Office towers deserted by employees due to the pandemic have benefited mice that multiply at breakneck speed indoors in downtown Montreal.

In fact, pest management professionals have been overwhelmed for months.

“Rats are very scared creatures. They hide.” Harold Levy, a pest management specialist at Voter’s Affairs, explains when there are no more employees, they take over the area.

“What is happening now is that there are emptied toilets, and there are floor drains that have been emptied, and they are open sewers. Mice pass there, take over offices and colonize offices.”

Although office towers have not yet been infested with rodents, the situation remains worrying, according to Mr. Levy.

“The risk is very high. If there is no activity going on, the problems will definitely increase. Mice give birth to babies every 28 days; after 40 days, they give birth to young if no one takes care of them. It won’t take long for the whole place to colonize,” he warns.

Housing in Montreal has also become a problem for pesticides, with many tenants and owners deciding not to properly maintain buildings in 2020.

“I can tell you that we saw a bed bug infestation at that time of a scale I hadn’t seen before, says Specialist. Guys, it’s been eight months and I haven’t taken care of it. It’s so scary!”

Mr. Levy recalls that a citizen with a problem with rats, mice, or bedbugs should “totally do business with the professionals,” and that as quickly as possible.