Interesting wording throughout this article.
Cabal communication mebbe, or I'm an idiot?
Draining the swamp, clearing the burrows: DC’s war on rats
Andre Pittman and Gregory Cornes are on a mission to rid Washington of opportunistic vermin.
But their target isn’t corrupt officials or shady political fixers; it’s Rattus Norvegicus, the common Norway Rat.
The nation’s capital is facing a spiraling rat infestation, fueled by mild winters and a human population boom. Washington’s government is struggling to keep pace, with the pest control department fielding a record number of calls.
On one recent day, Pittman and Cornes, both veteran Health Department employees, are working within sight of the Capitol, shoveling dry ice pellets into suspected rat burrow entrances. On another, they’re summoned about six blocks north of the White House, at 16th Street and M, where residents have complained of an outbreak.
“Rats adapt to everything. They can be like geniuses,” Pittman said.
On the grounds of a church, they poke around, expertly spotting telltale holes and matted dirt trails that signal rat burrows. Cornes uses an instrument like an extra-long Super Soaker to inject poison into the hole, while Pittman watches to see if the white powder puffs up from other holes and then shovels dirt to block those exits.
At the office building next door, the crew receives a hearty welcome from the security guard.
“The rats would scurry over employees’ feet as they left the building after sunset,” says the guard, who asked that his name not be published so as not to embarrass his employer. “We finally moved all garbage cans away from the door because that’s where they would feed and party.”
Cornes assures him, “We’re winning.”
https://www.apnews.com/d369711f043941c888e5409a70a630fb