Rat Infest Autos in Puget Sound Area

Auto mechanics all over the Puget Sound Region are finding a huge increase in damage due to rodents. They chew through wiring and other electronic harnesses, hoses and upholstery resulting in hundreds to thousands of dollars in damage. This photo was shared by Gary Garvin and shows a dead rat stuck under a Honda. Cascade provides rat and rodent control in the Greater Seattle area, including the Eastside (Kirkland, etc) and Everett. Cascade also provides rat/rodent control in Oak Harbor, WA. For more information see

Seattle Overrun with Rats near Lake Union

Rats "take over" a Seattle street!

USA Today published this video article from September 2015, showing an area of South Lake Union in Seattle that is overrun with rats. The nearby construction in the area has displaced a large population of rats, and they are literally running all over the hillside looking for food.

This is not uncommon in the Puget Sound area, as rats are native to the area and have plenty of harborage, water sources, and food. Some municipalities however, such as Kirkland and Shoreline, require a pre-demolition rodent abatement program to reduce/eliminate the rat populations before a demolition permit will be allowed.

Welcome Mike Sven (a.k.a. Seattle Pizza Rat!)

Micheal Sven brings his good nature and gumption to our Cascade team. And here he is in disguise! Click here to meet our whole team! Cascade Pest Control

Cost of Pest Control at busy Airports?

With all the jets going back and forth, and the enormous amount of people coming and going, we mostly notice the rush, the security and the schedules of Arrivals and Departures. But with all those people come food--restaurants as well as the food services to replenish the airliners for their passengers. And there is the waste: waste food and cooking debris...and also all the waste products that come off the airplanes. There is usually an on-going rat or mouse population around airports that, hopefully, you don't have to see. Then you add all the places that jets travel and the possibility of transiting parasites, insects and particularly bed bugs in all that luggage! What does it cost? Well, Los Angeles' airport, LAX, has just caught up with the pest control budgets employed by other major airports and it will be $750,000 per years to protect the airport from runaway pest infestations. Part of the cost will insure that there is a pest control technician on site 24 hours/day, 365 days a year! Our own SeaTac has a similar budget and has had long-term experience with rat problems.

For more information about rats, rat control or rodent control. For information about rodent exclusion and preventing rats. here we discuss how to block out rats, to create a rodent-proof barrier. For information about why rats and mice are so successful. Here we discuss the abilities of rats and mice to climb, gnaw, chew, jump, swim and burrow their way into a home or business. Don Leland

Ants may Harbor Virus that Threatens Honey Bees

Researchers in New Zealand, Argentina and Australia conducted a study showing that a previously unknown virus--one which may have caused massive honey bee deaths in New Zealand...in carried by ants. The virus causes "deformed Wing," which is correlated with hive collapse. Original Article This finding comes as honey bee populations have experienced a significant decline. Speculations have risen about certain, specific pesticides to other factors. However, the primary causal factor continues to allude science. Much more will need investigated and uncovered for us to stave the collapse of bee populations in the U.S. and certain other regions on the planet. Some researchers point to the fact that our modern, large-scale agriculturally-driven practice of raising massive amounts of honey bees--apis sp.--is basically set us up for failure. Our many crop systems, including everything from alfalfa to berry and orchard crops now rely on a mono-culture of pollinators--the "European" and "Caucasian" honey bees (two strains of one species.) Healthy, and natural pollinator systems rely and a wide range of various bees, some wasps, beetles, butterflies, and even flies. Such a system would required us to move from mono crop cultures as well, but specifically would favor green belts of bushes and trees near crops to supply the naturally occurring range of pollinating insects. Originally from NPR, and can be heard here. Don Leland

Opossums In the Bellevue-Eastside Area

Opossums are not native to the Pacific Northwest. Nonetheless, opossums are now wide-spread and have been cited in Seattle, Bellevue, Mercer Island, Everett, Issaquah and just about every other city and town of King and Snohomish counties.

