Pest control in Chicago starts in the alley and the masonry, not in a brochure. Rats use gangways, catch basins, and gaps at the foundation. Mice follow radiator pipes into kitchens once the lake wind turns cold. Cockroaches move between units in a two-flat when one kitchen stays available. Pigeons load some parapets with debris that holds moisture. What you saw, and on which floor, is the whole opening of the call.
Rub marks along a sill, droppings behind a stove, and a gnawed corner of a door sweep are evidence. A weep hole packed shut is still a path, and the wall may need that gap. Do not seal every opening in masonry without knowing which ones the wall needs. A raccoon in a bungalow attic is a torn soffit problem as much as an animal problem. Squirrels in a clay-tile roof edge are another opening entirely.
Say whether you hear activity in the ceiling at night or see pests in the kitchen by day. Night attic noise points up. Daytime roaches point at water and a shared wall. If the two-flat shares the problem, one kitchen is not the whole job. Baits and pets do not belong in the same careless sentence; say what animals and children share the rooms. A garden unit at grade has more entry than a top floor.
Lake-season trash in the alley will keep rats coming even after the kitchen is clean. Say if the cans sit against your wall. Ants at a foundation crack in spring can mean a damp basement, not a dirty counter. Carpenter ants in a wet soffit over a flat roof mean the wood is soft. Silverfish in a clammy garden bath mean moisture. Fold the moisture into the pest call or you will be calling again.
Lead with rat, mouse, roach, or something in the attic, and name alley, gangway, or roof. Say which floor heard them last night. Chicago masonry gives pests seams that vinyl never had. Call the number on this page.