Boston is currently battling against a swelling number of rats residing in the city. Due to the closure of multiple restaurants and businesses as a result of the pandemic, rats are migrating into residential areas of the city in search of new food sources. According to the data collected from Boston’s 311 app, which is used to report rat sightings, rat and rodent-related complaints increased by 48% from 2019 to 2021. Rats pose a public health issue as the Norwegian rat, the most common species in Boston, can spread diseases such as Hemorrhagic Fever with Renal Syndrome, Leptospirosis, and Salmonellosis to humans.

Thanks to Boston’s City Council President, Ed Flynn, whose jurisdiction includes Chinatown, south End, South Boston and Beacon Hill, the rat problem in Boston is taking center stage. Flynn has been a strong advocate for more aggressive pest control since he was elected to the Council in 2017. Sampan had the chance to speak with him earlier this month about the current effectiveness of our pest control measures and what the city plans to do to combat the growing population of rats.

Councilor Flynn, with Councilors Breadon, and Murphy, sponsored a docket that sought to increase the city’s pest control on the budget. The docket was passed with the support of Mayor Michelle Wu at a City Council hearing held on August 1st, and the increase will primarily be used to hire additional personnel for pest control. 

Currently, there are city departments working to control the rat population, including Inspectional Services, Public Works, and Boston Water and Sewer Commission. Flynn believes that there should be a more centralized approach to pest control,  such as a task force made up of city departments that coordinate and talk with each other and with residents every day in order to control the rat population.

As of now, there are 13 inspectors licensed to do pest control but none provide services over the weekend. Additionally, only four are bilingual which is an issue that Flynn is seeking to rectify. “We need to hire more personnel that speak Cantonese, Mandarin, Spanish and other languages spoken by the residents in our communities.  It’s important for us to actively recruit city employees that speak different languages, in order to deal effectively with quality of life issues and neighborhood concerns such as pest control, clean streets, [and] clean parks,” Flynn said. He asserted that effective communication with residents who don’t speak English as a first language is vital in areas like Chinatown, where the pattern of narrow streets and tightly packed buildings lead to higher levels of rat propagation. 

Flynn described his plan to make the 311 app more accessible. “We need to make more progress on outreach to the residents across the city in many languages. So that’s going to be an important issue that I will focus on over the next several months.”

There is no single cause for the increased presence of rats, but improper trash disposal is a major contributing factor. In areas like Chinatown, where there’s no room on the sidewalks or behind buildings for trash barrels, trash bags are left on the pavement making the trash an easy and accessible food source for rats. Additionally, early morning trash pick-up times in neighborhoods like Beacon Hill encourages residents to leave their trash out the night before which invites rats to eat all night under the cover of darkness. When asked about how to rectify these issues, Flynn stated that “There’s not one specific thing that we can do to change the overall way we address pest control. It’s about working together, listening to the residents’ concerns and their ideas. It’s about implementing policies that work for the residents and (at the same time) will address public health issues.”

The city is reviewing solutions for obstacles presented by the denser and tighter areas in Boston. A pilot program that will take place in Chinatown is currently being planned and studied by Mayor Wu and Councilor Flynn’s offices. One possible course of action being considered is the placement of community dumpsters on every street where multiple businesses and residents can dispose their trash. 

“Abandoned infrastructures” also exacerbate the pest problem. When new buildings are built in Boston, the old abandoned infrastructure is often left in the ground so they become a network of old pipes and wood that rats can use as homes. Flynn’s response to this aspect of the rat problem is to insure that contractors “provide the appropriate level of pest control services in and around [new] development[s], the construction site and in the neighborhood— and that they are inspected by city officials as well.”

Flynn also described that the city currently has two carbon monoxide machines, called the BurrowRx. They fill rat burrows with deadly gas. This technology is useful in public areas like the Boston Commons where rats have the room to create extensive underground nests. These two machines, however, have apparently not been able to keep up with the fast pace of rat breeding. “It’s about being aggressive with pest control. It’s making sure we have the right technology to deal aggressively. We need to invest heavily in different products that will address our pest control issues.” Flynn said.

At the end of our conversation, Flynn posited   that even climate change is making dealing with rats in Boston all the more daunting. He explained, “Usually, Boston’s cold winters slow down the rate of rat breeding but since winters are getting warmer, rats are able to breed at the same rate all year long.” 

In terms of finding long-term pest control initiatives as we grapple with all the harsh new realities of climate change, the city needs to understand how climate change is affecting the rat population. “We need to be working with environmental professionals and universities to get the best advice and suggestions.” said Flynn. The bottom line is climate change is already contributing to the growth of rats and it will continue have an a direct impact To keep rats out of your residence, make sure to keep food stored away in metal or glass containers, clear out clutter like cardboard, keep landscaping tamed, and seal off points of entry such as cracks or holes in the walls. Pest management brochures are available in multiple different languages, including Chinese, on the Boston city website: https://www.boston.gov/ departments/inspectional-services/environmental-sanitation.