Here's a few facts about opossums:

1. The only opossum species in North America are the "Virginia 'Possums." 
2. Males average about 6 lbs. and females normally weigh in at around 4 lbs. But they can sometimes weigh as much as 15 lbs! 
3. Opossums have a gland somewhat like a skunk and can emit a similar odor. 
4. When attacked they can "run." But they may also snarl at their attacker. And, of course, they can also "play possum," that is, they hold still and act as if dead. 
5. We at Cascade get a few calls here and there for infestations in crawl spaces beneath the home. 
6. On some calls we've encountered them eating copious amounts of dog food. One technician went out into the client's garage--with the client--only to find an opossum starring up at them from the bottom of a large bin of dog food! 

Opossums are just another example of vertebrate pests of homes in the greater Seattle, Eastside and other areas. Of course, rats still cause the most damage and calls. But opossums are strange to encounter. You might at first think you'd found an "atomic rat!" Cascade Nuisance Wildlife Control. Call Cascade Pest Control for all your rat, rodent, insect and other pest needs.  Don Leland

Rats Used to Detect Land-Mines & TB

Rats, those pesky rats! For most of us that's all they are, pests that destroy things, spread their filth and spread bacteria and other disease pathogens. However, rats are also being used to save lives. Specially trained rats are being used to sniff out land-mines.

These rats are a particular species of giant rat from Tanzania. They are trained to sniff out land-mines which, if not detected, keep many thousands of acres of land unsafe and uninhabitable. They are also trained to sniff out TB--tuberculosis, which is still widespread in Africa.

Although these rats are a different species than what we have here in the greater Seattle area, this usage of their larger cousins underscores the acute abilities that all rats have. When we are treating for rat infestations we are up against some very powerful "noses" that leave these challenging pests at an advantage, often suspect of any new smells...so they are wary of traps and baits. Don Leland

Seattle Ranked 6th Most Rat Infested City

Huffington post published a list of the 12 most rat infested cities and Seattle came in at #6, Chicago ranks as the "rattiest" city in the nation. But rating number six is no small thing. According to the article 21 million homes are invaded by rats every year. And the fall/winter season is when rats and other rodents infest homes the most as they move in finding shelter from the cold.

Cascade Pest Control delivers solid rat and rodent control throughout the greater Seattle area. We provide a rodent inspection or assessment, rat elimination, and ongoing rodent protection. Cascade Pest Control also provides rodent-proofing, or "pest exclusion." Call Cascade today to protect your home from rats and other rodents. 1-888-989-8979 Don Leland

Spiders Can Kill - Fortunately Brown Recluse Not Normally Found in Seattle Area

At least two people have died in the US in 2014 from the bites of brown recluse spiders. One was reported from Mulberry Conty, Florida, where a 62-year-old man, Ronald Reese, was renovating a home and got bitten on the back of his neck. His father, 89, reported that Ron thought it would heal on it's own but that, instead, it "rotted to the vertbrae." Brown Recluse spider bites often do heal, but because they break down red blood cells and can become systemic they should always be checked by medical professionals. Obviously, some can cause death. The most recent death attributed to brown recluse spiders occured in Michigan--a rare case for that area. The woman was 58 years old and was bitten on her foot. Similarly, she rsisted seeing a doctor until it was too late. Usually, a brown recluse bite on a foot woiuldn't be fatal but the bite ocurred directly into a blood vessel, allowing the venum to ciculate into the blood stream. By the time an ambulence came she was non-responsive. She died shortly thereafter. While we have no resident brown recluse spider population in the Puget Sound region, they can conceivably be shipped from the south central part of the United States. Also, while a spider bite here shouldn't be from a brown recluse, we do have the aggressive house spider and the hobo spider--both of which can cause severe symptoms, apparently including auditory hallucinations in some cases. For more information about local spiders and their control contact Cascade Pest Control.