Remy the rat — star of Pixar's Ratatouille — dreams of becoming a great chef. The rats of Dearborn, Michigan may have similar aspirations, but they'll have to beat 460 underground traps to achieve their dreams.
The City of Dearborn is bolstering its “citywide subterranean rat prevention program” with the addition of 300 underground rat traps, bringing the total number of underground rat traps in the city to 460.
The traps were deployed in the city's sewer system, where rats and other rodents tend to shelter during colder months.
“Historically, Dearborn has faced challenges when mitigating rat infestations across the city during the colder months when rodents head underground to escape the weather. This new, multifaceted above and below-ground solution allows us to manage rat populations more safely and efficiently year-round," Dearborn Mayor Abdullah Hammoud said in a statement.
The city’s Vector Control Division has partnered with Orkin to deploy and monitor the traps. The rat bait is placed above the water line and traps are checked monthly, said city officials.
Renault Arseneau is the code enforcement manager with the city. He said residents should still report above-ground sightings of rats to the Vector Control Division at 313-943-2150.
"We also have the second part of the program which is staff who respond to resident complaints above ground. If you're seeing stuff in your area, we want to know because that could shift our focus below ground to specific areas where we're seeing a lot of complaints above ground," Arseneau said.
The Vector Control Division advises residents to maintain a tidy property free of clutter, keep grass cut to six inches, and seal cracks, holes or breaks in foundations, pipes, windows, vents, and screens to prevent rat infestations.
Arseneau said Dearborn is the second municipality in Michigan to deploy subterranean traps; Ypsilanti was the first. Dearborn officials are hopeful that the combination of above- and below-ground trapping methods will keep rat populations in the city at bay.
Remy said it best in the movie: "I'm a rat. Which means life is hard."
