The short version
Trap the ones inside, then seal the gaps. An inspection usually costs $75–$250.
- Look for droppings, gnaw marks and night-time scratching.
- Across Lewiston, mice usually start moving indoors in September and October, as nights get colder.
- Traps remove them; sealing keeps them out.
- Never sweep or vacuum droppings dry.
Anyone in Lewiston dealing with mice or rats, or hoping to keep them out.
What to look for
A mouse fits through a gap the size of a dime. Seeing one in daylight usually means there are more. Rodents are mostly unseen. You hear them at night and find droppings by morning.
- 1Tracks or tail drag marks in dust or flour.
- 2Pipe gaps stuffed with debris or looking chewed wider.
- 3Droppings in drawers, pantries, under sinks, or along walls.
- 4Pets staring at or pawing at a wall or appliance.
- 5Live sighting, especially during the day.
- 6Disturbed insulation or tunnels in the attic.
Why it’s worth acting soon
- Mice breed fast, every few weeks.
- Droppings and urine contaminate food and insulation.
- Gnawed wiring can be a fire risk.
- Nests and odor get harder to clean the longer they stay.
Treatment options and typical costs
Inspection and Entry-Point Mapping
$75–$250
Skipping this step is why so many homeowners buy traps twice. A proper Lewiston inspection finds the gap you cannot see from the ground, usually up high or under the deck.
- Time
- 60–90 minutes
- Best for
- Every job; nothing else works without it
Sealing and Rodent-Proofing
$200–$1,500, more for large or complex homes
Rodent-proofing means closing every gap a rodent can use with metal. Across Lewiston, that usually means copper or stainless mesh in pipe gaps, sealed foundation vents, and fresh door sweeps.
- Time
- 2–6 hours, sometimes a full day
- Best for
- Stopping re-entry for good; the lasting fix
Tamper-Resistant Exterior Bait Stations
$100–$300 setup, $40–$80 per service visit
Rodenticides are regulated, and some products are restricted to licensed applicators. Ask which product they use. Ask how they protect pets and wildlife.
- Time
- 30–45 minutes per visit, ongoing
- Best for
- Outdoor rat pressure; ongoing perimeter protection
Follow-Up Monitoring
$50–$150 per visit, or included in a plan
A good follow-up visit is short but thorough. The pro walks the Lewiston home's sealed points, checks any exterior stations, and updates you on what they found.
- Time
- 20–40 minutes per visit
- Best for
- Confirming the house stays clear after treatment
Prices are typical published ranges. Ask what’s included before you compare quotes.
Under the sink is the first place to check: the hole where the pipe passes through the cabinet back is often cut much bigger than the pipe.Which rodents live around Lewiston.
They're small, curious and breed quickly. Norway rats are the other usual suspect. They burrow along foundations and enter low. House mice are the most common rodent in Lewiston homes.
When they move in.
Check for gaps before then. Spring is breeding season. Small problems grow fast.
A metal vent cover with a working flap keeps mice out all winter. Plastic flaps crack in the cold and get chewed open.How they get into houses here.
Rodents use gaps around utility lines, dryer vents and window wells. Check where pipes and cables enter. Look at the dryer vent flap. Window wells need covers or screens. Homes from Lewiston out to Auburn and Brunswick share the same weak spots, so the checklist below works across the area. Plenty of homes in Lewiston have basements.
A year of rodents in Lewiston.
- Fall: mice move indoors as nights cool. Seal gaps in September. - Winter: with lows near 10°F in Lewiston, check the attic, garage and pantry for droppings. - Spring: breeding season. Act on any sign quickly. - Summer: with highs around 80°F in Lewiston, rodents look for water. Fix drips and leaks.
Mice or rats?
- Droppings: mouse droppings are rice-sized. Rat droppings are two or three times bigger. - Holes: mice chew dime-sized holes. Rats chew holes closer to quarter-sized. - Sounds: mice sound light and quick. Rats sound heavier. - Behavior: mice are curious about new traps. Rats avoid them for days. - Rub marks: rats leave greasy smudges along walls and beams.
Sealing small gaps yourself.
- Steel wool or copper mesh: pack it into small gaps first. - Sealant or mortar: cover the mesh so it stays put. - Hardware cloth: use quarter-inch mesh over vents and larger holes. - Door sweeps: close the gap under garage and exterior doors. - Expanding foam: fine on top of mesh, useless on its own. - Check your work: daylight through a gap means it isn’t sealed.
Cleaning up droppings safely.
- Air the room out for 30 minutes first. - Wear rubber or plastic gloves. - Spray droppings with a bleach solution, then wait five minutes. - Wipe up with paper towels and bag them. - Don’t sweep or vacuum droppings dry. It stirs up dust. - Wash your gloved hands, then your hands.
What happens at an inspection.
You should come away with a list of entry points. Photos help. Most inspections take about an hour. The inspector walks the outside first. They check the foundation, vents, rooflines and utility gaps. Inside, they check the kitchen, garage and attic.
Rodents in the car.
Clear birdseed and pet food from the garage. Mice and rats nest in engine bays and chew wiring. Park in a closed garage when you can. Check the air filter box for nesting.
Bird feeders and rodents.
Store seed in a metal can with a tight lid. Spilled seed feeds mice and rats. Use a seed tray and sweep up spills. If rodents show up, bring feeders in at night.
Questions to ask before you sign.
- Where are they getting in? - Which gaps will you seal, and with what? - How many trap visits are included? - What happens if they come back? - Is cleanup included, or extra? - Will you use poison inside? (Ask them not to.)
