SC has one of the most rat infested places in the US for 2023, Orkin says. Here’s where
Rats!
Pest extermination company Orkin recently released its annual Top 50 Rattiest Cities and this year a South Carolina metro area made the list. Not only that, but the region ranked higher on the list than it did last year.
So what is this South Carolina region in question?
It’s the Greenville-Spartanburg metro area, which ranked 32nd on the list — 10 spots higher than it did the previous year. What types of rat would you likely find there?
Well, according to Palmetto Exterminators, the most common rat in South Carolina is the brown rat, which originated from Mongolia and China. The brown rat prefers urban environments and can often be found in sewers, scavenging for trash.
The growing Greenville area has mainly earned accolades and ‘best of’ rankings from various publications in recent years. Just this year so far the Greenville area has earned a top spot among best South Carolina cities to live in for 2023, best place in the state to call home and was ranked one of the best places to retire in the South.
But while getting a spot among the Orkin ranking is not great, the Greenville-Spartanburg metro area is still fairly far down on the list. Chicago again made the top spot for the ninth year in a row, followed by Los Angeles in second and New York in third.
Rattiest city methodology
Orkin ranked metro regions by the amount of new rodent treatments performed from Sept. 1, 2022 to Aug. 31, 2023. The rankings include both residential and commercial pest control treatments.
Cities on the list are based on the number of new rodent services, showcasing the demand and indicating the efforts residents and businesses of the top cities have taken to treat rodent issues, Orkin states.
Signs of rodent infestation
Here are a few of the more common signs that you might have a rat or rodent infestation in your home.
- Bite marks: Mice are known to bite through walls and wiring.
- Droppings: Rodent droppings can often be found in places where food is stored, such as kitchen cabinets or pantries and inside cardboard boxes.
- Rub marks: Rats will often leave dark grease or dirt marks along walls and floorboards as they move along their trail between food and their nest.
- Nests: Rodents like to nest in secluded spots. Be on the lookout for shredded paper products, cotton and packing materials, which rodents like to use to make nests.
- Strange noises: Scurrying in the walls or in an attic could mean a rodent family is there.
This story was originally published October 26, 2023 at 6:00 AM.
