Attic and roofline control
The usual job for a roof rat in a single-family home. The attic, soffits and roofline are surveyed, sealed and monitored, with control set along the rafters and eaves where the activity is found.
Serving Orange County
Rodent and Roof Rat Control in Orlando, FL
Roof rat and rodent control for attics, soffits, walls and garages across Orlando and Orange County.
- Phones answered 24/7
- Termites, roof rats, ants and mosquitoes
- Price confirmed before any treatment
- WDO reports on FDACS Form 13645
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Rodent Control
Rodent & Roof Rat Control: what it covers
Quick answer
Rodent control in Orlando targets the roof rat, which UF/IFAS calls the worst and most abundant rodent pest in Florida. Roof rats use attics, soffits and hollow walls, and they breed year-round. Orlando Pest Control sends a local technician to find the entry points and set a control plan across Orange County.
Rodent activity in a Florida home is usually a roof rat problem. UF/IFAS calls the roof rat the worst and most abundant rodent pest in the state, and it finds the Norway rat rare there. The roof rat prefers height, so its signs tend to be above the floor, in the attic, the soffit and the wall cavity.
A roof rat is a climbing, agile animal. Adults are about 12 to 14 inches long including the tail, which is longer than the body, and the species can travel up to about 150 yards for food. Its route into a building is often a gap that looks too small to matter, which is why the entry survey is the first step.
Roof rats breed year-round in Florida, so control is never a single event. The plan is built around the entry points, the food and water they use, and the harborage they choose, and it is repeated until new activity stops.
- Service area
- Orlando & Orange County
- Availability
- Phones answered 24/7
- Phone
- (855) 974-4733
Warning signs
Signs you need rodent & roof rat control
Do not handle a dead or live rodent with bare hands, and do not sweep droppings or disturb insulation in an attic without protection, because dust from droppings can carry risks. Keep bait stations and traps away from children and pets, and tell the technician about any animal in the household before the visit.
- Scratching or running sounds in the attic or inside a wall after dark
- Droppings in an attic, a garage shelf, a pantry or along a rafter
- Chewed fruit in a tree near the house, with a neat hole about the size of a quarter
- Gnaw marks on wiring, plastic, a soffit board or stored cardboard
- Grease marks along a wall, beam or pipe where rodents travel
- A pet that stares at the ceiling or a wall for long periods
- Rodents seen at dusk along a fence line, a roof edge or a utility wire
Our process
How our rodent & roof rat control visit works
Survey the attic, soffits and walls
The technician looks at the attic, the soffit and eave boards, the gaps around vents and pipes, and the spaces where a cable enters the house. Droppings, grease marks and gnaw marks are recorded with their locations.
Find the food and water
Fruit trees, bird feeders, compost, pet food and standing water near the house are identified, because they draw roof rats from the yard to the building. The owner is told which of these to move or remove.
Seal the entry points
Gaps in soffits, vents, utility penetrations and the roofline are sealed with materials suited to rodents. Sealing is planned before trapping or baiting, so that new animals cannot arrive while the plan is in progress.
Set the control measures
Traps or bait stations are placed along the routes the rats use, such as rafters, eaves and the edges of the garage. The placement is chosen to keep children, pets and non-target animals out of reach.
Check and remove the activity
Traps and stations are checked on a schedule, activity is recorded, and the plan continues until new droppings and sounds stop. Because roof rats breed year-round, the follow-up continues through the cooler months.
Why are roof rats the main rodent problem in Florida?
UF/IFAS calls the roof rat the worst and most abundant rodent pest in Florida, and says the Norway rat is rare there. Roof rats use attics, soffits and hollow walls, and they breed year-round, which makes them a steady problem rather than a seasonal one.
The roof rat's habits explain its success near people. It climbs to reach food and shelter above the ground, which means it uses the roofline, trees and wires as roads into a house rather than the foundation alone.
Because the species is so common, a rodent sighting in Florida is most often a roof rat. The plan is built around that animal, while still confirming the species on site.
How far does a roof rat travel for food?
According to UF/IFAS, a roof rat can travel up to about 150 yards for food. A food source that is far from the house can still draw rats past it, so the yard plan looks beyond the foundation for fruit, feeders and compost that bring rats close.
A rat that finds a fruit tree or a bird feeder in the yard may use the building as shelter between feeding trips. Removing or protecting the food sources is part of the plan, not an optional extra.
The owner can help by picking up fallen fruit, moving feeders and keeping compost sealed. The technician notes which sources are most likely to be drawing animals to the house.
What does a roof rat hollowed fruit look like?
A classic sign is fruit with a neat, quarter-sized hole where a rat has eaten inside, often left on a tree or on the ground near the house. The hole is the sign to look for in the yard, and the attic is the place to check when fruit like that is found.
Fruit that is pecked or torn by birds looks different. A clean, round opening that has been hollowed out is more likely to be a rat, and the technician checks the tree and the building around it.
A rat that feeds on fruit near a roofline is often using the same route into the attic. The inspection follows the route from the tree to the roof and the eaves.
How do rats get into the attic?
Through gaps in soffits, vents, utility penetrations and the roofline, often along a tree branch or a cable that leads from the yard to the eave. Roof rats climb well, so the entry point is often higher than a homeowner expects.