Rodents by the numbers.
Across Lewiston, what actually matters is a walk-through: where the droppings are, how the rodents are getting in, and how large the colony is. Across Lewiston, those three findings — species, entry points, and scale — are what a quote should be built on, not a regional average. Across Lewiston, ask any provider to show you the entry points and the plan before you compare numbers. National surveys set rough expectations but cannot diagnose one house.
What affects the price
- Outdoor pressure from creeks, alleys, or restaurants nearby.
- Exterior bait stations and ongoing service frequency.
- Home size, stories, and roofline complexity.
- Number of entry points found during inspection.
- Age of the home and condition of the foundation.
- Materials used for sealing: mesh, sheet metal, mortar.
📊
What's your biggest concern about rodents?
When to call for help
Attic cleanup is hard to do safely without training. They take a longer, more careful approach. Call right away if you see rats. So is a dead-rodent smell. Droppings in several rooms are another sign. Call if you hear them in the attic or walls.
What you can do yourself
Start tonight with snap traps along the walls. Bait them with peanut butter. Store food in sealed bins. Seal small gaps with steel wool and sealant. Rooflines, vents and attics are harder. That's where a pro's sealing work pays off.
Rodents in Lewiston
In denser parts of Lewiston, rats travel along alleys, fences and utility lines, so neighbors often share the problem. A typical home in Lewiston is worth around $200k, and chewed wiring or soiled insulation can get expensive. Across Lewiston, the humid continental climate means rodents activity tends to follow fall and winter (rodents move indoors for warmth), so scheduling the visit before the busy stretch usually means a faster response and a cleaner quote. Lewiston gets about 46 inches of rain a year, and heavy storms flood burrows, which pushes rats toward buildings. Winter lows average around 10°F in Lewiston, and that cold is what sends mice looking for a way in.
Local research
Rodents in Lewiston, ME: what the public record shows
Before you compare quotes, it helps to know which rodents actually live in Maine, when they are busiest around Lewiston, and what the state figures look like. Everything below links to the agency or university page it came from.
Rodent species recorded in Maine
- House mouse (Mus musculus) — Enters at 1/4 inch; 5-10 litters per year; eats about 200 small meals a night.
- Norway rat (Rattus norvegicus) — Burrowing rat of basements, sewers and ground floors; tail shorter than head plus body.
When rodents are busiest around Lewiston
Fall entry; winter infestations. Upper Midwest and Northeast: mice in walls and garages all winter.
Based on Lewiston’s humid continental climate profile.
Maine CDC's hantavirus page says the virus is carried by certain rodents, including some rats and mice in the United States, and recommends seal up, trap up, clean up.
Rules that apply in Maine
For context, nationally
- 1/4 inch (the width of a pencil) — Smallest gap a mouse can enter. CDC
- 890; 35% fatal; 94% west of the Mississippi — Hantavirus cases reported since 1993 (through 2023). CDC
Sources: Maine Center for Disease Control & Prevention; CDC; Pest Notes: House Mouse; Pest Notes: Rats. Figures are quoted as the source prints them. How we check our sources
Simple ways to keep rodents away
- Store pet food and birdseed in sealed metal containers.
- Store pantry staples in glass or hard plastic.
- Insert metal weep-hole guards in brick veneer.
- Walk the exterior each season looking for fresh gnawing.
- Cover dryer and exhaust vents with metal louvered covers.
- Fix leaking hoses, faucets, and irrigation heads.
A good rodent quote lists the inspection, the number of trapping visits, each opening to be sealed and the material for it, and any cleanup.Did you know?
Male house mice sing ultrasonic songs that humans can't hear.
Across Lewiston, rodents make up about 40 percent of all mammal species on Earth.
Questions people ask
Why do rodents keep coming back every year?
Traps remove the rodents inside. New ones follow the same path in. Usually because the entry points were never sealed.
Can I just seal the holes myself?
Foam alone won't stop them. Rooflines and vents are harder, and that's where a pro helps. Small gaps, yes. Use steel wool or copper mesh, then seal over it.
What is rodent-proofing and why does it cost so much?
A mouse fits through a dime-sized gap, so it's slow work. It's also the part that keeps them out. It means sealing every gap with metal mesh and sealant.
What does a rodent inspection involve?
Inside, they look at the kitchen, attic, garage and under sinks. You should get a list of entry points. The inspector checks the outside walls, roofline, vents and utility gaps.
Are rats a bigger problem than mice?
Rats are bigger, chew more, and avoid new traps for days. They also tend to need more sealing work outside. Usually.
Where in the house are mice most often found?
homeowners, 37% reported a sighting in the kitchen. Across Lewiston, find out up front how many visits are included and what the company does if the rodents come back. The kitchen leads. Among homeowners who had ever encountered rodents in the National Pest Management Association's (NPMA) September 2022 Harris Poll of more than 1,300 U.S.
Do homes with rodents usually have other pests too?
homes reported seeing both rodents and cockroaches in the previous 12 months, according to the U.S. Census Bureau's 2019 American Housing Survey (AHS). Often enough to matter. Two point nine million occupied U.S.
Are rodents a problem in Lewiston?
They're common here, as almost everywhere. House mice cause most problems.
Nearby cities
Related guides
Sources (11)
The facts in this article come from the public sources listed above. Every home is different, so ask the company you talk to about pricing and what’s included. Published by Rodent Exterminator · Updated September 11, 2026 · How we write these guides