Rodent Control: Removal of Expensive City Council would be a VERY GOOD START

 Rodent Control? Are they removing the entire city council? That would be a good start FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – NOVEMBER 20, 2020

Contact:

Jackie Piques, Director of Communications (jpiques@medford-ma.gov), 781-888-4534

CITY OF MEDFORD LAUNCHES NEW RODENT PREVENTION CAMPAIGN: “CLEAN UP, SEAL UP”

Prevention campaign includes new pest management regulations for developers and businesses, lays out strategies for effective citywide rodent prevention.

Webinar planned for December 2.

MEDFORD – The City of Medford has launched a new initiative to combat rats within the City. The Clean Up, Seal Up campaign will address rodent control and prevention through educational messages, engagement, and compliance with regulations, designed for homeowners, renters, and business owners to prevent rodents. The new initiative kicked off this month with information mailed to homeowners via water bills, at a revamped website – www.medfordma.org/rodent-prevention, with information provided directly to businesses, and a series of webinars is scheduled over the coming weeks. The City and Board of Health will continue to monitor issues, work with property owners, and adjust messaging as needed.

“There are many important steps residents and businesses can take to prevent rodent activity as well as to address known rodent activity on your property or in a particular neighborhood. For example, food, water and shelter are attractive to rodents. Focusing on eliminating their food and water sources can reduce the chance of them staying in our neighborhoods,” said Medford Sanitarian, Sophie Antoine. “In order to properly address a rodent issue, we must take a community/neighborhood approach. The City can spend time baiting a neighborhood but if the food and water sources have not been eliminated, the baiting is useless as the rats will not eat the bait but rather the food that is readily available to them.”

Through the Clean Up, Seal Up campaign, the City hopes to educate the community on steps we can all take to make sure the things necessary for rodents to survive – food, water, and shelter – are eliminated. Property owners should assess their property and neighborhood by looking for any food and water sources and harborage (“Clean Up.”) Encouraged actions include:

• Dispose of garbage properly; barrels that are compromised should be replaced, and make sure all trash is stored in barrels with tight fitting lids.
• Trim trees and shrubs and remove overgrowth.
• Avoid feeding wildlife.
• Clean pet waste frequently.
• Avoid having standing water on your property; remove standing rainwater and do not keep pools open and accessible.
• Keep parks, building foundations, alleyways and streets clear of all dropped or discarded food scraps.

Additional resources, materials, and tips are available at www.medford.org/rodent-prevention

to support property owners and renters in becoming more knowledgeable on preventing rodents and rats.

City Roles & Responsibilities

After prevention steps have been taken, if you still notice rodent activity in your neighborhood you can report it to the Board of Health for follow up. If necessary, the City will install bait boxes in sewers, however, as a reminder, baiting will not be effective if prevention strategies are not followed on private property.

On Wednesday, December 2, the Board of Health will host a community training on rodent control and prevention, in partnership with Yankee Pest Control. The training will feature guest speaker Galvin Murphy, Sr., Associate Certified Entomologist, and panelists from the Medford Health Department. The training will be held from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. on December 2. Pre-registration is required. You can pre-register at https://bit.ly/3p49ivG.

For details on community training please call or email Brooke Hoyt. bhoyt@medford-ma.gov, or 781-475-5976.

Medford city services are available to all residents, regardless of economic situation, race, gender, immigration status, ability, benefit eligibility, or religious affiliation.

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Jackie Piques

Director of Communications

City of Medford

Mayor Breanna Lungo-Koehn

781-888-4534

www.medfordma.org