Recent public health data in Needham shows rat-related complaints increased in the past 12 months, with 20 reports in fiscal year 2024 — up from five in the previous cycle.
In the past year, rat sightings have been reported in both residential and commercial areas around town, with activity seen in parking lots, along train tracks and in residents’ yards. The Needham Public Health Division, which responds to rat-related concerns, received a high of seven reports in March. Complaints have since fallen, and there were no reports last month.
Needham hasn’t always been home to rats, said Tara Gurge, assistant director of Needham’s Public Health Division who has worked in Needham since 2000. “2019 was the first time I ever saw a rat in Needham,” she said. Since then, rat reports have steadily risen.
How does the town respond to rat complaints?
According to Needham’s Integrated Pest Management protocols, the Public Health Division manages the town’s five public parking lots, including the lot behind CVS on Great Plain Avenue and one adjacent to the commuter line on Chapel Street, both of which have seen rat activity in the past few months. It also receives and logs public nuisance complaints from residents such as rat complaints on residential property. In March, it reported complaints in the Chapel Street lot where a number of food establishments share dumpsters. In May, a dead rat was found in a daycare lot on Great Plain Avenue, and the department received complaints in this area again in June and July.
In response to reports of activity in the Great Plain Avenue lot, Gurge said the department met with affected establishments and certified pest control operators. The town added pest service visits and required permitted establishments along the lot to do the same. In June, she said the town successfully treated the area with carbon monoxide gassing to exterminate rodents. “There’s no longer any activity that we’ve observed in that location,” said Gurge. “Pest control companies are monitoring that as we speak.”
Other actions the town can take to prevent rat infestations include setting up wire meshing exclusion structures, which prevent them from burrowing, and baited boxes and traps. The primary focus, however, is trash. Rats, said Gurge, congregate around shared dumpsters. “They want water, food, and warmth.” As part of its routine inspections of permitted establishments, the department monitors these areas. If the area violates code, the department may order to correct, which specifies a timeline by which the violation must be rectified. Solutions might include more frequent trash pickup or adding an additional trash container. “Proper trash containment, proper trash removal, ongoing schedules. It’s just been our mantra,” said Gurge.
She also points to illegal dumping as a possible contributor to rat activity. To mitigate this, public health recommends establishments install signage and security cameras, lock dumpsters and contact Needham Police if illegal dumping is noticed. If shared dumpsters in town lots are damaged, as was the case in the Great Plain Avenue lot, public health would issue a repair order through the Department of Public Works.
Gurge emphasized the importance of working with certified pest control operators, who are experts on pest management. “If we hit a challenge, we always have guidance from our certified pest control operators,” she said. “We’re lucky to have a close relationship. It’s key, because we can catch it before it gets out of control. She said cooperation among public health, pest control operators, restaurant owners and landlords is critical.
The Public Health Division similarly investigates resident complaints and provides recommendations. Gurge said health agents can respond to complaints within 24 to 48 hours, but on private property, responsibility for treatment falls on the property owner, creating financial woes for some residents.
One reader wrote to the Observer describing a “fairly serious rat problem” in their Needham Heights neighborhood. In a follow-up conversation, the resident said rodents damaged the wiring of an electric vehicle so badly it was declared totaled.
Although reports of rat activity in residential areas and town parking lots have emerged in recent months, town-owned buildings, including schools, have yet to see any activity.
Pest management at town-owned buildings is overseen by the Department of Public Works. Director Carys Lustig said there have been no incidents of rat sightings, though she is more likely to encounter the occasional mouse in a school.
In accordance with the town’s IPM protocols, DPW contracts quarterly pest servicing of all town buildings. Lustig said this protocol has been around at least since she started working for the town 16 years ago. If pest activity is observed, DPW installs traps or seals off cracks where pests might be getting into buildings. “We’re responsive when it comes to having any pests in buildings, and we make sure that it gets addressed as quickly as possible.”
The DPW’s food waste diversion program, which is in place in all schools, is another measure that helps prevent pests by reducing the amount of food in regular trash. Through the program, Lustig said, food waste is sealed in separate containers that are less accessible to pests than large dumpsters.
The increase in rat complaints may point to a larger issue in Needham and neighboring communities. In her work with pest control operators, Gurge said they have noticed a rise in rat sightings in other cities and towns.
“They’ve never been so busy,” she said of the pest control operators with whom she works.
Indeed, Boston has had reports of increased rat sightings since the pandemic. Some experts believe rats dispersed to more residential areas during the pandemic in search of food. Others wonder if urbanization has something to do with changes in rat populations in Massachusetts communities. Gurge noted construction in Needham can impact how pests behave, but she is not convinced it is causing a rise in rat complaints or populations. Needham has long required inspections of demolition and construction sites, including commercial properties, she said. These protocols prevent the spread of pests who might disperse during construction or demolition. However, she said the same is not necessarily true for state-managed construction projects in Needham.
Gurge said pest control operators also have pointed to climate change as a potential explanation for increased rat sightings. “Almost like ticks, [rats] are overwintering.” As New England winters change, conditions for rats to breed may improve, with longer breeding periods. Experts, however, have not reached a consensus, in part due to the difficulty of tracking rat population data. Many methods, including complaint logs such as those collected by Needham public health, rely on self-reporting.
Still, sustainability remains an important consideration in responding to rat activity. Some environmental advocates oppose using poisons that can harm the environment. For example, the Mass Audubon Society opposes the use of certain rodenticides because they can harm and kill other animals which eat the poisoned rodents. But methods such as the DPW’s food waste diversion program have a dual benefit of reducing rat populations and mitigating climate change.
Needham’s IPM policies tout “environmental responsible practices” for pest management that “reduce the use of pesticides that pose a health risk.” Yet treatments to manage mice in Needham buildings have included the same rodenticides, known as second-generation anticoagulant rodenticides, condemned by Mass Audubon. A DPW list of pesticides used in Needham High School, for example, includes Weatherblok XT, FirstStrike Soft Bait, and Contract Soft Bait — all SGARs. Carbon monoxide treatments, which the town used in the Great Plain Avenue lot, are considered less cruel than rodenticides, but their environmental impacts are unclear.
Beyond treatments, Gurge emphasized education as a tool for long-term reduction of rats in Needham. A lot of her work involves communicating with restaurant owners about best practices, but she recognizes that public education is an important piece as well.
Needham Public Health Division is working to create a map of rat sightings to help identify any patterns in the data. Gurge also said the department is researching successful responses in surrounding communities such as pamphlets educating residents on pest management practices. Collaboration among business owners, residents and town health officials will continue to be crucial.
With no reports of rat nuisance complaints in June, these proactive approaches appear — at the moment — to be working.
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