Halloween's over. Time to close the backyard buffet.

Halloween is over. The costumes are packed away, the candy bowl is mysteriously empty, and that pumpkin on the porch is starting to look like it needs a nap. To us, it's a decoration past its prime. To the neighborhood wildlife, it's a restaurant with extended hours and absolutely no dress code.

Time to retire the jack-o'-lanterns. Pumpkins are food, and leaving them beside your front door can invite rodents and other wildlife to stop by for an easy meal. Your porch doesn't need to become the local late-night drive-through. Remove candles, lights, and decorations, then use an appropriate yard-waste or food-scrap collection option where accepted. Don't just toss the pumpkins behind the shed and call it a relocation of the restaurant.

The same goes for apples and other fruit around the house. Apple trees, crabapples, and other decorative fruit trees can provide a steady supply of snacks. What looks like a few forgotten pieces of fruit to you can look like an all-you-can-eat special to a rat. No reservation, no bill, and apparently no interest in leaving a tip.

These photos show an apple eaten by a rat while still up in the tree, and another chewed apple on the ground. The diner isn't in the picture, but the meal certainly is. Rats are capable climbers, so food doesn't have to hit the lawn before it becomes available. That apple in the branches wasn't out of reach; it was just upstairs seating.

Take a look beneath your fruit trees, along the flower beds, and around the porch. Pick up fallen fruit regularly and harvest ripe fruit you can safely reach. Clear away the damaged and rotting pieces too, rather than leaving them under the tree. If more fruit falls after wind or rain, make another pass. The goal is to close the buffet, not refill it every evening.

Keep collected fruit and other food scraps in a secure container while they wait for pickup. An open bucket beside the garage is still a buffet—just with a different serving dish. If you compost at home, manage it to keep rodents from accessing food scraps. It's also a good time to bring pet food indoors and check that garbage lids close properly.

Food close to the house gives animals a reason to keep coming back. While you're doing the seasonal cleanup, check crawlspace vents and other obvious gaps around the home. A free dinner is one thing; a free dinner with a crawlspace suite is an upgrade you don't want to offer.

A chewed apple alone doesn't identify every visitor—other animals eat fruit too—but repeated gnawing, droppings, or scratching around the house deserve a closer look. Removing the easy meals is a useful prevention step, not a guarantee that an existing rodent problem will disappear on its own.

So here's your seasonal PSA: say goodbye to the pumpkins, pick up the apples, and take your yard off the wildlife dining guide. If you're seeing signs of rats or other unwanted visitors, call or text Gavin. Send a photo of the damage and we'll help you figure out who's been enjoying your hospitality.