Rochester, N.Y. (WHAM) — Town & Country Pest Solutions has been helping people locally and across the state get rid of pests for the last 40 years.
“Rats in general are horrible all over Rochester,” said Caleb Fabry, the company’s president.
Fabry said Town & Country’s phones have been ringing nonstop for the last six months, with some of the worst infestations he’s ever seen.
“Ten years ago, we would get calls, but it was here and there,” he said. “(Now) we’re seeing them every day. We’re seeing some of the worst infestations we’ve ever seen in the Rochester area. I would say that it’s aligning with what you would expect in a bigger city like New York City and things like that.”
On Thursday, the pest control company went out to a home in Gates whose owner had to be removed due to the condition of her home.
“It’s a really sad situation,” Fabry said. “She was living there last week, and her mattress is on the floor. She’s an elderly lady.”
Fabry said the home was littered with urine and feces from pests.
“We go in there to evaluate how we can stop it, and there’s rats everywhere,” Fabry continued. “I’m telling you, she was just sleeping in this house a prior week. Rats everywhere. There was a chicken running around in the house. That story is, I want to say it’s unusual, but we’re seeing more like that.”
Fabry said not only do rodents cause damage to property, but they can also carry diseases.
“We’ve recently heard some famous people down in New Mexico died of hantavirus, and it is from rats and mice, and it’s the viruses that they spread, and these things are real and that’s what pest control does,” he said. “We’re in charge of public health, and in so many ways, but you have to take it serious and just us coming in and trapping and giving you all the good ideas doesn’t solve it. You have to do something, too.”