Rodents Are Scratching in Your Walls? January Emergency Pest Management

Quick Answer: If you hear scratching sounds inside your walls during the cold weather of January, mice have most likely moved in and settled. January and February are both the peak months for rodent entry in the region. Acting the same day you notice signs of scratching, droppings, or chewed packaging stops a small problem from turning into a full infestation afterward. Call Maximum Pest Control Services, your local insured and bonded trained exterminators, for same-day emergency pest management at (905) 582-5502.

It is a winter evening, and you are sitting in your living room, covered in your snugging house blanket, listening to some nice soft music, and the atmosphere is relaxing and calm, and suddenly, you hear a familiar loud scratching sound inside the walls. You convince yourself that it is just the building settling until a few minutes later, you hear the sound again, this time a lot louder. If the scratching sound is coming from your walls and you are living in a house in Oakville, Burlington, or maybe Mississauga, you are most certainly not the only one suffering from it, and most likely, everyone else is dealing with the exact same thing.

Mice will often enter buildings when the weather gets colder and tend to show up in large numbers. Many landlords, homeowners, and renters find themselves needing emergency pest management during this month because it is, unfortunately, the month most rodents push their way inside. The good news is that Maximum Pest Control Services offers fast, reliable emergency pest management right here in the Halton and Peel regions, ready to respond when you need it most.

Why Do Rodents Come Into Homes in January?

The answer is simple: mice are persistent survivors. When January hits and the cold drives away every food source outside, they have no other option except to find shelter somewhere warm. That somewhere is often your home, condo, or townhouse.

All it takes is a hole the size of a dime for a mouse to find its way inside. They squeeze through weep holes, gaps in foundations, openings around door and window frames, spaces around ductwork, and gaps where utility pipes enter the building. Once inside, they head for the quiet, hidden spots: wall cavities, attics, crawlspaces, basements, and the dark spaces behind major appliances where humans and pets can’t reach.

Once they have settled in, you start to hear it at night when everything else is quiet. Mice are primarily nocturnal, and that scratching or scurrying sound in the wall after midnight is one of the first things you will notice.

Signs You Have a Mouse Problem in Your Home

Scratching inside the wall is the most common first sign, but it is rarely the only one. Here is what else to look for:

• Small black droppings in drawers, cupboards, and along the base of walls
• Food packaging that has been chewed or has small gnaw marks on boxes and bags
• A foul, ammonia-like odour from mouse urine
• Nests made from torn paper, fabric scraps, or shredded insulation in quiet corners
• Mice darting across floors, particularly near baseboards, fridges, dishwasher and heat vents

If you see any of these signs, act right away. One mouse sighting does not mean one mouse. They do not travel alone, and where you see one, there are many more close by.

Why You Should Act Right Away and Not Wait Until Spring?

Mice procreate rapidly. Up to ten litters can be produced in a year by a single female, with each litter containing five to twelve pups. Within weeks, what starts as a handful of mice becomes an overwhelming, nonstop-growing infestation.

Beyond the numbers, they cause real damage. Mice chew electrical wiring, which raises the risk of house fires. They contaminate food and kitchen surfaces with urine and droppings, spreading airborne bacteria, including salmonella. Many people are also allergic to mouse fur and droppings without knowing it until symptoms appear.

By the time you hear scratching noises or find droppings, the infestation is already underway. Waiting until spring will only make the situation harder to fix. The sooner you call a professional pest control company, the faster it gets resolved.

What to Expect When You Call for Emergency Pest Control?

When you contact Maximum Pest Control Services, you can expect a fast, dependable response. Emergency services are built for unexpected infestations—to assess and treat the situation quickly and effectively. Here is what a professional mice control visit looks like:

Step 1: Full Inspection

A trained pest control technician will inspect every likely entry point and nesting area, both inside and outside your home, including the attic. They will identify exactly how the mice got in and where they are currently living.

Step 2: Sealing of Entry Points

One of the most important parts of stopping a rodent infestation is closing the doors they used to get in. The technician will seal all cracks, gaps, and holes to prevent mice from entering again after treatment.

Step 3: Strategic Trapping and Removal

Traps and bait are placed at specific points based on where mice are moving throughout the property, making removal as thorough and fast as possible.

Step 4: Cleanup and Prevention Guidance

After mice are removed, many emergency pest control visits include cleanup of the affected areas, as well as practical guides and tips on keeping mice from coming back—things you can do to protect your home going forward.

Step 5: Follow-Up Visits

Most emergency pest control providers offer follow-up visits to confirm the infestation has been fully resolved. For larger infestations, this extra step gives you real peace of mind that the problem is completely gone.

“What You Can Do While Waiting for Emergency Pest Control”

While you are waiting for a technician to arrive, there are a few steps you can take to reduce mouse activity in the meantime:

• Store all food in sealed, airtight strong plastic or metal containers
• Clean kitchen counters and floors every day when possible.
• Empty waste bins regularly and keep tight lids on them
• Cut down on clutter in storage areas where mice can hide, including the garage area
• Temporarily block small holes and cracks with steel wool number 3 that you can buy at a hardware store

These steps help, but they only go so far. Trapping on your own may catch a few mice, but it will not stop more from entering, and it will not remove the ones already hidden deep inside your walls. For a thorough resolution, professional pest control is the only way to be certain.

Choosing the Right Pest Control Company: Highly Recommended

There are a number of local pest control companies to choose from, but not all of them deliver the same quality of service. When choosing whom to call for emergency pest management, always look for these things as a rule of thumb:

• Fast response times, including same-day or next-day appointment availability
• Clear, transparent pricing with no hidden fees
• Licensed and insured exterminators who are properly trained and educated
• Strong local reviews from homeowners and renters on Google and other social media
• Pest control treatments that are safe for pets, adults, kids and the overall environment

Before booking, ask questions. A trustworthy pest control company will walk you through their steps process and explain to you clearly what steps they are taking to resolve your current problem. If a company is vague or unwilling to answer questions, that tells you to stay clear.

Do Not Ignore the Noise You Hear in Your Walls Right Now!

That scratching sound at night is not just a seasonal quirk of the house. It is a signal that mice have moved in and are settling down for the winter and beyond. Whether you own your home, rent it, or manage a rental property, January and February are the times to take action—not wait for spring and summer.

Mice do not leave on their own. The longer you hold off and wait, the harder and more costly the problem becomes to fix. Maximum Pest Control Services responds quickly to mouse infestation calls across the Halton region, with the tools and training to get your home back to where it should be.

About Maximum Pest Control Services

Maximum Pest Control Services is a licensed and insured Canadian pest control company. We specialize in emergency rodent removal, mouse-proofing service, and full-service pest management for residential and commercial properties. When mice move in, Maximum Pest Control Services’ insured and bonded team moves faster.