31 Rats in the Basement

[Max Poff]

Hi all,

I closed on a condo in South Boston one year ago, and since then I have caught 31 rats in the finished basement walls. Here's everything I've tried so far to keep them out (some of which has helped, but I still hear those puppies scratching and squeaking. They also die in the walls and cause a stench)

1. We found out our sewer lateral pipe under the sidewalk had collapsed, so we got it replaced

2. Boston Drain Co knocked down the the wall at the elevation of the sewer pipe in the basement and patched some holes in the foundation

3. Catseye Pest Control's construction division (CatGuard) did exterior exclusion around the whole building at the ground level

4. There has been new constructions next door on two adjacent lots, and I've had a contact at the environmental division of inspectional services hold them accountable to pest control during the course of the project. 

5. I have a subscription with Catseye where they put bait stations outside and put traps in the wall, but this doesn't go after the root cause of the problem.

Where are these guys coming from?? I thought for sure the new sewer pipe would be the fix. Are there breaks in the city's main sewer line or the city's storm drain where the rats can come out of and then are there holes in my foundation that Boston Drain Co didn't find where the rats come into the walls? That's the only thing I can think of.

Thank you guys for the help! The picture shows the wall in my basement that gets all the activity: