Rat complaints increase in urban neighborhoods

County health officials warn residents to eliminate food sources

‘‘This year is a year we’re expecting a lot of complaints,” said Richard Lefebure, an environmental health specialist with Montgomery County Health and Human Services. ‘‘There are a large amount of mulberries, acorns on the ground. ... It’s been very moist, it’s been very wet, the conditions have been optimum for rats.”

The county typically receives 1,200 to 2,600 rat complaints per year, he said. Urban locations get the most rats, said Lefebure, citing downtown Bethesda, Silver Spring, Montgomery Village and Gaithersburg, where the problem is not limited to woodsy Deer Park.

Lefebure addressed about 60 city residents at a Deer Park community meeting with city officials earlier this month. Deer Park residents had complained that rats were entering the neighborhood through storm drains. Lefebure confirmed their reports.

The city ‘‘is becoming more urbanized — more people means more food,” he said. ‘‘We get more complaints related to storm drains in the dry summer months, June, July, August.”

Complaints of rats in garbage have increased 5 percent to 8 percent over the last three years as the county has decreased garbage collection to once a week, he said. Rats have emerged near drainage outflow around the county, including at Summit and Diamond Avenues, West Diamond Avenue and Water Street, Hutton Street and Rolling Road in Gaithersburg.

Deer Park residents complained of storm drains near Oakton and Deer Park Roads. ‘‘We have one running through our yard and we see critters coming through them all the time,” said Roger Dalman. ‘‘Feral cats, opossums, raccoons, rats.”

‘‘The big key is to eliminate food sources,” Lefebure said. ‘‘You can have a junk yard in your backyard and it will look like a rat hole, but if you don’t have any food sources there, you can’t have any rats.”

The area between Gaitherstowne Plaza shopping center and Freestate Apartments in the 200 block of Frederick Avenue is one of the city’s worst infestations, officials said.

‘‘It’s just an area where there is an abundant food source, a bunch of service businesses, a mulberry tree, a lot of Dumpsters,” said Kevin Roman, a city code enforcement officer. ‘‘Some of them have rusted bottoms and missing drain plugs, which create abundant food sources.”

Nearby sewage ditches and a drain pipe pose challenges, said Lefebure, who cited more than 100 rats infesting the spot. The pair plans to meet with site managers today to increase prevention measures.

Stacey Houser, property manager for Freestate Apartments, could not be reached for comment on Friday, but Lefebure said he was pleased with her cooperation, and that of the shopping center’s Domino’s Pizza, which has replaced its Dumpster.

The Dumpster area at Lilac Gardens, a 36-unit condominium complex at 17 Water St. recently saw a rat influx, now being addressed by exterminators, Lefebure said.

Rudy Salvino, who lives near a storm drain at the corner of Woodland Road and Tulip Drive in Deer Park, said he pulled back a swath of English ivy on his lot and found ‘‘three good-size rats.” He killed two of them with a two-by-four.

Residents who find burrows should use a professional exterminator and alert neighbors, said Lefebure. Poison baits should not be used outdoors, where they could harm animals or children, and dead rats should not be touched.

Keep Rats Away

Store garbage outside in cans with tight-fitting lids

Do not leave pet food outside or let bird food accumulate

Do not leave ripe fruit and vegetables in garden to decay

Do not place food scraps in compost piles

Remove piles of debris or building materials that may provide rodents shelter

Clear brush, weeds and heavy ground covers, especially around foundations

Source: Montgomery County Health and Human Services