2016 “Year of the Rat” in Delta
There seems to be no end in sight to the boom in Delta’s rat population. According to the Chinese zodiac, 2016 is the year of the monkey, but there is no monkeying around with the current epidemic of rodents in Ladner and Tsawwassen. In Delta, according to pest control companies, 2015 was the year of the rat. Randy Bilesky, owner of Go Green Pest Control says rat call-outs outstripped other pest complaints last year by a large percentage. Randy believes a string of dry summer’s and mild winters has been fuelling Delta’s rat boom. Besides global warming, the use of Agricultural Land Reserve for urban development has forced the rodents into the residential community. Hundreds of acres of land are being used in the development of the Tsawwassen twin malls: Tsawwassen Mills and Tsawwassen Commons (a massive 1.8 million-square-foot shopping complex), expansion of the Roberts Bank terminal, Tsawwassen Shores: 2,200 homes and the proposed Southlands: 950 condo units, town homes and cottages.
The rodents are now thriving 12 months of the year. Rats depend on humans for food and places to live, so we determine the size of the rat population.
