Report: Connecticut city is one of the ‘rattiest’ in the country – Middletown Press

Rats are shown in this 2015 file photo.

Rats are shown in this 2015 file photo.

Photo: Sanjay Kanojia / AFP Via Getty Images

Rats are shown in this 2015 file photo.

Rats are shown in this 2015 file photo.

Report: Connecticut city is one of the 'rattiest' in the country

The fear of mice and rats is called musophobia, and anyone who has it might want to be wary of going to Hartford, Connecticut.

According to pest control company Orkin's annual ranking, Hartford has one of the biggest rat problems in the U.S. The "Top 50 Rattiest Cities List," ranks places based on "the number of new rodent treatments performed from September 1, 2019 to August 31, 2020."

Hartford comes in at number 27, and it's the only Connecticut city on the list. But experts say the state's rat problem may only be getting worse.

Pest control experts told Hearst Connecticut Media Group that the increase in rodent activity in Connecticut has been going on for a while, and the pandemic is having an effect on it because the food supply has changed since Connecticut went into lockdown in March.

No longer able to dine at the dumpster behind their favorite restaurants, the experts said, rats have been on the move, away from the closed businesses downtown and in the suburban shopping plazas and to the garbage cans behind our homes.

I havent been inundated with phone calls about rats, said Rocco Cambareri, owner of Insecta X in Norwalk. But I know for a fact that theres rats running around because of COVID.

It's an issue that's going on nation-wide, according to Orkin.

"In an unprecedented year, the visibility of rodents has increased, creating concern for homeowners and business owners alike. As reported in the Spring, the pandemic-driven closure of restaurants forced rodents to find new food sources," the site writes.

And even more troubling: "Without food waste to consume, these pests were seen scavenging new areas and exhibiting unusual or aggressive behavior," Orkin reports.

One thing that hasn't changed is that Chicago is the rattiest city in the country at least according to this report. The windy city ranked No. 1 on the list for the sixth consecutive year. Los Angeles came in at No. 2 and New York City at No. 3.

Local rat experts as well as Orkin's experts said that as the weather gets colder, rat sightings will only increase in homes and businesses as the critters seek warmth.

Rats are rats. Its not like they hibernate, Cambareri told Hearst Connecticut. But you see more of them in the fall and winter because they need warmth.

Additional reporting by Ed Stannard.

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Report: Connecticut city is one of the 'rattiest' in the country - Middletown Press