Longtime Needham resident Christine Zachary Mawhinney first saw them at the marshy area at the corner of West Street and Central Avenue. “It was dusk,” she said, “and initially, I thought I’d seen a groundhog. Then I realized it was a rat.”
Other residents have chimed in on Facebook, reporting seeing rats near dumpsters and along the railroad tracks in town.
One couple, who want to remain anonymous, trapped more than 20 rats in their garage near Bradford Street and Great Plain Avenue last fall. They called public health officials and an exterminator who recommended they remove a compost pile and grass seed from their property.
So yes, there are rats in Needham, though smaller populations than in higher-density Boston area towns. The good news is that so far this spring rat sightings are down from last year, probably due to the cold winter. And Public Health officials have instituted a new reporting system to help better monitor the problem. Anyone seeing a rat should go to the town website and fill out a survey. If possible, take a photo.
Tara Gurge, assistant director of public health, said the town’s first eye-opening experience with rats was in 2018, when the Needham Children’s Center, which shares a fence with several restaurants, reported divots in their yard and thought they had moles. “We went in there and said, ‘Those aren’t moles!’” Until then, Gurge said, she proudly thought there weren’t any rats in Needham. She said all parties, including the town and the Children’s Center, worked hard to fix the problem. But she added that you have to stay diligent.
Now, the town has a better tracking system and can address problems in a timely fashion. Sai Palani, the town’s environmental health agent, said data from the new intake form currently shows seven rat sightings since April. Four were linked to complaints they had responded to previously, two were of individual dead rats and one was a report of rats running along the railroad tracks at night.
Gurge said starting about six months ago, the Board of Health also began requiring permits for dumpsters. She said they can now crack down on owners with dumpsters that are overflowing or missing drain plugs. Sometimes waste haulers return the dumpsters without the plugs or someone takes the plug out to help water drain out of the dumpster. “It’s a perfect entrance way for the rats,” said Palani.
Public Health oversees the parking lot areas in town and has placed four smart boxes that attract and capture rats in order to monitor activity. According to Palani, they’ve only gotten a couple of hits in the past few months but expect that might change as the weather gets warmer. The Department of Public Works also has their own smart boxes in other areas around town such as the Recycling and Transfer Station.
According to Gurge, there have been rumors about spikes along the train tracks, which makes sense because some restaurant or store dumpsters are adjacent. “We did focus on those areas including space behind Sudbury Farms, making sure the areas are clear,” Gurge said. “We kind of have it down pat; who to get in touch with … the property manager, restaurant owners, waste haulers and pest control experts, and we come up with a plan.”
“Rats love food, water and warmth. Those are the three things we’re always chasing after,” Gurge said. That source is often a dumpster but Palani added that, “Sometimes it can be a compost pile or bird feeder. Once the rats identify a consistent food source, they hunker down and start reproducing.”
The process of tracking down where rats come from is real-time sleuthing. After a sighting, inspector Palani will check the area for any kind of nesting, check for any rat tracks, check any nearby dumpsters and look for nearby standing water. Palani said most property managers, restaurants and homeowners want to work with the public health department to eradicate the problem.
As for the Bradford Street surge, Palani believes the rats were from a larger known population that was closer to the center of town. “When that area was treated, some of the rats may have scattered into that residential area.” The homeowner says he’s always on alert and notes his father-in-law, who grew up on a farm, prides himself on being the one to collect and get rid of any unwelcome visitors to the family garage.
In addition to filling out the survey on the website, residents can also report rat sightings at 781-455-7950.
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