By Alan Graham

After the second world war navy ships returning to San Diego carried some unwanted passengers with them namely RATS. Jumbo size black rats from the Philippines.

They made their home in the rocks along the beaches of Coronado and those who live on the ocean front know all too well that they (the rats) are here to stay.

Once I witnessed a tree trimming crew laughing as the cut down the dead palm fronds from some giant Palms in front of a stately home. They were laughing because they could hear that rats scurrying to escape only to return as soon as the crew left. They are impossible to great rid of completely because they are highly intelligent. 

 Pristine, clean and gorgeous…Coronado might be the last area you would expect to harbor rodents. More often than not, these creatures are associated with dirty, unsanitary places.

It is not our fault that we buy into this association. Years of iconic movies like Batman with rats running down every ominous alley and old images of rat-riddled streets during the bubonic plague have conditioned us to associate them with dirt and disease. The truth is, rodents are found in some of the cleanest most sanitary places, one being Coronado.

In winter, we observe almost five times as many rat calls to Pest Control companies than in any other season. Winter rains and cold temperatures cause rodents to take shelter in warmer places, moving outside in, leaving residents with small winter invaders that are the cause of big problems. In many cases, an infestation can go unnoticed for years. Understanding rodent habits can help you prevent an infestation and/or identify one if it might be underway.