The Nome nugget., 1928-12-08
THE MENACE OF THE RAT

Public Health Service mas recently pointed out that public health au- thorities everywhere recognize the increasing sanitary and economic menace of the rat. As the princi- pal agent in the spread of bubonic plague, the rat is responsible for the almost worldwide prevalence of this disease. which during the 20 year period ending in 1923, kill ed over II 100000 people in India alone.
 Since the beginning of the Hong kong epidemic in 1853, bubonic plague has been distributed thru cha annels of international commerce to all parts of the world where en- vironmental conditions are favor able to the breeding of rats and rat fed fleas
 Notwithstanding the depredations of rats, annually costing the people of the United States approximately $200, 0,000,000 for food consumed and like amount or more for loss es sustained through the wanton destructiveness of the animal, the general public needs to be informed as to the danger and the cost of feeding millions of these parasitic rodentss.
 rhn c1, Hn h uh rr realize that if the Extraordinarily prolific breeding of rats was not constantly controlled by disease, natural enemies and the canabalis- tic tendencies of the animal itself. the world might be over-run and man himself forced to fight los ing battle for scraps of food.
 To combat the rat successfully. man must become familiar with it's habits Of living and breeding and know its dietary preferences Methods of combat must be stud jed and proper application Of t.ae most efficient of these mus. be Letter understood. In the age. old fight for survival, the rat has learned lessons of sagacity. pati cnce and agility which we'll fit it fer ,"H.est in which man must exercise his ingenuity to the ut I:ost if hc would win.
 Direct measures of attack have but limited usefulness in the hands of the public. Trapping with snap or cage traps. the use of poisoned baits, the aggression of such natural antagonists as dogs. cats. ferrets. weasels, etc, and the Immigration with poison ous gases. may all be resorted to, but, with the exception of trapping, they can not be recommended for use by the inexperienced house. holder. Rat suppression measures, if universally persecuted. will do more to make life hazardous Cor the pest than the application of ucoeI uSliNC uSeIls. ue HusL eI- fective suppression measure is to separate the rat from its custom ary food supply. This procedure should be followed in most scru- pulous detail in the home, the place of business and wherever fOodstuffs are stored or handled Bulk food in the home should be kept in rat-proof containers and every occupied residential premis- es should be equipped with rat tight garbage can. Garbage dumps should be eliminated from every community and garbage disposed of by incineration
 There are three principal species of rats in the United States The brown rat (Icattus norvegicus) pre- fers to live at or below the level of the ground and the female will burrow beneath plank flooring or concrete paving with exposed edges to find a safe location for the nest The roof rat (Rattus alexandrinusl and the black rat. or ship rat (Rat- tus rattus) look for double walls and dusty attics where they find protection from their arch enemy the more ferocious but less az ile brown, or "sewel' rat. The el- animation of the hiding places GUS tomarily frequented by these ami mals restrict breeding to an extent