Residents of Swift Current, Sask., are being urged to protect their properties against hordes of hairy, gnawing newcomers that are looking for comfy new digs in southwestern Saskatchewan.
The city, 250 kilometres west of Regina, is continuing to battle a rat problem that has residents nervously monitoring nooks and crannies in backyards and outbuildings.
Residents say rats began migrating into the city earlier this year. Their arrival followed the demolition of an abandoned livestock feedlot east of the city.
Some say the demolition forced the rats out of their existing homes and into new areas, a claim the city denies.
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Earlier this month, the City of Swift Current issued an advisory to its 16,000 residents, urging them to clean up their yards and ensure migrating rats don’t find an inviting place to set up residence for the winter.
City officials refused to comment on the problem last week, but have emphasized that property owners are responsible for cleaning their yards and maintaining rat-free properties.
City Hall has warned residents that if they fail to clean up high-risk properties, city officials will have the properties cleaned up at the owners’ expense.
Although the extent of the rat problem is hard to estimate, Travis Quirk, pest control co-ordinator with the Provincial Council of Agriculture Development and Diversification (ADD) Boards, said the Swift Current problem continues to concern municipal and provincial pest control officers.
“The southwest corner of the province is kind of a drier, more arid area so it usually has fewer infestation problems,” he said.
“But Swift Current is definitely kind of a hot spot right now. There are going to be rats in there and it’s going to take time to deal with (the problem). It’s nothing that’s going to be solved overnight.”
The Saskatchewan government began a formal rat control program in the 1960s and has worked ever since to control rat populations.
In 2008, Saskatchewan rural municipalities and regional ADD boards employed approximately 130 pest control officers.
Reports filed by the officers provide data for an annual rat infestation map that shows areas where rat infestations were recorded.
Quirk said pest control officers recorded 3,000 infestations in 2008.
In general, infestations are more common in eastern Saskatchewan where ground cover is denser and water more plentiful.
“The number of infestations varies a little bit from year to year but you’ll usually have some spots in the province, mostly in the eastern part, where there’s a little bit more activity.”
Quirk said farmers can take steps to reduce the likelihood of infestation: cutting grass and eliminating ground cover, removing standing water, eliminating grain piles and other potential feed sources, and demolishing old farm buildings, especially those with wooden floors.
“There are things that a rat needs to live,” Quirk said.
“They need something to eat, they need something to drink and they need a place to live. If you can eliminate any one of those or all three, then you’re going to reduce your chances of having an infestation.”
Control funding
The Saskatchewan government recently increased annual funding for rat control to $600,000 from $540,000.
Most of the money is used to hire local pest control officers and pay for rat control efforts.
The Provincial Council of ADD Boards distributes the money on behalf of the province. It also retains funds for educational programming, awareness and co-ordination of provincial rat control efforts.
Quirk said provincial money distributed through the council is intended to be used only by RMs.
Urban municipalities are responsible for funding their own control measures.
“Swift Current, because it is a urban centre, is outside of the scope of our program,” Quirk said.
“The cities are responsible for any problems within their own city limits.”
For more information on how farmers can reduce the risk of rat infestations, go to www.agriculture.gov.sk.ca/ and enter “rat control” in the quick search function.
