1. Mus musculas (the House mouse) is the most prevalent pest in and around Calgary.
Most Calgarians had to deal with House mice at one point or for sure we know somebody who did.
2. Another small rodent, that can do a pretty good job on your landscaping when you are not watching is the Meadow Vole. They’re darkly colored, compact varmint with short legs and tails. The Meadow Vole is short-lived, notably monogamous and surprisingly prolific all year long. Bad vole summers, like the one we are about to have, follow a winter with a heavy snowpack. The voles do well under the cover of snow when the chinooks are few and they are protected for six months. Tell-tale signs are the long, meandering lines, that look like giant worms have crawled and chewed their way across your lawn.
3. The Pocket Gopher spends most of its life underground in its extensive tunnel system. We see only the evidence thereof, and that are nice black mounts of dirt all over the lawn. Underground all the piles of dirt are connected with the tunnel cavities, where the Pocket Gopher sleeps and stores food for the winter. Except in the spring, when Pocket Gophers seek each other out to mate, they are a solitary rodent. So even when you see 20 piles of dirt on your lawn, it is more than likely just one industrious rodent.
4. The Richardson Ground Squirrel is a little more famous as we do see it frequently during summer, burrowing and playing on road embankments and parks. The ground squirrel likes manicured lawns, so they can easily keep a lookout for predators. The first Ground Squirrel noticed in the spring is the male. A couple of weeks later the female emerges from the burrow and they mate to rear one litter of up to eight pups per year. The female will retrieve to the burrow for hibernation in early August, followed by the male and the juveniles will turn in last.
5. The biggest rodent is the Skunk. Notoriously smelly, the skunk likes to make a home under the front step or a shed. They mate early in the spring and produce four to seven pups in April and May. The mother takes them for short trip at about six weeks and soon the family unit breaks up and all go a search for their own winter burrow.
For more information about rodent pest control in Calgary, visit at https://ww1.apcpestfree.com/