lynch/Axios
Terminix declared Chicago the sixth most rodent-infested U.S. city this week, contradicting the No. 2 ranking Orkin gave our lovely burg last year.
Why it matters: The ratings expose the variable nature of data used to create the lists, but they also give us a chance to burrow — like a rat — into the process and offer some hot rodent tips.
What they're saying: "Both companies are looking at their own service data, so the rankings can differ based on each company's service footprint, customer base and methodology," entomologist and Terminix technical service manager Emory Matts tells Axios.
- It's just "a snapshot of where we're seeing strong demand for professional rodent-control services. While it is not a literal census of the number of rats or mice in a city, it does tell us where people are experiencing enough rodent activity to seek professional help."
The intrigue: While talking further with Matts, we learned some weird and helpful things about rodents, including:
- Two of Chicago's biggest rat attractors this time of year "are poorly closed garbage cans or squash and pumpkin patches."
- While squirrels often store their food, rats eat on the spot, favoring "peach-flavored candy and strawberry-flavored protein shakes."
- Norway rats (the kind in Chicago) "are omnivores, so they'll eat dead squirrels and dead rats, whatever carcasses and stuff they find."
- Rodents "use their urine and feces as a message board like Nextdoor to let other mice know what's happening in the area …like hobo code."
On rat contraception pilot programs: "There's really no harm in it because [the bait] is not toxic, but there is a financial cost," Matts says. "At roughly $1 per [contraceptive] sausage per day, it can add up pretty quickly, and they have to not get tired of eating them."
The bottom line: Keep your garbage can closed tightly, avoid leaving peach-flavored candy around and take those rat lists with a grain of salt — or maybe sausage.