Recent complaints of “cat-sized rats” in Allston have spurred residents and city officials to attempt to control rat infestation.
Although rats are an inevitable downside to city life, residents say that the rat problem in Allston has gotten out of hand.
“You just see them scurry across and you’re just like, ‘Oh my God!’ You’re not sure if it was a rat or a cat,” said Simon Zohar, a Sargent College of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences junior.
Zohar, who has been an Allston resident for two years, said anyone living in Allston could double as a rat expert.
“The closer you get to the train tracks, that’s where the biggest ones are,” Zohar said. He added that he thinks the rat population near the homes has been shrinking because of the growing number of house cats but “if the rats get big enough I think the cats will get scared away.”
Zohar said he tries to avoid the rats at all costs and makes sure to secure his garbage and keep his yard clean.
“There are no squirrels in the neighborhood, the rats have become the top of the food chain,” Zohar said. “It’s college students, rats and then anything else that may move.”
Boston City Councilor Jerry McDermott (Allston, Brighton) said he has been doing all he can to control the rat infestation problem in Allston by implementing a “rodent abatement” plan and educating residents about pest control.
“Whatever the cause, whether its newly arrived immigrants or college students, we are putting the food out there, like a buffet for the rats,” McDermott said.
McDermott said he sends out inspectors on a street-by-street, block-by-block basis in response to complaints. Because Allston has limited funding, the Boston Inspectional Services Department can only help those who call in sightings, he said.
McDermott has held two community meetings in August and September with a health inspector to educate residents and sent out pest control pamphlets to Allston residents in English, Spanish, Haitian Creole and Chinese to reach out to the culturally diverse community.
He said he did this because some older residents noticed newer residents were not properly disposing of their household trash.
“If you just leave a trash bag out, the rats come along and have a feast,” McDermott said.
As part of the extermination plan, inspectors are getting rid of ready food source and then baiting sewers and destroying the rats’ nests, often found in gardens.
“It’s not a problem that sprung up overnight, and it’s never going to go away,” McDermott said. “It’s going to take money to control and I’ve pledged money because I know that seeing a rat is upsetting and it’s certainly something that nobody should have to deal with in their neighborhood.”
John Meaney, the principal health inspector from the city’s Inspectional Services Department said that the department had received nine complaints about rats since Sept. 8, which complainants said was a result of construction near Lincoln Street.
“With construction sites, the ground is always moving and people are moving on the site,” Meaney said. “We try to make sure the food is contained properly but it’s a difficult area to control.”
When the department receives a call, Meaney said, inspectors immediately search the area.
Maria Mejia, of the Allston pest control company Exterminadora Mejia, said her company has been working with the Health Department in Allston to help alleviate the rat problem.
“Our work is continuous,” said Mejia, whose company has been focusing on pest control behind Empire Street. “They really are very smart so sometimes they’ll avoid the traps, and traps have to be put in safe places so cats or squirrels don’t get caught.”
Mejia said street rats, also called Norway rats, come out during the night to eat from dumpsters and trash barrels. She said some of Allston’s Norway rats have been up to a foot long, from nose to tail.
Allston advises residents to use metal, rodent-proof trash containers and to cover dumpsters, but rats often find new openings. Extermination consists of steps such as finding rat droppings, finding entryways near dumpsters, trash barrels or porches, setting bait and following up to check for new openings or activity, Mejia said.
“When the rats see something that they are not used to seeing every day, they will not go to the bait immediately, so you have to do frequent follow-ups,” Mejia said. She said Exterminadora Mejia does follow-ups for 15 to 20 days, to ensure the rats are gone from the area.