Winter has arrived in full force across much of Maine. Between repeated snowstorms, deep snowpack, and freezing temperatures over the past month, the ground is frozen, and outdoor food is scarce, which means mice and rats are starting to look elsewhere for warmth, shelter, and snacks.

Halloween is over, the costumes are put away, and the candy wrappers are gone, but there might be a lingering hazard hiding in your yard: rotting pumpkins and leftover decorations. For homeowners in Central and Coastal Maine, this post-Halloween mess can be an open invitation for mice and rats looking for food and shelter as the weather turns colder.

It goes without saying that when it gets cold outside rodents head indoors to look for shelter. Because of this, Maine residents need to pay close attention to their homes as we move into fall. We know it might seem a tad bit early to be discussing this given that we are a few weeks away from the official first day of autumn but already our pest control technicians out in the field are seeing signs of large infestations of mice and rats inside homes and businesses. In fact, 80% of our calls in the last few weeks of August were rodent related and we anticipate more property owners will be calling with the same concern(s).