Life is Good for New York Exterminators

The Observer spends a fruitful day palling around with exterminator Stephen Ceol, who has seen business boom ever since the rat rodeo sparked a city-wide Health Department crackdown on restaurants. It’s a fun read. “[Ceol] set out a number of baitless, mechanical traps, which instead lure vermin simply by the size of their tiny entryways. ‘They’re naturally comfortable going into a hole. It spins them around and they can’t get out. It works great because it’s a repeater. You catch so many of them. I’ve had five live ones in there at one time.’ What happens to the captured critters? ‘I boil ’em and throw ’em out. That’s what I have to do… I had one client; I guess their kitchen guys were taking count. Thirty-two rats were killed—32!’”