In July 2026, News 12 and CBS New York reported on a block of Seaford — Adrienne Lane and Allen Drive — where rats had taken over backyards. Residents said the problem started the summer before and had only grown: 25 rats trapped in a single week, one homeowner catching 30 on his own, fences and garbage pails chewed through, children kept out of yards, thousands of dollars spent on exterminators. The Nassau County Health Department sent an inspection team to look for the food, water and shelter feeding the colony. (CBS New York · News 12)
Rest Easy handles rodent control across Nassau County — Seaford, Wantagh, Massapequa, Bellmore, Merrick, Levittown and the rest of the Town of Hempstead and Oyster Bay — and the Seaford story is the clearest example we've seen of how a suburban rat problem works. Here's what it teaches.
Trapping 25 rats a week and still having rats
That number is the whole story. A Norway rat colony that can lose 25 animals in a week and keep going is a colony with an intact burrow system and a reliable food source. Trapping removes the rats that are out foraging; it does nothing to the burrows, the nest, or the reason the rats are there. Residents in Seaford said it plainly: they wanted someone to find the nest. That's the right instinct.
Why a Nassau County neighborhood gets rats
Norway rats need three things within about 100 feet of each other: food, water and a place to burrow. South-shore Nassau neighborhoods supply all three — soft lawns and garden beds to dig in, pools and sprinklers and canals for water, and food that homeowners don't think of as food: bird seed, fallen fruit, pet food on the deck, compost, unsealed garbage cans, and the grease and crumbs under a backyard grill. Once a colony is established, it grows block-wide. One yard that isn't treated keeps the whole block supplied.
What the county inspection does — and doesn't
The Health Department's job is to find conditions that attract rats and get property owners to correct them. That's useful, and in a neighborhood problem it's the only way to reach the one yard that's feeding everyone else. But the county doesn't treat private property. The burrows under your shed are yours to deal with, whether the inspector finds the source next door or not.
What a rodent program does that traps alone don't
- Finds every burrow and every food source on the property — including the ones you don't think of.
- Places tamper-resistant exterior bait stations along the active burrows and runways, away from kids and dogs, so the colony is addressed where it feeds.
- Traps indoors where rats or mice have gotten into the garage, shed or house.
- Rodent proofing: seals the gaps under sheds, decks and slabs and along the foundation so the next rats don't move in.
- Comes back. Rodent control on a block like this is a program, not a visit, because the colony next door is always looking.
If you're seeing this in Seaford, Wantagh, Massapequa or anywhere in Nassau
Fresh holes 2–3 inches across with loose dirt outside, runways worn along fences, droppings the size of a raisin, chewed can lids. If you have them, a phone quote is free. Call 888-927-9842 or request a rodent control quote online.
Frequently asked questions
- Why does Seaford have so many rats?
- South-shore neighborhoods give Norway rats soft ground to burrow in, water from pools, sprinklers and canals, and food from bird feeders, pet food, fruit trees and unsealed garbage, all within a few yards. Once a colony is established it spreads block to block.
- I trapped dozens of rats and still have them. Why?
- Traps remove foraging rats; they don't remove the burrow system or the food source. A colony with intact burrows replaces what traps take. The burrows and the food have to be addressed.
- Will the Nassau County Health Department get rid of the rats?
- The county inspects for conditions that attract rats and can require owners to correct them. It does not treat private property.
- How do I find a rat nest in my yard?
- Look for burrow entrances — smooth holes 2–3 inches across with loose dirt fanned outside — against foundations, sheds, decks, fence lines and in garden beds. Rats also leave worn runways along fences and walls.
- Can rat bait be used around pets and kids?
- Only in tamper-resistant stations placed by a certified applicator, as the product label requires. Loose bait is how pets and children get exposed.