Baltimore Metro Area Ranked Among Areas With Most Rats

BALTIMORE, MD — The Baltimore metro area is one of the 50 “rattiest” in America. It was listed in the top 10 among Orkin’s annual rankings and climbed up from No. 12 in last year's survey.

The Baltimore metro area was ranked 8th on the latest list, which Orkin based on the number of new residential and commercial rodent treatments performed from Sept. 1, 2019, to Aug. 31, 2020.

Chicago has held the top rank every year since Orkin began the study in 2015.

The five “rattiest cities” — Chicago, Los Angeles, New York, Washington, D.C., and San Francisco — held steady in the same spots as the 2019 rankings.

Detroit, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Denver and Minneapolis rounded out the top 10.

Rodents have become more apparent during the coronavirus pandemic as the closure of restaurants sent them scrambling for food, according to a spokesperson for the company.

"Without restaurant waste to dine on, they started scavenging new areas, often into residential communities that were still producing food waste," Ben Hottel, Orkin’s technical services manager, said in a statement to Patch.

Orkin has shared these five tips on how best to keep rats and mice out of the home.

• Do not leave out food. Small crumbs and garbage are popular food sources, as are dry goods such as grains and cereals. These should be kept in sealed metal or glass containers to prevent contamination.
• Avoid cluttered spaces. Cardboard objects prove attractive to rodents, which tend to chew them up for use in nests. Take advantage of your extra time at home to clean and organize crowded spaces around the house.
• Do not let the landscaping run wild. Tall grass and wood piles can be ideal habitats for rodents. Tree branches in contact with homes can also offer rodents easy access to the upper levels of your home where they may find a way into the attic.
• Inspect both inside and outside your home for rodent droppings, burrows and rub marks along baseboards and walls. The more quickly rodents are detected, the better.
• Look for possible entry points outside your home and seal cracks and holes if any are found. Install weather strips around entryways, especially under doors, to help block rodents from sneaking inside.

— By Tim Moran and Elizabeth Janney

See Also: Baltimore At No. 12 On Rattiest Cities List For 2019