News 12 Long Island reported this week that homeowners on First Avenue in East Northport have spent months watching rats burrow through their lawns and under garages. One resident of 22 years said she'd never had a rat problem until this summer. Another has spent more than $1,000 trying to get rid of them. Grandchildren are being kept out of backyards, and dead rats have turned up under trash bins. Neighbors suspect a nearby commercial property; the county says inspectors found no rodent activity there, though the business was cited for food waste left outside. (Full story: News 12.)
Rest Easy handles rat and rodent control across Long Island — Nassau County and Suffolk County — every week, and the East Northport story follows a pattern we see from Great Neck to the Hamptons. Here's what's going on, and what to do if it's your yard.
Rat burrow holes in your yard mean Norway rats, and a colony
Long Island's yard rat is the Norway rat. It doesn't live in your attic; it lives in the ground. A rat burrow hole is a smooth, 2–3 inch opening, usually next to a foundation, shed, deck, or fence line, with a fan of loose dirt outside it. One hole is rarely one rat. Norway rats live in family groups, and an established burrow system can have several entrances and a dozen or more animals.
That's why "they're destroying my yard" is the right description. A single female can produce several litters a year, so a rat problem that starts in July is a much bigger problem by November — and Long Island's mild falls keep them active well past the first frost.
Why "no evidence next door" doesn't clear your yard
This is the part of the East Northport story most people miss. Rats need three things: food, water, and harborage. Those three things don't have to be on the same property. A rat will travel 100 feet or more from its burrow to feed. A food source on one lot and burrows on the lots around it is normal, and an inspector finding no burrows at the food source is exactly what you'd expect.
The practical consequence: waiting for a neighbor or a business to fix their side doesn't fix yours. The rat holes in your lawn are the problem you can control.
What rodent control actually looks like on Long Island (and what doesn't work)
Residents in the story have tried traps and over-the-counter products on their own. That usually knocks down a few animals and leaves the colony intact. Rats are cautious about new objects, and a burrow system refills from within faster than snap traps thin it.
A real rodent control program for a Long Island yard does three things, in order:
- Finds every burrow and every food source — including the ones you don't think of: bird feeders, pet food, fallen fruit, compost, and unsealed garbage cans. Cans with chewed corners or lids that don't latch are a food source.
- Places tamper-resistant exterior bait stations along the burrows and runways where the colony is active, away from kids and dogs.
- Rodent proofing — sealing the gaps under sheds, decks, garage slabs, and along foundations so the next rats don't move in when the first group is gone. Rodent exclusion is what keeps the next colony from moving in.
Then it checks back, because rodent work in New York is a process, not a single visit.
Don't do this
- Don't put loose rodent bait in your yard. It's dangerous to pets and children, and using rodenticides outside a labeled bait station is off-label and illegal. A 2023 state investigation in Northport Village found contractors had misapplied rat poison in a public park; that's the kind of mistake homeowners make with retail products too.
- Don't fill burrows with dirt and call it done. Rats reopen them overnight. A reopened burrow is a sign of activity, which is useful; it's not a fix.
- Don't assume a dead rat means it's over. It means there's a colony.
Rat and rodent control across Nassau and Suffolk County
Rest Easy's technicians are certified or working under the supervision of a certified applicator, and we run rodent programs for homes and businesses across Long Island: Huntington, Smithtown, Babylon, Islip and Brookhaven in Suffolk County; Hempstead, Oyster Bay and North Hempstead in Nassau County — including East Northport and Northport. If you're seeing fresh burrow holes, worn runways along fences, droppings the size of a raisin, or gnaw marks on bins, a phone quote is free and takes a few minutes. Call 888-927-9842 or request a rodent control quote online.
Frequently asked questions
- Why are there suddenly rats in my Long Island yard?
- Norway rats move into yards when there's a food source within roughly 100 feet and soft ground to burrow in. New construction, a change at a nearby property, or a new food source (bird feeders, pet food, unsealed garbage) can start it. Once a colony is established it grows on its own.
- How do I know if the holes in my lawn are rat burrow holes?
- Rat burrows are smooth, 2–3 inches across, usually next to a structure or fence, with loose dirt fanned outside. Chipmunk holes are smaller and clean; mole tunnels are raised ridges, not open holes.
- Will my neighbors' rats come to my yard?
- Yes. Rats forage well beyond their burrow and dig new burrows wherever there's cover and food. Treating one yard without checking adjacent ones is why neighborhood-wide rat problems in Nassau and Suffolk County persist.
- What is rodent proofing?
- Sealing the entry points rats and mice use — gaps under sheds and decks, foundation cracks, openings around pipes and vents — with materials they can't chew through. It's done after the active colony is treated, so the yard and house stay clear.
- Are rat baits safe around dogs and kids?
- Only when placed by a certified applicator in tamper-resistant stations, as the product label requires. Loose bait is the most common way pets are poisoned.
- How long does it take to get rid of rats in a yard?
- It depends on colony size and how many food sources are nearby. Most Long Island yard programs take several weeks of treatment and follow-up, not one visit.