Dear Angela, The image of rats leaping up at us is alarming. However, we don't have the unsanitary conditions necessary for this to happen. I'm very confident that the safeguards we've put in place have been effective and continue to work. There may be more information on this in the future.  Our neighborhood is too upscale for inner city slum-like conditions to exist. Matt --- On Tue, 8/10/10, Angela wrote: From: Angela  Subject: Re: Rats To: "Matt  Cc: Entire Association Date: Tuesday, August 10, 2010, 2:51 PM Dear Matt, So do you think that the holes by the front door are not rat holes? Steve and Ed thought they were rat holes last spring, and after I treated the holes, there was no more activity, until these last days when something reactivated one of the holes. Maybe you're right and they are squirrels. I have a horror of seeing rats leap out at me. They are much more bold than squirrels. Also, if Susan is right, there is a lot of ground cover nearby--Susan, Steve, and Larry, but not me. The dumpster is a brilliant idea. I think we just have to get used to the idea that there are rats on the property, do what we can, and hope they will move to locations where there is more trash. The salt marsh hay is great stuff and it has allowed me to grow in some areas where I could never grow before, and is helping the pumpkins--looks like it will be quite a harvest! Thanks for your help, Angela On Tue, Aug 10, 2010 at 2:01 PM, Matt wrote: Reply to all, Susan and I went out this morning to inspect the rat holes Angela claims she found. These holes did not look like typical burrows, however, Angela's immediate rat abatement methods made it difficult to determine what is really there. John was on hand to lend some observations, he did not sound convinced that there was rodent activity there. We have a squirrel population that is prone to creating small holes all over the place. I once pointed this out to Angela. The straw mulch used around her landscaping looks as if things are burrowing but, it's only the squirrels looking for their caches and perhaps birds using it for ideal nesting material. We inspected the entire periphery of the property and could find no other signs of fresh burrowing. I don't know why rodents would want to burrow next to Abbey's front door given the fact of all the activity and lack of food source and water there.  There has been no new activity near our trash barrels. I spoke with the WatchAll service person today. He said there was no new activity around the bait stations that he set down and also didn't notice any new burrows. All of his observations and treatments are recorded in hard copy print and available from Susan. I called Steve, our neighbor next door, to ask him about any interactions and experiences with rats on his property. So far he has not replied. More from ed to come sometime soon. I have not confirmed the compost heap one way or another there. I called Casella Waste Disposal Service in Peabody, MA. They have the contract for garbage disposal for 300 Harvard, the large apartment complex on the corner of Harvard & Trowbridge. They confirmed that in their line of business rats can and have invaded the dumpsters. This source is a possible culprit for rodents traversing the property in search of food. If the container is not tightly closed they will go in as a first choice thereby ignoring the bait stations. The same is true for the alleged compost heap of Steve. Brian from WatchAll says the rodent population in Cambridge has increased recently. The Department of Rodent Control for Cambridge is on the case. Their response is always...."everyone has to deal with rodents in some way."   The sanitation here is very good and many safeguards have been put in place. In my opinion, the problem is most probably from our neighbors and at this point it's not very serious.  I personally have to deal with this condominiums trash disposal on a weekly basis.  We have things under control but, I think a few of us can do a bit better. Please relax and enjoy your life! Matt ----- Original Message ----- From: Angela To: Entire Association Sent: Monday, August 09, 2010 9:15 PM Subject: Rats Dear All, The rat/s is/are back in the rat hole by my front door. This afternoon, I nuked the hole with the special brew of moth flakes, amonia, and Green rat poison which worked very well in the spring. The fake rock is about two feet away so I think it has no more bait or is simply not a deterrent. I don't think there is any reason to pay the rodent company. Steve has rats all over his yard and has been doing his best to kill them. Just a head's up to be careful with your garbage and watch what you step on. Angela