St. George is in the midst of a rat infestation which can be attributed to the area’s rapid growth and recent dry winters. The infestation concerns residents because rats are known to spread diseases, contaminate food and destroy property.
Although reports of rats are common in the St. George metropolitan area, Fox13 notes that before 2021, rat sightings were rare. While exterminators across the area blame various causes, residential development is a common theme.
Chris Hall, sales manager and lead pest professional with Western Pest Control, reported to St. George News, “The more people that come into the area, the more rodents do. They kind of need us to survive. They need our homes. They need our food. They need our water.”
KUTV mentioned that Southern Utah’s especially dry winter drove an increased number of rats to seek water in homes. Danny Shakespeare with Shakespeare Pest Control told Fox13 that an increase in chicken coops invites more rodents into neighborhoods.
Ken Zugbaum owns Roadrunner Pest Control, an extermination company that works in the SunRiver Community on the south end of St. George. That area has seen substantial development over the past few years. Zugbaum mentions the construction itself as a root of the rat infestation.
“SunRiver has a lot of construction going on, and because of that, these rats are kind of getting displaced and going into local communities,” he said.
Zugbaum is able to measure SunRiver’s rat population through bait blocks.
“Each block can feed about four to six rats, so that’s kind of how we can gauge how many rats are in the area,” he said.
Within the past few weeks, he has checked on a bait station that had four blocks completely eaten. This shows an infestation of about 18-24 rats in just one area.
Pest control experts agree that as long as St. George’s human population grows, so will the rat population.
For over a decade, St. George has ranked as one of the fastest-growing cities in the United States. Washington County reached a population of 200,000 people in 2023. Many of these residents live in St. George and the surrounding cities.
While the city’s growth, and subsequent rodent population, may feel inevitable, Zugbaum recommends a few practices for individuals to protect their homes. These include picking up dead fruit and acorns around their yards, which commonly attract rodents, getting rid of cardboard boxes or any sort of shelter the rats might utilize and trimming tree branches to reduce the rats’ access to the roof.
He also strongly warned against feeding birds.
“Anyone who feeds birds has a huge rat problem,” he said. “Rats love bird feed.”
Author: Heather Turner
Photo: Adobe Stock
Editor: Hannah Clove
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