Rats can't survive outside in the winter in Alberta (or Saskatchewan). They need human buildings. The distances between farmsteads are large, at least from a ra

Rats can't survive outside in the winter in Alberta (or Saskatchewan). They need human buildings. The distances between farmsteads are large, at least from a rat's point of view. There is therefore a relatively large time constant between jumps from one farm to the next. Checking a couple of times per year is usually sufficient.