Helena pest control company getting 150% more calls for rodents in homes since temperature drop

HELENA, Ala. (WBRC) - The freezing temperatures are forcing a lot of us indoors to stay warm, and we’re not the only ones. Critters like mice and rats are also headed inside your home to escape the frigid temperatures.

So much so, a local pest company is getting flooded with calls.

“Over the course of the last, I would say 4-5 days, we’ve seen about 150% increase in our calls for rodents alone which is unusual for this time of year,” said Alan Farmer, the owner of Farmer’s Smart Pest Control in Helena.

He says it all has to do with the rollercoaster temperatures.

“If we back up two weeks ago and it got really warm, we saw a huge emergence of insects: roaches, spiders, ants,” he explained. “Then it got cold and so that’s where the warm-blooded mammals start seeking shelter again. So that’s your mice and your rats.”

Farmer says they’re looking for food, water, and shelter- all things found inside your home.

“They like clutter,” he added. “It gives them places to hide and they also like food and crumbs and of course with mice and rats, they eat the same food that we do so they like to hang out where we’re a little messy, maybe around the stove area, and that’s where we find a lot of cockroach problems as well. So general sanitation is the number one key to protecting your home from pests and rodents.”

Farmer says the second key is closing up any and all gaps around your garage and your doors, especially in homes with furry friends. He says they find there tends to be a common denominator with their calls: many have pets at home.

“It’s usually the dog food is left out, either they put the dog food in a bowl, they put it down for their pet and they leave it overnight,” said Farmer. “Well, overnight is when the mice are going to come out and that’s what they’re looking for.”

He recommends simply putting the food away after your pet is finished with mealtime.

If you spot a rodent inside or around your home, he says to deal with the issue quickly because there’s normally more that you don’t see.

“They reproduce really fast,” he explains. “Mice can become sexually mature in just 30 days and then they’re having litters of multiple pups and then 30 days, they’re sexually mature so it can get out of hand really fast.”

To avoid the problem becoming too overwhelming, Farmer recommends contacting a professional as soon as you suspect there is a critter to get it taken care of quickly.

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