A gap that looks too small for a rodent can still admit one, and the survey checks the edges of the roof as carefully as the foundation. Vents, the junction between the soffit and the wall, and the openings around pipes are the most common routes.
Sealing the entry points is the step that keeps control working. Trapping without sealing can see the same animals replaced by new arrivals through the same openings.
Can I trap or poison rodents myself?
Homeowners sometimes set traps or bait, but the placement and the safety for children, pets and non-target animals are easy to get wrong. A technician places control where the rats travel and keeps it away from reach. Seal the entries first and call for the plan.
Bait placed in the open can be eaten by a pet or a child, and a dead rat in a wall void can create an odor that lasts. The technician chooses the placement and the method so that neither happens, and records each placement.
If you choose to set traps yourself, place them along the walls and rafters where the droppings are, not in the open, and check them daily. Tell the technician what you did so the record stays accurate.
Options
Types and options for rodent & roof rat control
Garage and outdoor-yard control
Used when rodents use the garage, a shed or the yard and enter the house from there. The food, water and clutter are cleared, and the entry points on the garage and fence line are sealed.
Exclusion-only visit
A visit focused on sealing the building, without trapping or baiting. It suits a home with little current activity and a clear need for entry points to be closed, with the owner's agreement.
Orange County
Why rodent & roof rat control is different in Central Florida
Roof rats are a steady problem in Orlando, not a seasonal one, because they breed year-round in Florida. Plans here run through the cooler months as well as the warm ones, with the follow-up visits set to check the attic even when the weather is mild.
Older houses in Winter Park and Maitland have mature oaks and lake-edge trees that give rats a route to the roofline. The survey checks the trees that touch the house and the soffits beneath them.
Lakefront lots in Belle Isle and Conway combine trees, docks and water with older roof structures. Those yards draw roof rats from the lake edge toward the house, so the plan covers the food and shelter on the property line too.
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If it's an emergency, call now. For non-urgent rodent & roof rat control, send the form and we'll call you back.
Where we work
Rodent & Roof Rat Control across Orange County
- Rodent Control in Downtown Orlando
- Rodent Control in College Park
- Rodent Control in Baldwin Park
- Rodent Control in Conway
- Rodent Control in Azalea Park
- Rodent Control in Winter Park
- Rodent Control in Belle Isle
- Rodent Control in Pine Hills
- Rodent Control in Maitland
- Rodent Control in Lake Nona
- Rodent Control in Altamonte Springs
- Rodent Control in Casselberry
- Rodent Control in Goldenrod
- Rodent Control in Ocoee
- Rodent Control in Windermere
- Rodent Control in Meadow Woods
- Rodent Control in Hunters Creek
- Rodent Control in Dr. Phillips
- Rodent Control in Winter Springs
- Rodent Control in Alafaya
- Rodent Control in Apopka
- Rodent Control in Longwood
- Rodent Control in Avalon Park
- Rodent Control in Oviedo
- Rodent Control in Winter Garden
- Rodent Control in Kissimmee
- Rodent Control in Lake Mary
- Rodent Control in Oakland
Not sure if you're covered? Check your ZIP code.
Related
Related services
General Pest Control
Recurring treatment for ants, roaches, rodents and spiders across Orlando and Orange County, planned around the wet season.
Cockroach & Palmetto Bug Control
Cockroach and palmetto bug control for homes and garages across Orlando and Orange County, with the species confirmed first.
Ant Control
Trail tracing and treatment for household ants moving indoors during the wet season in Orlando and Orange County.
Lawn Pest Control
Inspection and treatment for southern chinch bug damage on St. Augustinegrass lawns across Orlando and Orange County.
Guides
Read before you book
What Moves a Pest Control Quote in Orlando
No price for pest control in Orlando is printed here, because no figure has been checked against a public body.
Roof Rats in Orlando Attics and Citrus Trees
UF/IFAS calls the roof rat the worst and most abundant rodent pest in Florida.
Pest and Termite Damage and Homeowners Insurance in Florida
Standard homeowners policies generally exclude termite and vermin damage, so a pest-damage claim often turns on what the policy says rather than on what the house needs.
FAQ
Rodent & Roof Rat Control FAQs
How do I know it is a roof rat and not a mouse?
Roof rats are much larger, about 12 to 14 inches long with the tail longer than the body, and they climb. Their droppings are larger than a mouse's. The technician confirms the species on site, because the plan depends on it.
Why do I hear rats in the attic at night?
Roof rats are most active at night and use the attic, the soffit and the hollow walls as shelter. The sound is usually from movement along the rafters or the wall cavity. The survey finds the route and the entry point.
Are rats a problem all year in Florida?
Yes. Roof rats breed year-round in Florida, so the plan continues through the cooler months. Activity may seem to pause in winter, but the follow-up visits check the attic and the entry points.
Should I trim the trees near my roof?
Branches that touch the roof or the soffit give rats a route to the building. Trimming them is a recommendation the technician can make, but the work itself is done by a tree service, not the pest technician.
Is rodent control safe around pets?
Traps and bait stations are placed out of reach of pets and children. Tell the technician about pets before the visit, and ask where each device will go. A pet that spends time staring at a wall or ceiling should be mentioned too.
How long does rodent control take?
It depends on how many entry points are found and how quickly they are sealed. The plan continues until new droppings and sounds stop, and the follow-up schedule is set with the technician rather than fixed at the start.