Three Wild Mice Test Positive for Hantavirus

Three Wild Mice Test Positive for Hantavirus

A California man found a 70-pound beehive in his shed housing up to 150,000 bees

A California man found a 70-pound beehive in his shed housing up to 150,000 bees

A swarm of nearly 40,000 bees attacked police responding to a single bee sting report

A swarm of nearly 40,000 bees attacked police responding to a single bee sting report

Sightings of cockroaches call McMaster’s pest control plan into question

Sightings of cockroaches call McMaster’s pest control plan into question

Bedbugs, cockroaches, mice gaining ground in TCH properties, reports show

Bedbugs, cockroaches, mice gaining ground in TCH properties, reports show

Poachers kill 2 bald eagles in Alberta

Poachers kill 2 bald eagles in Alberta

Woman catches ‘rat-bite fever’ from pet rat, develops serious rash, infection

Woman catches ‘rat-bite fever’ from pet rat, develops serious rash, infection

‘Absolutely nuts’: Squirrels hid 200 walnuts under this SUV’s hood

‘Absolutely nuts’: Squirrels hid 200 walnuts under this SUV’s hood

Saskatoon spent $900K removing more than 619,430 kg of potentially damaging bird poop from Buckwold Bridge

Saskatoon spent $900K removing more than 619,430 kg of potentially damaging bird poop from Buckwold Bridge

B.C. family counts over 100 bats in home’s attic and chimney after moving in

B.C. family counts over 100 bats in home’s attic and chimney after moving in

Our Best Bird-Poop Removal Tip

Our best bird poop removal tip…

Of mice and disease: Antibiotic-resistant bacteria discovered in NYC house mice

Antibiotic-resistant bacteria discovered in NYC house mice.

‘Oh, my God, something bit me’: Scorpion stings student on Toronto to Calgary flight

Scorpion stings student on Toronto to Calgary flight

Betty’s and Nancy’s Fancy baked goods recalled due to possible mice contamination

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) has issued a recall for Betty brand and Nancy’s Fancy Yummy in the Tummy brand…

Rat infestations plague Metro Vancouver, Fraser Valley and even Haida Gwaii

City of Vancouver fields calls about construction sites which send rodents scurrying…

Two dead after pigeon dropping infection at hospital

Two patients have died after contracting a fungal infection caused by pigeon droppings at the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital…

Cooler temperatures push Edmonton’s mice indoors

Pest control officials warn that as temperatures begin to cool with autumn’s approach, vermin naturally begin to look for a warmer place to spend the night…

Cockroach infestations on the rise

Infestations of infamously hard-to-kill cockroaches are on the rise in Edmonton, says a local exterminator.

What to do if you’re attacked by a swarm of wasps

Stephen Cockroft was stung 42 times after accidentally disturbing a wasps’ nest in his back garden. Here is what you should do if you are attacked by an angry swarm…

N.B. man dies after single wasp sting

The number of cockroaches appears to be on the rise in the Halifax area, and while experts aren’t quite sure what’s behind the population boom, the pests may be immune to some pesticides.

How two U of A students started baking up an alternative business with bugs

You’ve probably already eaten insects – Natural red food colouring comes from ground cochineal bugs, and the ingredient in jelly beans that makes them shiny is a resin secreted by the female lac bug from India and Thailand….

Rats in rat-free Alberta? Province confirms 3 found in Calgary in 2018

Rats in rat-free Alberta? Province confirms 3 found in Calgary in 2018

By Lauren Pullen, Digital Journalist  Global News

Updated: July 19, 2018 7:07 pm

 

If you think “rat-free Alberta” means none of the rodents can be found in the province, well, that’s not entirely true.

A young rat was found in the suburb of Hillhurst just outside downtown Calgary Thursday morning.

Becky Rock’s son made the find near a garden on the side of their home.

“I think Alberta’s claim to be rat-free ran through my head. I was a little shocked, at least,” Rock said.

“Our cats have given us at least one or two treasures of the gift of a dead mouse on occasion [but] coming across a rat, I never would have expected that.”

This is the third rat found in Calgary in 2018, according to the city. Another four were also found that were being kept as pets.

But the province says Alberta is still rat-free, justifying that claim by saying the rodents don’t mate or repopulate here.

“We’ve never totally been rat-free but we don’t have a breeding population. We never have,” provincial rat and pest specialist Phil Merrill said.

Merrill says there have been small infestations in the past and on average about a dozen rats are found in Alberta every year.

“Things have really died down since I started in 1971,” Merrill said. “We used to have 40 to 50 every year.”

Merrill credits the increase in rat patrol programs in Saskatchewan for the decline.

He said most rats hitch a ride on recreational vehicles from neighbouring provinces. They’re usually younger rodents curiously looking for a new place to live — perhaps a new adventure.

Merrill says they don’t usually last long in different environments though, which is why most of the rats they find are already dead.

If you do spot what you think is a rat you’re asked to contact the province’s rat and pest control program at 310-RATS, or if you live in Calgary, you can also call local bylaw officers at 311.

That’s what Rock did and she says city crews were there pretty quickly to take the rodent away.

“I’m creeped out by it because then I start to wonder, if there’s one, are there more? And where are they?” Rock said.

“Now I’m on this determined path to clean out everything and look for any signs of infestation.”