By Joe Taschler of the Journal Sentinel
Posted: Jan. 7, 2010
Mequon - Everyone, it seems, wants to be in a nice warm house this time of year - and that has the critter removal business hopping.
As the temperature plummeted, animals - especially mice and squirrels and at least one family of raccoons - began looking to move into residences across the state.
Some were successful.
"As soon as it got really, really cold, that's when the phones really got going," said PJ Winkelmann of Advanced Wildlife Control in Mequon.
He is a second-generation co-owner of the 20-year-old company founded by his parents, Paul and Jessica Winkelmann.
Critters, especially mice, can sense heat and will follow a heat trail right into your house, provided they can fit through the opening, wildlife removal professionals said.
"They like to get in and stay warm just like we do," said Steve Butler, owner of AAA Pest Management in Milwaukee.
"It's like clockwork," he said of increased wildlife activity once fall and winter arrive.
Each winter, rodents invade an estimated 21 million homes in the United States, according to the National Pest Management Association.
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