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Rats
How property owners can help prevent the spread of invasive rats in BC
The Columbia Shuswap Invasive Species Society is advocating for Thompson-Okanagan area residents to stop the…
Why you better get used to living with rats in Kamloops, Okanagan
Rats. They damage buildings, electrical wires and crops with teeth that are sharp enough to…
Kelowna fourth rattiest place in Canada; Vernon in top 20
Kelowna is the third rattiest city in B.C. and the fourth rattiest in Canada. A…
Invasive rats are squeaking into new areas, expanding in B.C.
Rats moved into the Okanagan Valley roughly a decade ago and, left unchecked, their populations…
Kelowna, Vernon make top 10 rattiest cities in B.C. list
Kelowna and Vernon are in the top 10 of the rattiest cities in British Columbia,…
If poison isn’t the answer, how should the Interior get rid of its rat infestation?
Experts won't even guess how many are here, and no one is entirely sure how…
You dirty rat: The vermin have spread to the Shuswap
Residents in the Shuswap trying to deal with a growing rat problem, weren’t likely to…
Vernon and Kelowna make top 20 list of ‘rattiest’ cities in B.C.
Two Okanagan cities have made a rather infamous provincewide list. Pest control company ORKIN Canada…
Got rats? The B.C. SPCA has some tips on how to keep them away
Rats used to be far from B.C. but they've made their way into the Thompson-Okanagan…
5 things you can do right now to avoid attracting rats
After 20 years of living in Vernon's East Hill neighbour, Clint Batchelor had never seen…
Looking for a forever home; Kamloops SPCA pet of the week
KAMLOOPS – Two is better than one in the case of brothers Dexter and Pixel…
West Kelowna wants to take rat problem to the province
WEST KELOWNA – West Kelowna city hall has received so many rat complaints they want…
Tips on how to rat proof your Okanagan home for winter
KELOWNA – Across the Okanagan residents are getting ready for winter. And so are rats…
Homeowners beware: That scratching sound you hear could be rats in the roof
PENTICTON – With the arrival of autumn and cooler temperatures here in the Thompson-Okanagan, an…
Winter perfect time to control rodent infestations
KELOWNA - Winter is the perfect time to trap and kill rats and mice, the City of Kelowna says. Cold weather limits food sources forcing the rodents to search further afield for food, including inside houses, urban forestry supervisor Blair Stewart says in a media release. Baited traps are more effective during food scarcity, Stewart...
Another former tenant of Penticton rental speaks out about rat issue
PENTICTON - Another former tenant of a Penticton rental house says he was forced out of the house because of rodent issues. Bram Avery told Infonews he and his wife rented the house, located at 292 Kinney Ave., prior to Linda Childs, who moved out last month because rats were overrunning the property. Avery says...
Rats don’t deserve to suffer horrible deaths: B.C. SPCA
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - As the topic of rats and how to deal with their rising numbers becomes a more common conversation in the Thompson-Okanagan, the SPCA is reminding the public even pests deserve to be treated humanely. Sara Dubois, the chief scientific officer for the B.C. SPCA, says many rat extermination practices are inhumane and potentially...
City not much help in downtown Kelowna rat battle
KELOWNA - Just because you’ve never seen a rat, doesn’t mean Kelowna doesn’t have rats. Just ask Gary Mandl, who never saw a rat in his downtown Kelowna neighbourhood until his neighbours started composting last year. “We went from zero rats to all of a sudden being able to catch a rat, reload the trap...
Rat infestation forces Penticton woman to leave home
PENTICTON - Linda Childs thought she was moving into the perfect home and it was. For rats. She didn’t notice anything before she moved into the Kinney Street home two years ago with her two grandchildren, ages 5 and 7, until a neighbour let her know. “My neighbours were telling me the last few tenants...
Everything you wish you didn’t need to know about rats in the Thompson-Okanagan
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - Just a few years ago, Thompson-Okanagan residents didn’t have to worry about rats invading attic spaces or chewing up electrical wires, simply because the rodent was a rarity in these parts. That's all changed. Steve Ball owns BugMaster Pest Control, which services the North, Central and South Okanagan, and he says rat complaints...
Rats are here to stay; Kelowna ramps up eradication efforts
KELOWNA - Rats were once unknown in the Okanagan but in recent years have suddenly become firmly established. That’s the conclusion of urban forestry supervisor Blair Stewart in a report to Kelowna city council that says above all, rats are here to stay. Stewart says black rats may have been accidently introduced and separate populations...
Naramata residents get help in dealing with problem rats
PENTICTON - Naramata residents dealing with a rat problem are getting some help from the regional district. Regional District Naramata Director Karla Kozakevich says the community developed a problem with rats last summer and fall, with sightings and evidence of rats seen in increasing numbers in the downtown area of the community. Problems with rats...
Okanagan rats ‘a part of life’
KELOWNA - What started out as rumour is now being supported by some facts, but the Regional District believes that the recent focus on rats in the Okanagan is neither unusual nor cause for alarm. “From our perspective, these instances are very isolated and there is nothing that the District is considering at this time,”...
Warm homes make great rat nests
KELOWNA – You might not be the only one coming in from the cold this fall. With temperatures starting to drop and central heating kicking in, a warm household will be a welcome sign for some animal neighbours – like the rat. Orkin Pest Control customer service representative Cheryl says it's that time of year...