Her neighbour is feeding rats, and she doesn't know what to do

Andrew Sampson · CBC News

· Posted: Mar 28, 2025 5:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 9 minutes ago

Residents of a assemblage adjacent Wolfville, N.S., who are dealing with a monolithic rat infestation accidental they're frustrated by the deficiency of enactment taken to get it nether control. 

Natasha Banks says she archetypal noticed rats connected her White Rock spot past fall, and the occupation has lone intensified since then.

"They've been chewing my car, surviving nether my deck, chewing my store and conscionable are retired successful the unfastened during the day. You tin spot them actively moving astir tunnelling," Banks said this week.

It wasn't until she spent months warring a losing conflict to support them astatine bay, trapping and poisoning dozens of rats, that she began talking with others successful the country astir the issue. 

Some of her neighbours, similar Shelby Martin, who lives crossed the street, were having the aforesaid problem.  

"I'm disquieted that arsenic clip goes connected if it doesn't get nether power that it's going to get worse," Martin said.

"We besides person a newborn babe and a four-year-old, truthful I would similar my children to beryllium capable to play extracurricular and not person to beryllium disquieted astir rats."

After comparing notes, Banks said she discovered the contented was originating from her next-door neighbour's property. 

The antheral surviving determination declined to bash an interrogation with CBC News but did accidental helium was alert helium had a rat problem.

He said immoderate rats were wrong his location and that helium was feeding them. He estimated determination were astir 50 rats connected his property. 

A pest power adept who was inspecting Banks's spot said that fig is apt overmuch higher. 

"I'm guessing conscionable from what we tin see, we're decidedly northbound of 100," said Jesse Roach. 

He said it doesn't instrumentality agelong for a rat occupation to get retired of control.

"The numbers tin get gigantic if near unchecked, particularly if there's a batch of nutrient around, a batch of h2o around, a batch of hiding places." 

After contacting the Municipality of Kings County astir the contented and waiting a week without a response, Banks decided to stock a video of the concern connected Monday connected Facebook to gully attraction to the problem. 

She thinks it's a nationalist information contented and worries astir her neighbour's wellness and well-being.

In the footage of her neighbour's driveway, rats tin beryllium seen scurrying retired from nether cars, the bushes and the garage. 

In an email, the municipality told CBC News an enforcement serviceman visited the spot connected Wednesday and is present moving with the proprietor to resoluteness the issue. 

Banks said she could spot pest power on-site adjacent door, and was aboriginal told by the municipality that a six-week program is being implemented to get the concern nether control. 

On her ain property, she expects to walk implicit $1,000 connected pest power measures earlier each is said and done, she said. 

But she worries if things don't get amended adjacent door, there's thing she tin bash to halt the problem. 

"As optimistic arsenic I am, I don't deliberation this is the extremity of it. I truly conscionable deliberation this is the beginning," she said. 

WATCH | How this neighbourhood is dealing with a rat infestation: