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Baltimore Makes Orkin's Top 10 'Rattiest Cities' List

BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- Baltimore has once again made it onto Orkin's list of the rattiest cities in the U.S.

Chicago tops the list for the third year in a row. Baltimore comes in 8th.

The metro regions are ranked, Orkin says, by the number of rodent treatments the company performed from September 15, 2016 to September 15 of this year.

Apparently, fall is the start of "rodent season," because as weather gets colder, unwanted pests like rats and mice seek out food, water and shelter to survive the winter. This often leads them into people's homes.

"Rats can squeeze through a hole the size of a quarter, while mice can fit through a hole the size of a dime," says John Kane, entomologist and Technical Director of Orkin's Midwest Region. "Even if they can't find an opening, they can often chew their way in."

Here's the full top 10 list:

  1. Chicago
  2. New York
  3. Los Angeles (+1)
  4. San Francisco – Oakland (+1)
  5. Washington, DC (-2)
  6. Philadelphia (+1)
  7. Detroit (+2)
  8. Baltimore (-2)
  9. Seattle – Tacoma
  10. Dallas – Ft. Worth (+4)

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