photo credit: Uzbecka

Last weekend I saw the Nutcracker at the National Ballet. My son loudly shouted “Rat!” to alert the the other patrons when the rat appeared. It was invigorating.

Rats In Buildings

Rats are generally not too much of a problem in buildings. The only time you have rat problems is around restaurants.

If your residential tenant claims that they have seen a “rat” 99% of the time it’s a large mouse.

I had a mixed use commercial building that had a few rats and we screwed in all the drain hole covers to the drains killed a few rats and never saw them again.

I also saw some rats one time in Oakville while at the Tim Hortons Drive Thru, they must have been Canadian rats because they were eating doughnuts by the garbage can.

How To Cope : Kill Them

Mice In Buildings

There’s mice in my apartment! Every year as the weather get cold, we get mice complaints. The mice want to be where it’s warm and dry. Who can blame them?

How To Cope: Kill Them

Raccoons In Buildings

In the spring you’ll get complaints about raccoons as the moms come inside your house or apartment to have their babies. The pest control guy will insist on taking them to the nearest park and setting them free there so they can come right back to your house. You wouldn’t want them to get lost would ya?

Once upon a time the Sugar Plum Fairy managed a property on Carlaw Street in Toronto, she trapped 26 raccoons out of one house. (Released in the local park) The property was for sale, and then sold. The day the Sugar Plum Fairy sold the house  she went there and handed the keys to the agent. As she drove away from the house there was a cute little raccoon up on the third floor giving her the finger while hiding under the eaves.

How To Cope: Kill Yourself

Squirrels In Buildings

Squirrels love to live in your buildings, it’s warm, it’s cosy, it’s pink. There’s lots of great stuff to chew.

How To Cope: Trap Them, Block The Hole, Local Park

Cockroaches In Buildings

Just kill them, they’re not cute, they don’t pay rent, there’s not a damn thing good about them.

How To Cope: Kill Them Decisively

BedBugs In Buildings

These creatures are the scourge of society, they suck blood, they sneak around and wait until you’re sleeping to do it. Disgusting creatures that multiply fast, don’t die graciously when sprayed with chemicals and are generally a giant pain in the ass.

How To Cope: Kill them right away and don’t stop until the specicide is over.

Any more pests I forgot that deserve killing? As a general rule of thumb, cute creatures get released at the local park, other kinds of vermin get squashed flat ASAP