A look at rodents by the numbers.
> October marks the start of the peak sales period for rodent control products at Home Depot.
> Rats can squeeze through openings the size of a quarter.
> Mice can squeeze through openings the size of a dime.
> 42 to 60 — Number of offspring a female house mouse can produce annually
> 2020 — The next Year of the Rat in the Chinese zodiac
> 40% — Percentage of mammal species that are rodents
> 150 — Most rats ever found by Boston’s Inspectional Services Department in an occupied dwelling, a hoarder’s one-bedroom unit
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> 3 weeks — Time it took to eliminate the colony
> 29% — Percentage of US households that have had a problem with rats or mice at one time or another
> 35 % — Percentage of households in the Northeast that have had rodent troubles
> 21 million — Estimated number of US homes that will have rodents this fall or winter
> Most common rodents in the Boston area Norway rats and house mice
> 16 inches — Typical length of a Norway rat, including tail
> 8 inches — Typical length of a house mouse
“Build a better mousetrap and the world will beat a path to your door.” — Unknown (but not Ralph Waldo Emerson)
Sources: Orkin; National Wildlife Federation; Boston Inspectional Services Department; PestWorld.org; Home Depot