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Nipomo Rodent Control and Some Facts about Plague

By Kevin O'Connor on May 31, 2019 at 01:26 PM in Nipomo Pest Control, Nipomo Rodent Control

Will History Repeat Itself as Rodent Populations Grow?

Nipomo Rodent Control and Some Facts about Plague
Bubonic plague bacteria taken from a patient in 2003. (Center for Disease Control / AFP / Getty Images)

We enjoyed a recent article in the LA Times (see below) that briefly gives a history of bubonic plague outbreaks in California in the last century and details the eradication measures taken that effectively stopped the horrific disease in its path.

We know that rats, and the fleas that feed on them and then bite humans, can carry a number of different diseases with serious consequences for our Nipomo clients and their families.

We also know that concern about the effects of rodenticides on pets who manage to eat some of it or on wildlife who might feed on a rodent that has ingested a rodenticide is real and warranted.

However, we feel the danger of rodenticides to pets and to wildlife is best considered in light of the danger of increased rodent pressure near human populations.

Rodent Population Control Vital to the Health of Nipomo Residents

"Eradication programs to kill rats and squirrels at a time when their natural predators like coyotes and snakes are declining due to human population growth may be what prevents another outbreak," says James Holland Jones, an associate professor at Stanford, in the article below. Jones continues, “It goes against our modern sensibilities, but there is nothing else to keep their populations bound.” 

If you have concerns about rodenticides, the plague, or other serious disease transmission, or are just curious about how and why rodenticides are used in Nipomo, read on! 

From the LA Times:

Climate Change Could Bring Bubonic Plague Back to Los Angeles

By DAVID K. RANDALL
MAY 16, 2019

The steamship caused the last global outbreak of bubonic plague. Climate change could cause the next one.

Longer, hotter weather patterns are extending the breeding season of rats and rodents, leading to a steep increase in their numbers in places like Los Angeles, New York and Houston. Over the last decade, urban rat populations are up by 15% to 20% worldwide, thanks to a combination of climate changes and a greater preference among humans for urban living, increasing the amount of trash available for scavengers, according to estimates from Bobby Corrigan, a rodent control consultant and one of the nation’s leading rat experts.... READ FULL ARTICLE