D.C.'s rat problem might have gotten worse
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It already looks like there may be an increase this year in 311 service requests about rats this year, Gerard Brown, the program manager for the DC Health Rodent and Vector Control Division, tells Axios.
What’s happening: With more people working from home, the city has seen more calls for rat abatement.
By the numbers: There have been 6,141 service requests so far this year to address rats in D.C. Last year, 13,373 requests were made.
How it works: When DC Health gets a call for a rat infestation, they treat the rat burrows with a combination of powdered rodenticide and carbon monoxide to suffocate the rodents.
- At a treatment outside an apartment building in Brightwood last Friday, workers injected the rodenticide into holes, then covered them with dirt as some rats tried to flee.
- The city will then return to the site of the complaint in 14 days to see if the problem is solved or if they need to re-treat the area, Brown says.
Be smart: D.C. says residents should keep tight lids on trash cans and prevent them from overflowing to avoid attracting rats.
- Residents can call 311 with rodent complaints.