We live on Wilhelmina Rise in Kaimuki. A couple of months ago, our neighbors said they started noticing rats and asked if we had a problem. Then we started seeing them all over the place, even in our barbecue grill! Rat populations grow
where food's availableThe other bad thing is that we've had a dog for years and never had a tick problem. Since the rats showed up, our dog is full of ticks. The problem seems to have escalated after the city began exterminating rats in Waikiki. Is there a link between the two or is it just an odd coincidence?
It's not likely the Waikiki rats were driven up into the hills. "The maximum travel distance (for rats) is about 200 feet from their nesting place," said Norman Sato, supervisor for the state's Vector Control.
Asked if there had been a rash of calls regarding rats on Wilhelmina Rise, Sato said there was "nothing unusual," there or elsewhere.
But when he heard your complaint, he immediately zoomed in on your dog.
"About 95 percent of calls about rats are usually associated with other animals," Sato said.
The problem is when people put out food for a pet in the morning, then leave it there all day.
"Initially, you don't see them (the rats) because they're nocturnal," Sato said. "But as the population grows bigger with the availability of food, you begin to notice them. At that point, there is a big problem."
In any given location, the number of rats is usually determined by the availability of food, he said. "Once they find a source (for food), they begin to nest."
An inspector who checked your complaint found a couple of your neighbors also have dogs that feed outside. He also noticed a "huge rock wall" where the rats apparently were nesting.
As the inspector explained, you have to first "aggressively go out" and either trap or poison the rats, then remove the source of food. Unfortunately, the rats may then try to enter your home to find an alternative food source, Sato said.
However, if you properly follow extermination procedures, the rats should be wiped out within a week or two, he said.
As for Waikiki, the city hired a pest controller and "for now," the situation is "OK," Sato said.
Vector Control can be reached at 831-6767.
At the Stadium Bowl-O-Drome a couple of weekends ago, I saw smokers walking around the bowling alley with lit cigarettes. A sign says smoking is permitted only in the dining area, but the dining area is in middle of the bowling alley and is not enclosed. Is this allowed? Actually, there isn't supposed to be smoking anywhere in the establishment.
The bowling alley did forbid bowlers from smoking, except in the coffee shop, after the city passed a stricter workplace smoking law earlier this year. Patrons who see people smoking outside of the dining area should inform a security guard, Stadium Bowl-O-Drome owner Eddie Kinzie said.
However, a city building inspector said smoking should not be allowed in that area, either. Restaurants may allow smoking only if there is seating for 50 or more people, he said. In that case, it does not matter if the dining area is enclosed or not. The bowling alley's dining area does not meet the 50-seat criterion.
The inspector also informed the bowling alley that signs specifically saying "Smoking Prohibited by Law" should be posted at all doorways leading into public areas. Elsewhere, signs need only show a no-smoking symbol or simply say "no smoking," he said.
To the jerk who opened his passenger door while driving on Noelani Street in Pearl City, about 4:40 p.m. Oct. 16, and dumped packages and cups of fast food. But I got his license number and called the Litter Hotline (538-3166). Auwe
