The issue can be surmised in a word, said Carol Termine of Bensalem.
“It is infestation,” she said. So severe is the problem, she told Bensalem Township officials, there once were 40 to 60 rats outside her home on Corsair Court in the township’s Neshaminy Valley neighborhood.
At a recent council meeting, Termine and other residents pleaded for help with what they see as a rat invasion that began after sewer pipes were replaced and left open on Pasqualone Boulevard a year ago. Subsurface construction can disturb rat nesting areas and send the rodents scampering, she was told.
“That was told to me by the Board of Health,” said Termine.
Today, the Bucks County Health Department says it is investigating numerous reports of rat sightings in parts of the municipality, and township officials say Disease Vector regulations require property owners exterminate rats on their property. Residents must maintain premises free of conditions that “provide harborage (shelter, food or water) for rodents,” according to township officials. To that end, the township released a list of precautions that should be taken by property owners.
Along with Termine’s comments at the recent public meeting, Williamson Court resident Mark Cooper told council members the rodent issue is costly.
“It takes money out of our pockets,” he said. “It’s not right; we shouldn’t have to deal with this.”
Cooper said contractors working on the sewer line project should be held financially responsible for extermination of the rat infestation.
“We pay our taxes; we expect service,” he told council members. “If we don’t get service, you guys are out of a job and we’ll get someone else to do it.”
In response, Council President Edward Tokmajian Jr. said steps have been taken to address the situation.
“Building and Planning has visited the area,” he said. “The township is working with the Board of Health to detect areas where rats could be nesting.”
At the meeting, Raymond Buckley, vector control program coordinator, Bucks County Health Department, said residents can take advantage of the county’s complaint process that will initiate an investigation with rodent identification is provided by the complainant.
Regulations require property owners maintain premises free of conditions that provide harborage for rodents, according to officials. Maintaining conditions include” stop feeding birds and other wildlife, even if not a problem in the past; store firewood and building material at least 18 inches above ground and 12 inches from structures; clean up pet feces daily (a food source for rats), bag pet feces tightly and dispose of it via regular trash disposal in tightly covered container; store dog food, bird seed, organic and other matter in sturdy, rodent proof containers; remove pet food and water bowls after use and do not leave outdoors overnight, and consider gardens to be an easy food source for rats.