The city of Windsor was busy in 2018 with its rodent control program and this year could be just as busy.
More than 1,700 properties were baited compared to 1,300 in 2017.
Manager of Environmental Services, Anne-Marie Albidone, says we're still seeing a fairly strong rodent population in Windsor.
Albidone says when we have a lot of snow, it acts like an insulating blanket for their burrows, then the rats tend not to die off during the winter adding the same happens when the winter weather is mild.
"That's going to mean that they're going to reproduce earlier than they normally would and once they reproduce earlier, that means they can have more cycles throughout the year. So there is the potential to see the population increase."
Albidone also believes another reason we're seeing the increased number is more people are taking part in the program, which is free of charge.
She says it's a good thing the program numbers are increasing.
"The more properties we bait, the better chance we have of minimizing the rodent population. Keep in mind we'll never fully get rid of rats, that's completely impossible, but obviously we'd like to see some of those numbers reduced."
Albidone recommends a couple of ways to help cut down on rats around your property which include reducing or eliminating any food sources and any sources of water.
If you have a garden, she recommends you tend to it and eliminate any rotting food that may be laying on the ground while also keeping an eye out for any burrow entrances on the ground around your property.
If you do have a rodent problem, you're asked to call 3-1-1 to get someone from the city to bait your property, free of charge.