European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - May 20, 1994, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Friday May 20, 1994 the stars and stripes Page 3 is amps photos Jon Connor a trap left from land Stuhle a 10th medical lab awaits the Norway rat at do Heints Anderson Barracks where an infestation has Many residents complaining. The overflow of garbage right gives rats easy Access to food. These dumpsters Are behind Dix Heimz a main  waging War on rat infestation by Jon Connor staff writer Derheim Germany a a War of sorts is being waged in Dex Heimz Sanderson Barracks Community to curb the rat population troubling some residents and businesses. A a a. A a a a the rats Are ruling the Post a said Jesse. Homan chief Mechanic and assistant manager of Dex Hejmo a Bowling Center. A a they re around humans so much what arc they afraid of they got All the food they need.�?�,. Homan and other Community members say the rats Are up to 10 inches Long from the nose to the rear end and about 2 to 5 inches in circumference. Recently an entomology team from the 10th medical lab at Lan Stuhl army regional medical Center. Was called to Derheim 23 Miles East of bad Kcruz Nach to assist Community officials in the Battle. The entomologists Are responsible not Only for insects but also for rodent infestations. The rat population is linked to some of the 1,650 residents who have not been sorting theft trash. People living in Derheim and bad Kreuz Nach must separate their trash for collection and recycling said it. Col. Gregory j. Dyson commander of the 410th base sup port in based in bad Kreuz Nach. Dyson said several Steps Are being taken to control the problem. First 25 of 30 new garbage bins have been put in place to replace older models Dyson said. Unlike the old dumpsters the new ones have secure lids to keep the garbage in and the rats out. And putting locks on the lid is under consideration to prevent some residents from putting unsorted trash into others trash bins he said. Some residents have reportedly been dumping their unsorted trash into dumpsters away from their own. A second step is strict enforcement of trash separation by educating the Community and other Means. The failure of some residents to sort their trash prompted command officials to a play hardball a Dyson said. A we asked them contractors not to pick it unsorted trash up a Dyson said. Some residents also have filled Burrows made by the rats. Holley while residents Welcome the actions others believe they could have come sooner. A Anderson resident staff sgt. Christopher Holley said one Soldier of the 501st military intelligence in was bitten by a fat about six months ago As he collected garbage As part of an extra duty. A a they re not afraid of us a Holley said. He and his wife Michelle said they have contacted the . Army inspector general veterinarians and officials with the directorate of engineering and housing in search of  a rats Arentt healthy. No one Here wants to admit that a Holley said. To their disappointment the Holley said no one is willing to admit the seriousness of the rat problem. A a they re just brushing me off a said Michelle Holley. A a in a worried about it because we have kids a a a they re army agencies trying to make out that its Normal a she said. A the problem is so bad Christopher Holley said that it was announced at a company formation that the 1st army div was considering authorizing the use of 13b guns and Pellet guns to combat the rats. However capt. Greg Bartlett a spokesman for the 1st army div denied that thursday. A that would never be allowed a Bartlett said also at War with the rats is Jeff Romero food service manager at Dex Heimz a Boyling Center. Romero said he saw rats in the restaurant area when he first began working there in february. After he instructed his staff to clean up thoroughly and keep food off the floor the rat problem ended Romero said but the Deh recently removed nearby racy cling bins used by the Bowling Center a we generate a lot of food garbage a Romero said. A we have too much garbage to keep it in Pur facility. Any place that serves food should have  while Romero was Able to get a dumpster for paper and food garbage the Center still has no storage Structure for the gel bar sack or yellow sack a recycling bag germans use for no biodegradable items like milk Cartons or styrofoam meat trays a the problem Romero said is that customers still throw their leftover food in yellow recycling sacks. By cause the Center takes about four of the yellow recycling sacks out daily and because the sacks arc Only picked up every two weeks rats have Long term Access to food he said. However he a optimistic that humans will win the War on rats. A a a we re beginning to see some. Results a Dyson said. A a a Burrows too numerous to count at Derheim Germany a the huge number of rat holes at Anderson Barracks makes it difficult to estimate the size of the rodent infestation that has troubled Derheim residents says the chief entomologist at Lan Stuhl army regional medical Center. The holes Are a too numerous to count a said maj. Charles e. Cannon. But staff sgt. Christopher Holley a building coordinator at Derheim said a senior no recently told him that a a conservative estimate of the rat population is 1,000. Since last week an entomology team from land Stuhle a 10th medical lab has been collecting data to help Community officials get rid of the rats and reduce the potential for Contact with humans Cannon said. A. The holes area product of the rats burrowing to and from their underground nests to the surface in search of food. The team has identified the Derheim pests As Lonyay rats Cannon said. Norway rats generally Gray Brown in appearance grow to a body length of 7 to 10 inches and May weigh up to a Pound. A female rat produces about four litters of nine babies annually Cannon said. The rats life expectancy is one year. Cannon said the areas government housing area a seems to be in pretty Good shape a but the potential exists for More major problems if action Isnit taken. A a it a a difficult problem a he said of the garbage separation. A if the food Wasny to there they  be  the biggest concern surrounding the presence of rats is the threat of disease from the fleas associated with them a Cannon said. Right now he said there is no concern about transmission of diseases. About 100 cages with Poison bait have been placed throughout Anderson Barracks to trap rats both for testing and to reduce the population. Tissue and blood samples Are being taken from dead rats for testing. The tissue results should be known by next week while the blood findings Arentt expected Back until sometime this summer he said. Diseases associated with rats include Lyme disease tick borne encephalitis typhus rabies trichinosis leptospirosis and bubonic plague. Bubonic plague is transmitted by fleas that bite rats and humans. While outbreaks Are relatively rare rats and other rodents still carry the disease producing organisms. Rabies really  be a concern Cannon said because in general rats Are not Good carriers. A Jon Connor