In recent years there have been several impactful articles about rising rat populations in the Seattle area, including Bellevue. The first article was titled “Brief history of rats in the Puget Sound region – and the problem they present” from this link:

Brief history of rats in the Puget Sound region – and the problem they present | Bellevue Reporter

Some interesting parts from that article:

“We realized that control of rats was more intensive,” Trefts said. “It became the main thing. It was obvious that it was widespread.”

He said semi-rural communities, like Bellevue, in which suburban communities were built wall-to-wall next to one another, provided shelter and sustenance for the highly adaptable rodents.

Trefts said the newly built homes, with dark rat-cozy spaces in the walls and crawl spaces, provided “perfect” nests for families of rats. He said simple overlooked details like overfilled birdfeeders and grease from barbecues were just enough for rats to sustain themselves.

Rats have even been noted as having eaten dog droppings from a residential lawn.

Trefts and his peers began to notice they could work to keep the rats out of a home, but not the neighborhood, because they were “really well established.”

Trefts believes that the Puget Sound region has more rats per capita than New York City, mostly because New York has a higher population density and vertical skyrises that can shelter rats.

The next article was titled “Rats in Seattle: They’re creepy, clever and everywhere, but there is help”. Here are some parts from that article:

YES, RATS DO come up toilets. Yes, it’s a startling and scary image: those beady eyes, pointy front incisors, long scaly tails, their rhythmic sniffing. Sniffing for what?

Rats in Seattle: They’re creepy, clever and everywhere, but there is help | The Seattle Times

Another article was titled “Rising rat populations cost locals thousands in repairs”. Below are some sections of interest:

Rats have been a growing problem in Seattle and on the Eastside over the past decade. Their natural attraction to urban areas creates numerous problems for locals — some are simple inconveniences while some cost thousands of dollars.

“They eat from my antifreeze and transmission fluid,” said Igor Rozmarih. “Every morning I wake up and I don’t know if I [can] drive or not… I’m afraid.”

Rozmarih lives in a Bellevue condo complex near the Bellevue Aquatic Center. He and his neighbors recently and suddenly were infested with rats that were climbing into their cars and causing severe damage.

An engine compartment emulates a rat’s natural habitat as an enclosed, warm space with various tubes and wires they see as vines and branches. They’ll climb into the compartment during the night and by the time Rozmarih wakes up and starts his car, the damage is already done.

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Diseases have become far less of a problem in modern urban areas with the advent of modern medicine and increase in overall health. So, while rats are inherently a large health problem, the most immediate problem for humans is the damage they cause.

Experts have numerous theories as to why rat populations are booming, according to Wikstrom.

“There are only theories, even the Ph.D. taxonomists, entomologists and rodentologists spend their lifetime studying these issues,” Wikstrom said.

He points to the overall rise in average temperature in the past 10 to 15 years as the one he believes to be most likely.

“Measurably speaking we know there’s been a change in the earth’s climate,” Wikstrom added. “How it got there is a whole different discussion of course.”

Rats reproduce very rapidly throughout the year, Wikstrom said. One rat can produce 20 to 40 rats in a year with four to six litters of six to 14 rats. However, rats will reproduce as long as the weather permits, so as it stays warmer later in the year, rats are able to produce one or two more litters each year.

Thus, the population increase becomes exponential as each of those rats can produce more rats each year.

Rising rat populations cost locals thousands in repairs | Bellevue Reporter

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