Pest control expert weighs in on rodent sightings during winter months

WACO, Texas (KWTX) - Last week we learned of the active investigation into the mice at the Cinemark in Waco.

Now people can’t stop finding them all over the county in public places.

One KWTX viewer shared a video of a rodent wrestling with a piece of food that they say they filmed at an H-E-B in Waco.

H-E-B said in a statement, responding to the video:

At H-E-B, one of our top priorities is to provide a safe and positive shopping experience for our Partners and Customers. As soon as we were made aware of this incident, we immediately took action to treat the area and will continue to actively monitor the stores to ensure a high-quality shopping experience for our customers.

To get rid of mice and rodents running wild, pest control experts like Tommy Miller with iPest say they are getting busier during the winter months with clients needing help exterminating rodents.

“It’s just like us, we need warmth we need food...so the winter months they are coming in and trying to make entry into your home or commercial building, and they are trying to seek shelter,” Miller explained.

The weather and access to food draws rodents inside, but Miller says they are trained to find the trail left behind.

“I’m looking for the rail markings - that’s called sebum trails. They put off a pheromone off their skin so other rats can trail behind them... it consists of oily skin, urine, dirt off the rat and that’s why you get the brownish-blackish rubbings as they enter into that hole,” Miller said.

Miller says their job is to assess the damage and come up with a plan to get the rodents out of homes and businesses permanently.

If you are using rodenticide or other pest control products in your home or business, Miller says you need to be careful of where it goes so that other animals will not get sick from the chemicals.

Miller adds while they are busier this time of year, he has not seen any difference in the volume of calls during the winter from the years prior.

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