New York has risen in the ranking of the most "rat" cities in America, but not yet in first place

If you think New York City has a serious rat problem, don't go to the Midwest, advises NBC New York.

Pest control company Orkin has published its list of the "most ratted" cities in the US. And while New York has indeed climbed the list, another city has been winning the #1 spot for eight years in a row. That dubious distinction belongs to Chicago, which has taken the top spot every year since 2015.

But that's where the good news for the Big Apple ends. The metropolis, having switched places with Los Angeles, which fell to 3rd place, has indeed moved up to second place on the list.

There's a newcomer to the top 20 this year, and this city isn't too far from here. Hartford, Connecticut ranked 19th. While three other New York State cities made the top 50: Albany (34), Buffalo (39) and Syracuse (42).

Orkin has ranked metro regions by the number of new rodent treatments carried out from September 1, 2021 to August 31, 2022. This ranking includes both residential and commercial treatments.

“Rodent infestation is one of the top pest problems in the fall and winter seasons,” said Ben Hottell, Orkin entomologist. “Mice and rats are not only a nuisance, but also spread many dangerous diseases, including salmonella and hantavirus.”

On the subject: New York is changing the garbage collection system: your daily routine will have to change

The high ranking of New York should not be surprising. The number of rat complaints across the city increased by 9% in the first 2022 months of 71 compared to the same period in 2020, according to new government data. By the end of September, more than 21 messages had been received.

Complaints about rats spiked for the first time in 2021. And many have blamed the spike in rat numbers on outdoor dining facilities that were built during the pandemic. But even as some restaurants have rebuilt their outdoor dining pavilions, the parasite problem has not gone away.

Over the summer, New York City Council members introduced a five-point “rat control action plan” to address the issue, which includes rat-proof trash cans. It is expected to be implemented in October.

The Department of Sanitation put forward its idea back in July: to change the time of taking out the garbage on the street so that the rodents do not have time to smell food waste and go after them.

Garbage can now be taken to the curb at 16:00 the day before the scheduled collection. But DSNY wants New Yorkers to do it later - around 20:00 pm.

Their idea has one exception: if the garbage ends up in the bin, it can be thrown out a little earlier, at 18:00. The department believes that by reducing the amount of time litter is outside, there will be fewer rats as they have less access to food.