Rodent – Resident Alert
Reports of Roof Rats in The Islands
Town Hall Informational Meeting
Monday, March 6, 2017 located at the Community Center at 7:00 p.m.
Event hosted by Bircher Exterminating Services
This resident alert is to educate Islands Homeowners and Residents that roof rats have been reported within The Islands Community, as well as many other Arizona communities.
The eradication of roof rats in any neighborhood is a team effort and requires the relentless effort of the whole community.
The Maricopa County’s Vector Control website reports that in 2004 during a severe case of roof rats, the county placed over 6,000 bait stations on every telephone pole and tree on public land within the infected neighborhood of Arcadia (Phoenix, Arizona). The result was that the rats consumed only about 1 percent of the poison in the bait stations. On the other hand, residents that were cleaning up their yards and placing bait stations and traps on their own property were having much more success at ridding their homes of rats. What was learned about the rats is they are creatures of routine and unless absolutely driven to a foreign pole or tree, they prefer to stay right in a residential backyard.
In an effort to support Islands residents, the Board of Directors has established a five point plan.
- Continue to remove citrus from the common area citrus trees by the end of January each year.
- Strategically place a minimum number of bait stations behind shrubs and bushes in the granite areas along the Islands Drive loop for one year and monitor them monthly.
- Educate residents by inviting Bircher Exterminating Services to host an educational Town Hall Meeting on March 6th at 7:00 p.m. located at the Community Center.
- Bircher Exterminating has agreed to offer The Islands residents monthly exterminating services to include one bait station, at a discounted price of $30.00 per month.
(Discount starts on February 1 and can be arranged by calling Bircher Services at 602-861-9800.) - Continue to communicate educational information through bi-monthly emails, community website, Facebook page and the quarterly newsletter.
Although roof rats have not been found to have disease, they are known to be very destructive, gnawing through wiring and destroying citrus. They can enter your home through a ¼” – ½” opening gnawing on your wiring, A/C duct and burrowing in your walls and attic, causing hundreds of thousands dollars worth of damage. Please take some time to read more information by clicking here and learning ways you can take preventive action, including having your home inspected inside and out for roof rats