Nutley Battles Rats After ‘Perfect Storm’ Of Weather, Construction

NUTLEY, NJ — A “perfect storm” of weather and construction have contributed to an explosion in the rat population in Nutley, town officials said Monday.

Noting that the town isn’t alone in the region when it comes to its rise in rodent residents, Nutley officials said that although they have hired an exterminator, they are asking the town’s human residents to pitch into the prevention efforts, too.

“We are fully aware of the problem and are addressing it on a daily basis,” Commissioner John Kelly said.

According to Kelly, who serves as the director of the Department of Public Affairs, there has been an “unprecedented surge of activity” in Nutley and other nearby municipalities, including the town’s neighbor across the Hudson River. Read More: NYC Rat Battle Scurries Forward With New 'Squeaky Clean' Laws, Mayor Says

“New York City, for example, experienced 1,000 more rodent complaints by May 2022 than it had in all of 2021,” Kelly said.

“However, as a community, if we remain diligent and follow our recommendations, we can control the influx of wildlife and rodent activity,” Kelly added.

Nutley officials said the town has hired an exterminator who has had experience dealing with the problem in neighboring towns such as Montclair and Bloomfield. The company is working near the Kingsland Manor, where the situation has escalated due to the much-delayed completion of work on Clifton’s Kingsland Avenue Bridge.

However, the participation and cooperation of the community is imperative to their efforts, officials added.

Tips for Nutley residents include:

“Rodent prevention begins with eliminating any potential food, water and harborage source for rodents, vermin and insects. This includes properly storing garbage in proper trash receptacles and securing it from wildlife with a lid. Residents need to be cognizant of the negative impact on the community due to laxed property maintenance and trash disposal methods, and are encouraged to place trash into trash cans properly covered with lids. This act will directly help prevent a surge of rodents.”

Learn more tips and see more information about the town’s rodent prevention campaign here.

“Unfortunately, it has been a perfect storm due to COVID, Hurricane Ida, and the heavy rains and floods we’ve experienced recently,” Commissioner Mauro Tucci said.

“We are seeing other towns having similar situations,” the director of the Department of Parks and Public Property added.

“It’s something that will take time to get under control,” Tucci said. “And we will get it under control. But having our residents’ cooperation is crucial to speeding up the process of eliminating the problem.”

Monday’s appeal isn’t the only time in recent history that Nutley officials have reached out to local residents for help with the rat problem.

In August, town officials issued a similar plea for better trash control efforts, noting that every garbage can needs to meet the town’s ordinance. Read More: Rodents Multiply In Nutley; Town Asks For Public's Help With Trash

Other towns in Essex County have launched efforts to address rodent issues in recent years.

In 2019, the Bloomfield Health Department announced that it was seeing an increase in “rodent activity.” Health officials said the rise in rodent population may have been due to several factors, including repeated mild winters, aging infrastructure/redevelopment and improper trash management. Read More: Bloomfield Continues Ratrace: 'Rodent Control' Efforts Underway

Send local news tips and correction requests to eric.kiefer@patch.com. Learn more about advertising on Patch here. Find out how to post announcements or events to your local Patch site. Don’t forget to visit the Patch Belleville-Nutley Facebook page.