Automobiles get Trashed by Rodents in Redmond, WA

This engine compartment was trashed by rodents. The cleaning work will be considerable, but the damage to hoses, belts and wiring could cost a lot more $$$$!. "This is the engine bay/ mouse motel of a 1961 Olds Super 88. This was my great grand dad's car, and has been sitting in a barn since 1977. I just recently purchased it from my late grand dad's estate. Now I am making plans to get it to my house to bring it back to a road worthy condition, with no mouse nest!" Thanks to Brent in Redmond Washington for the story. Cascade provides rodent and pest control for the Redmond, Kirkland and Greater Eastside area. For more information about Cascade and rodent control see For pest control in Redmond For Pest control in Kirkland

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.

Rat Found in Toilet - Redmond (Greater Seattle) Good Job Girl's!!!

Thank you Gil for bringing in this video taken by some gals--roommates--in the Redmond area, a suburb of Seattle. Yes, rats do come up from the sewer. And, yes, rats do come right up into our toilets where we might be about to sit! Cascade Pest Control provides rat control in Seattle, Redmond, Bellevue, Everett and beyond. Call Cascade for your serious rat and rodent pest control needs. 1-888-989-8979 Cascade Pest Control

Cascade's "Seattle Rat" BEWARE!

Technicians please post comments!! Humor courtesy of Casacde Pest Control. Www.cascadepest.com/rodent-overview/ Cascade Pest Control

Rats Come up through Toilets...Cascade Humor version

Controlling rats can be a tough and dirty job. And, yes, real rats do swim up from the sewer into peoples toilets. Here's our way to have a little fun with it, have some humor about what we do. Cascade's Rat In Toilet video ENJOY! Cascade Pest Control

Bubonic Plague Reported in Michigan

There have been 14 human cases of bubonic plague in the United States this year alone. A fact few Americans are aware of. Just recently the Michigan Dept. of Health & Human Services reported a new case near Lake Superior. Locating the "reservoir" of rats carrying bubonic plague is being complicated by the fact that this person had recently traveled to Colorado and back. See original article. Cases of bubonic plague, while rare, show up in various parts of the country. In the 1960's rats carrying fleas infested with bubonic plague were found. Since 1970 most cases have been from New Mexico, Colorado, and Arizona. However, with Seattle ranking highly* among the most rat-infested cities in the U.S. could harbor some bubonic plague carrying rats as well. Rats actually carry fleas, particularly the oriental rat flea, which in turn carry the plague organism. See Cascade Pest Control YouTube channel with playlist devoted to rodent-borne diseases. For more information on Rats and Rodents in the greater Seattle, Eastside (Bellevue, Redmond, Issaquah, Kirkland +), King county and Snohomish county. *Seattle ranked 7th and 1st on two different reports within the last 12 months.

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

Chicago Transit Authority to Sterilize Rats for Control

The Chicago Transit Authority plans to test new technology that would make female and male rats infertile, the Chicago Tribune reported. A pilot program is expected to start in the spring, though the CTA is still working out details including negotiating the price with the bait maker and deciding where the traps will be placed, CTA spokeswoman Tammy Chase said. click here to read original Chicago Tribune article.http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/redeye-cta-to-put-rats-on-birth-control-20141222-story.html 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

Rats, Mice: What is a Rodent?

We throw around these terms but a "rodent" is a particular animal that seems to have plagued humanity for eons. But what is a rodent? Rodents are mammals, so they are covered by hair, give birth to living young, the young are nourished on milk secreted by mammary glands, and besides molars with only an upper and lower pair of enlarged chisel-like teeth, rodents lack canine teeth. Rats and mice have 4 toed front feet and 5-toed hind feet. They both have skinny, almost naked tails. What's amazing is that rodents 2 pair of incisor teeth are enameled on the front only, the working of the upper pair against the lower ones wears down the large upper ones resulting in a sharpened edge. Rodents have the highest mammalian reproductive capacity. That's just a start when it comes to what constitutes "rodents" and what they can do. Call Cascade Pest Control is you suspect you have any problems with rats or mice...today. Rodents may eat or contaminate up to 20% of the world's human food supply! Don Leland

NPR "Death Of Popular Hawk Highlights Concerns Over Rat Poison"

Today NPR hosted a needed piece about the use of certain rodenticides and their sometimes unfortunately unintended effects on wildlife and/or pets. Some rat and mouse baits can be toxic to wildlife and pets when they consume the mouse or rat that has died (or is ill) from the rodenticide poision. These animals are all omnivorse or carnivores--most notably raptors, birds of prey, becuase they are small and cannot tolerate much toxins. The dead or dying mouse or rat still carries the toxin in their bloodstream which is now consumed by the animal--wild or pet. Part of the controversy stems from consumer use where the average person is not trained, let alone licensed, to handle rodenticides with a full consideration of mitigating risks to children, pets and wildlife. California has banned the sale of some rat and mouse poisons to the general public for this reason. We at Cascade Pest Control greatly rely on trapping to being with. Trapping is likely more "humane" anyway and, besides eliminating secondary poisoning to hawks and other animals, insures that the dead rodent won't die inside a home causing a horrible odor problem. We do use rodenticides, however, they are applied by fully trained abnd licensed technicians and placed in tamper resistant bait stations when needed outdoors. Additionally, consideration of pets and wildlife is fully considered. Obviously, all of this has to be blanced with concern around rats and mice and the diseases they carry, as well as other damage they do. Thankfully, the NPR interview mentioned the fact that we do need effective rodent control because the threat from rodents is very real. They cited the recent illnesses that occurred in a National Park. Red Tailed Hawk, Rat Infestation, Enclosed Rodenticide Bait Station Don Leland

The Rat Patrol

From the trailer parks of Kent to the sewers of Eastlake, public-health workers are on the job, teaching people to be smarter than rats. Continue reading...

Source: Seattle Weekly News, presented by Cascade Pest Control

Rat Problems in Seattle's Capital Hill

Has Seattle ‘ratpocalypse’ spread to Capitol Hill? from Capital Hill Seattle Blog, reported by Cascade Pest Control

Centralia, WA homeowner overrun by dozens of rats

CENTRALIA, Wash. -- A Centralia homeowner is being overrun by rats, and she doesn't know why.

Joan Lankow said a couple dozen rats come out every night.

"It's awful," she said. "I hate them. They're so dirty."  (From KOMO News).   
Presented by Cascade Pest Control