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Rats

Winter perfect time to control rodent infestations

KELOWNA - Winter is the perfect time to trap and kill rats and mice, the City of Kelowna says. Cold weather limits food sources forcing the rodents to search further afield for food, including inside houses, urban forestry supervisor Blair Stewart says in a media release. Baited traps are more effective during food scarcity, Stewart...

Another former tenant of Penticton rental speaks out about rat issue

PENTICTON - Another former tenant of a Penticton rental house says he was forced out of the house because of rodent issues. Bram Avery told Infonews he and his wife rented the house, located at 292 Kinney Ave., prior to Linda Childs, who moved out last month because rats were overrunning the property. Avery says...

Rats don’t deserve to suffer horrible deaths: B.C. SPCA

THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - As the topic of rats and how to deal with their rising numbers becomes a more common conversation in the Thompson-Okanagan, the SPCA is reminding the public even pests deserve to be treated humanely. Sara Dubois, the chief scientific officer for the B.C. SPCA, says many rat extermination practices are inhumane and potentially...

City not much help in downtown Kelowna rat battle

KELOWNA - Just because you’ve never seen a rat, doesn’t mean Kelowna doesn’t have rats. Just ask Gary Mandl, who never saw a rat in his downtown Kelowna neighbourhood until his neighbours started composting last year. “We went from zero rats to all of a sudden being able to catch a rat, reload the trap...

Rat infestation forces Penticton woman to leave home

PENTICTON - Linda Childs thought she was moving into the perfect home and it was. For rats. She didn’t notice anything before she moved into the Kinney Street home two years ago with her two grandchildren, ages 5 and 7, until a neighbour let her know. “My neighbours were telling me the last few tenants...

Everything you wish you didn’t need to know about rats in the Thompson-Okanagan

THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - Just a few years ago, Thompson-Okanagan residents didn’t have to worry about rats invading attic spaces or chewing up electrical wires, simply because the rodent was a rarity in these parts. That's all changed.  Steve Ball owns BugMaster Pest Control, which services the North, Central and South Okanagan, and he says rat complaints...

Rats are here to stay; Kelowna ramps up eradication efforts

KELOWNA - Rats were once unknown in the Okanagan but in recent years have suddenly become firmly established. That’s the conclusion of urban forestry supervisor Blair Stewart in a report to Kelowna city council that says above all, rats are here to stay. Stewart says black rats may have been accidently introduced and separate populations...

Okanagan rats ‘a part of life’

KELOWNA - What started out as rumour is now being supported by some facts, but the Regional District believes that the recent focus on rats in the Okanagan is neither unusual nor cause for alarm. “From our perspective, these instances are very isolated and there is nothing that the District is considering at this time,”...

Warm homes make great rat nests

KELOWNA – You might not be the only one coming in from the cold this fall. With temperatures starting to drop and central heating kicking in, a warm household will be a welcome sign for some animal neighbours – like the rat. Orkin Pest Control customer service representative Cheryl says it's that time of year...