RATS! RODENT INVASION FORECAST VERMIN SEEKING REFUGE FROM DROUGHT CONDITIONS.Byline: Dana Bartholomew Staff Writer They squeal through the kitchen, patter pat·ter 1 v. pat·tered, pat·ter·ing, pat·ters v.intr. 1. To make a quick succession of light soft tapping sounds: Rain pattered steadily against the glass. about the walls, leave droppings in the pantry and spread disease throughout the house. Rats. Los Angeles County health officials are warning that winter drought may drive rodents into yards and homes this summer in search of food and water. But for Brady Cline, who recently had rats removed from his Woodland Hills home, the infestation infestation /in·fes·ta·tion/ (-fes-ta´shun) parasitic attack or subsistence on the skin and/or its appendages, as by insects, mites, or ticks; sometimes used to denote parasitic invasion of the organs and tissues, as by helminths. came all too soon. ``We heard them in the walls,'' said Cline, 28, who rents a two-story home south of Ventura Boulevard. ``It's scary: You wonder if you'll wake up with (rats) on your face.'' Health officials and pest exterminators say such interlopers INTERLOPERS. Persons who interrupt the trade of a company of merchants, by pursuing the same business with them in the same place, without lawful authority. may be prevalent this summer as rats, mice and other critters scurry out of the foothills seeking suburbs of relief. In addition to drawing coyotes into lush valley neighborhoods, rodents can also bear plague, typhus typhus, any of a group of infectious diseases caused by microorganisms classified between bacteria and viruses, known as rickettsias. Typhus diseases are characterized by high fever and an early onset of rash and headache. , hantavirus hantavirus, any of a genus (Hantavirus) of single-stranded RNA viruses that are carried by rodents and transmitted to humans when they inhale vapors from contaminated rodent urine, saliva, or feces. There are many strains of hantavirus. and legions of bacteria that can contaminate con·tam·i·nate v. 1. To make impure or unclean by contact or mixture. 2. To expose to or permeate with radioactivity. con·tam·i·nant n. food, utensils and household items. ``Rodents are pretty serious,'' said Dr. Jonathon Fielding, director of Los Angeles County Public Health Services health services Managed care The benefits covered under a health contract . ``You don't want rats, mice and squirrels around if you have a choice.'' It won't take the Pied Piper to rid Los Angeles of its vermin vermin /ver·min/ (ver´min) 1. an external animal parasite. 2. such parasites collectively.ver´minous ver·min n. pl. , however. Keeping homes sealed up and yards devoid of food and potential burrows can ward off infestation of house mice, roof rats and sewer rats. ``There has always been a rodent problem in Los Angeles County,'' said Grace Shin, a senior inspector for the public health Vector Management Program. ``Because we haven't had much rainfall, there will be less foliage for them in the hills and vacant lots, they will most likely have to forage where food is available - in peoples' yards and inside their homes and garages.'' ``It's a pretty good year for rats,'' said Brad Dusatko, owner of Protector Pest Control, a rat specialist who purged Cline's house of rodents. ``Rats will eat tomatoes, squash, dog food, fruits - and escargo.'' ``It's scary stuff,'' added Robin Carpenter of Expert Pest Control of Mission Hills. ``They can get into auto engines, they chew on wires, they love attics and subfloors. They can be nightmares.'' A Home Depot spokesman said six San Fernando Valley San Fernando Valley Valley, southern California, U.S. Northwest of central Los Angeles, the valley is bounded by the San Gabriel, Santa Susana, and Santa Monica mountains and the Simi Hills. stores report steady sales of rat poison and traps, with two reporting abnormally high sales. It took Cline and his roommates numerous nightmares before they finally called the exterminator. ``It sounded like they were trapped and were trying to dig out'' of the walls, he said. ``We had to throw shoes at the wall. ``Order has been restored, and sleep patterns are going back to normal.'' RAT FACTS To ward off rodents, experts recommend: --Placing garbage and storing pet food and bird seed in rodent-proof containers. --Clearing yards of dog feces, snails and fallen fruits and nuts. --Trimming vegetation, raising woodpiles and clearing items a foot from fences. --Plugging holes larger than 1/4 inch in walls and foundations. To rid homes and yards of furry pests, experts recommend: --Removing droppings and nests with rubber gloves and paper towels and disinfecting contaminated contaminated, v 1. made radioactive by the addition of small quantities of radioactive material. 2. made contaminated by adding infective or radiographic materials. 3. an infective surface or object. surfaces. --Setting mechanical traps, glue boards or rodent poison. --Calling a professional exterminator. CAPTION(S): photo, box Photo: Kent Fowler of Protector Pest Control gathers mousetraps from a Woodland Hills home on Friday. Experts are forecasting a banner year for rodents. Joe Binoya/Special to the Daily News Box: RATS FACTS (see text) |
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