DC is 3rd-rattiest city in US

WASHINGTON - Pest control company Orkin has released its Top 50 Rattiest Cities list and Washington D.C. is third on the list behind Chicago and New York.

Orkin said its rankings are based on the number of rodent treatments the company has performed from October 1, 2015 to September 30, 2016.

The nation's capital is no stranger to rats throughout the city. The rat infestation problem has gotten so bad in Dupont Circle that a Yelp page has been created calling the neighborhood a "rat sanctuary."

In October, the National Park Service teamed up with the D.C. Department of Health to work on controlling the rat population in parks throughout the city.

The National Park Service said in a statement, "Under the agreement, which takes effect on October 1, D.C. staff will not only assist in treating rats in NPS areas, but will also make recommendations to make our parks less habitable for rats. The NPS and D.C. Department of Health are working together to create a rat-free D.C. by simplifying the process to report rats and decreasing the response time for treatment of affected parks."

As temperatures get colder, Orkin said rats are looking for warmer places to live.

"Just like we put on a warm coat and turn up the heat indoors, rodents look for a warm place to nest," said John Kane, entomologist and Technical Director of Orkin's Midwest Region. "Fall evenings as mild as those in the mid-50's can send rodents indoors to search for warmth, where they can cause hundreds of dollars in damages to homes and businesses."

Here are some tips provided by Orkin to help prevent rodents around your home:

- Inspect both inside and outside the home for rodent droppings, burrows and rub marks along baseboards and walls. The more quickly rodents are detected, the better.
- Look for possible entry points outside the home and seal cracks and holes if any are found.
- Install weather strips around entryways, especially under doors, to help block rodents from sneaking inside.
- Store food properly by keeping it sealed tightly in rodent-proof containers like plastic bins or metal canisters. Otherwise, rodents may smell food and break into weaker containers.
- Clean up crumbs and spills as soon as they happen to avoid leaving food residue or sugary substances that can attract rodents.
- Cut back trees and bushes to at least three feet away from homes to avoid giving rodents a "jumping off" point to access the gutters, roof or other hidden openings.

Here is the full list of the Top 50 Rattiest Cities:

1. Chicago
2. New York
3. Washington D.C.
4. Los Angeles
5. San Francisco-Oakland-San Jose
6. Baltimore
7. Philadelphia
8. Minneapolis-St. Paul
9. Detroit
10. Denver
11. Seattle-Tacoma
12. Boston
13. Miami-Ft. Lauderdale
14. Dallas-Ft. Worth
15. Cleveland
16. Atlanta
17. Hartford & New Haven, Conn.
18. Pittsburgh
19. Indianapolis
20. Portland, Ore.
21. Houston
22. Raleigh-Durham, N.C.
23. Milwaukee
24. Norfolk-Portsmouth-Newport News, Va.
25. Richmond-Petersburg, Va.
26. Albany-Schenectady-Troy, N.Y.
27. Charlotte, N.C.
28. St. Louis
29. Buffalo, N.Y.
30. Kansas City, Mo.
31. Tampa-St. Petersburg, Fla.
32. Sacramento-Stockton-Modesto, Calif.
33. Grand Rapids-Kalamazoo-Battle Creek, Mich.
34. Cincinnati
35. Rochester, N.Y.
36. West Palm Beach-Ft. Pierce, Fla.
37. Columbus, Ohio
38. New Orleans, La.
39. Nashville, Tenn.
40. Greenville-Spartanburg-Asheville, S.C.
41. Flint-Saginaw-Bay City, Mich.
42. Albuquerque-Santa Fe, N.M.
43. Portland-Auburn, Maine
44. Green Bay-Appleton, Wis.
45. Phoenix
46. Orlando-Daytona Beach-Melbourne, Fla.
47. San Diego
48. Burlington-Plattsburgh, Vt.
49. Madison, Wis.
50. Salt Lake City