Cincinnati residents report 50 rodent infestations in May

Cincinnati residents report 50 rodent infestations in MayPhoto: PIXNIO
Hoodline
Published on June 10, 2019

Rats! According to service request data from the city, some Cincinnati residents saw unwanted guests last month as the summer rodent season began ramping up.

The City of Cincinnati is one of dozens of cities across the nation that encourages residents to request non-emergency services from the city online. Hoodline scoured through the city’s open data, hosted by Socrata, to determine where residents have recently reported rodent infestations.

Cincinnati saw 50 rodent reports in the month of May: 31 mice reports and 19 rat reports.

Rat and mice reports across Cincinnati in May 2019. | MAP: HOODLINE

May's rodent infestation count was higher than the average month in Cincinnati. Since 2015, Cincinnati has seen an average of 38 rodent reports filed per month via the city's 311 service.

However, according to wildlife control, summer is peak season for rats. Historical data for Cincinnati show that starting in May, rat and mice reports tend to trend upward, with the most reports coming in in August before declining again in the fall. In 2018, Cincinnati's peak in August saw 73 rodent reports filed with the city.

Rat and mice reports in Cincinnati per month. | INFOGRAPHIC: HOODLINE

The City of Cincinnati has marked 18 of the rodent reports opened in the last month as resolved. The rest remain outstanding.

According to the 311 service reports, the city aims to resolve mice and rat infestation reports within six months, though the city's average response time is just 36 days.

If you have mice or rats in your home, the Center for Disease Control recommends sealing up access holes, trapping rodents where possible, and eliminating potential food sources by keeping kitchens and pantries clean and edibles contained. 

You can report a rodent infestation to the city online, right here.