RATS ‘RUN RAMPANT’: One of worst cities in Canada for rodents is Mississauga, report shows

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Published October 29, 2024 at 10:31 am

Mississauga one of rattiest cities in 2024.

Mississauga can’t seem to shake its rat problem.

Canada’s seventh-largest city has once again cracked the top 10 on Mississauga-based Orkin Canada’s annual list of the top 25 “Rattiest Cities in Canada” (see image below).

Mississauga sits sixth on the latest list, released on Tuesday by Orkin, the country’s largest pest control company. The city placed fifth in both 2022 and last year.

In compiling the 2024 list, Orkin said in a news release that “rodents continue to run rampant across the country,” adding “these findings highlight the increasing rodent activity in urban centres.”

Toronto again ranks No. 1, followed by four B.C. cities — Vancouver, Kelowna, Burnaby and Victoria — to round out the top five. Those cities, with the exception of Victoria which was seventh in 2023, were also in the top five last year.

(Source: Orkin Canada)

After Mississauga, Richmond (B.C.), Surrey (B.C.), Scarborough and St. John’s (Nfld.) complete the 2024 top 10 list.

As far as rodent infestations in Ontario are concerned, Mississauga consistently plays second fiddle in recent years only to Toronto, according to the Orkin rankings. The rankings list the top 25 cities facing rat problems (see image below).

The top 10 cities in Ontario for 2024 are:

  • Toronto
  • Mississauga
  • Scarborough
  • Ottawa
  • Sudbury
  • Brampton
  • Hamilton
  • Etobicoke
  • North York
  • London

Other cities appearing on the Ontario top 25 list include Oshawa (12), Oakville (13), Burlington (17), Niagara Falls (18), Ajax (23), St. Catharines (24) and Whitby (25).

The latest rankings are based on the number of commercial and residential rodent (rats and mice) treatments provided by Orkin from Aug. 1, 2023 through July 31, 2024. 

Whereas the pests used to primarily show themselves only at certain times of the year, that’s changing, according to Orkin, which notes it’s now a year-round problem.

“Rat and mice calls used to be expected primarily in the fall and winter as they escape the cold outdoors, but now they are becoming a year-round effort,” Orkin Canada officials said earlier. “Longer summer seasons coupled with abundant food sources provide ideal conditions for exponential growth in rodent populations.”

(Source: Orkin Canada)

Orkin Canada says with the colder weather approaching, and rodents looking for shelter, there are a number of things people can do to keep rats and mice from entering their homes and property:  

  • seal cracks or holes in your foundation and install weather stripping around windows and doors
  • keep shrubbery at least one metre away from exterior walls of your home 
  • get rid of moisture sources, such as clogged gutters, and fix leaky pipes or faucets both indoors and outdoors
  • be diligent in keeping garbage and old food away from your house
  • inspect both inside and outside your property for rodent droppings. The more quickly rodents are detected, the better, says Orkin
  • remove clutter both indoors and outdoors, trim overgrown vegetation and keep grass short

For more information and tips on how to reduce the potential for rodent infestations, visit Orkin Canada online.

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