Today is National Rat Catcher’s Day. For real! It commemorates the story of the Pied Piper of Hamelin and is a day to say thanks to all the exterminators out there. Here are some fun facts about rats and the people that we rely on to keep them away from us:

1. Rats transmit diseases, include bubonic plague. 
2. Telltale signs of rats are partially eaten fruits and veggies, an unusual amount of empty snail shells, bitty bite marks on building materials, oil and fur on surfaces (like vents) and ½” long, spindle-shaped droppings.
3. California rat catchers are licensed by the Department of Consumer Affairs – Structural Pest Control Board. You can check a license at:
http://www2.dca.ca.gov/pls/wllpub/wllqryna$lcev2.startup….
4. Licensed rat catchers are required to have $500,000 in liability insurance, as well as a surety bond for $12,500. 
5. You can help your rat catcher by removing water and food sources outside, trimming back trees and bushes, storing wood off the ground and away from walls and closing up entrances into the buildings. 
6. Rats can enter a building though a hole less than one inch in diameter. Common entryways are vents louvers, gaps between roofs and chimneys, ventilation pipes and tile roofs near the eaves. 

Thank you to Orange County Vector Control for supplying helpful information regarding these vermin. To find more fun facts about rats, check out http://www.ocvector.org/rats.html