Rats invade during hot, dry summer
Saturday - 8/11/2012, 11:59am ET
WASHINGTON - Whether creeping in an alley, sniffing through trash or darting across your feet, you may have noticed more rats on the sidewalks. Experts say there is a good reason for that.
"It's the drought," says exterminator John Adcock. "We're just not getting the rain water flushing the sewer lines out."
He says the lack of rain has made sewers too toxic even for rodents, so more are joining us above ground. And excessive construction isn't helping, either.
But there is some good news.
"For the most part, it seems like they have declined a bit as far as them getting into people's homes," Adcock says.
But when the weather cools down, keep an eye out. The rats might still find a way inside even though they can pretty shy, according to Adcock.
WTOP's Thomas Warren contributed to this report. Follow WTOP on Twitter.
(Copyright 2012 by WTOP. All Rights Reserved.)
