The city of Dearborn published:
Mayor John B. O’Reilly directed the extensive deployment of 15 city inspectors today (Aug. 18) to beef up rodent control efforts across the city, and to educate residents about eliminating conditions that could lead to pest problems.
The current construction in the city has agrevated the problem, in addition to the warm weather.
Ongoing road, sewer and building construction projects throughout Dearborn have dislodged rodents from their underground homes, which has aggravated the usual warm weather increases in rodent activity.
So the city is going to educate residents about rodent control:
In addition, property owners may be unaware of the steps they can take to control the rodent population, which could lead to more pest activity.
Inspectors will only visit you if you or one of your neighbors asks for help.
Mayor O’Reilly directed Dearborn’s field inspectors on Friday to concentrate solely on visiting homeowners who have asked the city for help with rodent issues.
Normally the field inspectors are resolving problems with property maintenance issues in the neighborhoods, as well as rodent control requests, but were instructed to focus on rodents so that every household with a request into the city was visited today (Aug. 18).
Based on the field inspectors’ reports, rodent control supervisors will then follow up with property owners in need to further action, including the application of rodenticides that only can be used by certified professionals.
“While we help our residents every day with pest problems, it became clear that we could make a much bigger impact by hitting this issue hard and well across the city with all of our resources,” said Mayor O’Reilly.
“We’ve seen an increase in people contacting us, and at the same time, had some staff turnover that impacted our response time,” O’Reilly said. “I directed today’s action to make sure our residents with rodent issues understand we are here to assist them.”
Inspectors were assessing individual property conditions, such as the existence of food for rats and places for them to hide and reproduce. At every property with a call for service, inspectors left education material.
Rodents love areas with great hiding places, such as sheds, porches, and garages; and easy access to food, including bird seed, vegetable gardens, dog droppings and garbage scraps.
Some education the city provides on this topic:
An effective rodent control program starts with the elimination of conditions that the pests favor.
Here are some guidelines for successful rodent abatement.
- Eliminate food sources for rats
- Keep trash in the designated carts with lids closed.
- Remove and dispose of animal feces daily.
- Eliminate all food sources on your property, including pet food and bird seed. It is a violation of City ordinance to ground feed animals.
- Pick up and remove daily any fruit from trees, bushes or vines that fall to the ground, and remove vegetables from gardens as soon as they ripen.
- Keep yards clean.
- Avoid creating hiding places for rodents
- Keep all materials stored inside a garage.
- Woodpiles, when stored on an unpaved surface, should not be less than 9 inches from the ground.
- Compost must be containerized and kept at least 18 inches off the ground.
- Seal cracks, holes or breaks in foundations, and repair holes around pipes, screen doors, windows, vents, and other openings in the home.
- Outside steps should be made of masonry/concrete. Keep the space beneath wooden porches clean and free of clutter and debris.
- Keep grass cut below six inches in height, remove weeds, and keep low hanging trees and bushes trimmed up off the ground at least 12 inches to prevent rats from hiding there.
What not to do
Do not use commercially available rodenticides. Rats can become resistant to them, which can result in the rats becoming more difficult to eradicate.
Also, rodenticides that are improperly placed or used may be a danger to children, pets and non-target species. Such poisons are to be handled by professionals only.
What is the City’s role?
Residents seeking the city’s assistance may contact Vector Control at 313-943-2099. City inspectors will evaluate a situation and proceed with professional techniques, as required.
Please be aware that the City’s role has limitations, but residents are encouraged to call if they believe they have a problem on their property.
Sometimes there are complications when reporting a rat sighting. A rat could be crossing through one yard to get to another yard, for example, and not actually living on the property. So there may be no action that can be taken on the caller’s property because there is no rat infestation on their property.
Although some restrictions apply, there are laws that restrict inspectors from entering adjacent property without getting that property owner’s permission to look for signs of rodents.
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