Pittsburgh One Of The Country's Top 50 'Rattiest' Cities
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PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- This is one list we don't want to be on: Pittsburgh is one of the country's top 50 "rattiest" cities.
Pest control service Orkin looked at the number of rodent treatments the company performed in major cities over the past year and determined the 50 "rattiest" cities in the country.
"They base it on the business we do. How many rat calls we have in the system every year," said Bryan Ritzert, an Orkin commercial branch manager in western Pennsylvania.
Pittsburgh landed the 22nd spot on the list. The number of rodent treatments in the city went down slightly from last year. In 2016, it was the 18th rattiest city in the United States.
Most of us may not see them here, but experts say the critters do come out at night to feast on what we've leave behind.
"Sewers, you know, they live in boroughs underneath sidewalks, around businesses, concrete, stuff like that," Ritzert said.
But this time of year they are also looking for warmer environments, and it doesn't take much of an opening for them to get in.
"It takes about a dime sized opening for a mouse, and, for a rat, a quarter size opening," says Ritzert.
Back to the listing, the following cities had the most rodent treatments over the past year:
- Chicago
- New York
- Los Angeles
- San Francisco - Oakland
- Washington, D.C.
- Philadelphia
- Detroit
- Baltimore
- Seattle - Tacoma
- Dallas - Ft. Worth
Chicago has topped Orkin's list for the past three years.
