Rat Exterminators

Photo by Pak Khei

Rats are nasty.

The glaring eyes we encounter while taking out the trash, the scampering noises that make us sit straight up in bed, the grotesquely long tails disappearing under the third rail are not urban experiences we cherish. With apologies to our readers born in the first year of the Chinese zodiac, the arrival of the Year of the Rat served to remind us that rats are unwelcome from here to Hong Kong, so much so that an entire profession is dedicated to their removal. Theme took a quick look around the world with some of our favorite photographers to learn about pest specialists’ methods for abolishing the rodent persuasion.

Hong Kong

William Chung, Owner of Pest Control Company

How do you get the Job done?
First of all, on the job, we call them “Mickeys” because when we say the word “rat” they just somehow know we’re there. But mainly, we use extra-adhesive boards and a special treat of Stir Fry Beef-flavored Rodenticide. Apparently rats like it a lot and will die for a bite! 

What’s your craziest rat story?
One time, we had a job at this Chinese restaurant. They had a sort of false ceiling overlaid on the real one for decoration. You could hear the Mickeys running around up there, so I asked one of my staffers to get up there. He at once jumped back down, shaking and repeatedly mumbling, “Too many, too many.”

We spent all night laying down adhesive boards—a few hundred. After beating on the ceiling with broom handles, we went back up to see the damage. Each board had seriously three or four rats on them, and the last count totaled around 500. Needless to say, the restaurant closed down not long after.

Sapporo

Photo by Yusei Fukuyama

Kosuke Takada, Freelance Exterminator

How do you get the job done?
The way I do it is pretty old-school: trap and poison. I put down about 10 to 20 traps per house and find where the rats frequently pass. Then I distribute poisoned food and toxic chemicals so that when they bring it back to their nests it kills the other mice.

What’s your craziest rat story?
I have a cat that also catches mice. One time I found a piece of poisoned food in his empty milk dish. I don’t know whether it was an accident, but it has happened twice. Wouldn’t it be crazy if the mice were trying to knock out my cat? Like Tom and Jerry!

New York City

Photo by Hai Zhang

Danny Camacho, M&M Pest Control

How do you get the job done?
In general, the methods we use to kill and prevent the rat problem include traditional trap pads, poison, cage traps, and glue pads. New York is a dense place and it has old buildings with lots cracks for rats to travel through, so the key is figuring out the source of the rats.

What’s your craziest rat story?
In one restaurant we serviced, the owner put in a large walk-in fridge in the basement. But the basement was smaller than the fridge, and the owner just left part of the fridge popping out from the back wall of the room, leaving a pretty big gap. Before they called us, at least three whole chickens were eaten up every night.