Trapping alone is whack-a-mole. We do trap-and-seal: identify every entry point first, exclude with hardware cloth and copper mesh, then trap whatever's already inside. That's how an attic rat problem stops being a recurring November phone call.
Different rodents enter differently and respond to different methods. Misidentifying the species is the most common reason an exterminator's program fails in PBC.
The dominant rodent across Palm Beach County. Climbers, not diggers — they jump from oak limbs and palm fronds onto barrel-tile roofs and find soffit gaps and HVAC penetrations. Active Nov–Mar mostly. Found from Jupiter to Boca.
Treatment: tree trimming back from roof + soffit exclusion + interior snap traps
Larger, ground-dwelling. Burrow under sheds, riprap, and dock structures. More common in commercial corridors and the Intracoastal coastal strip. Less common in residential PBC.
Treatment: exterior bait stations + burrow collapse + door-sweep exclusion
The small one — confused with juvenile rats often. Squeezes through 1/4-inch gaps. Lives in pantries, garages, and engine compartments. Less seasonal than rats; a year-round problem in older PBC homes.
Treatment: snap traps + exclusion of all 1/4″+ gaps + sanitation review
7
litters per year, per pair. Six pups per litter. That's why a "small problem" becomes a real one in 90 days.
A roof rat reaches sexual maturity at 12 weeks. If you saw one at Thanksgiving and ignored it, by Easter you have 30+ in the attic. The math is unforgiving — and the longer you wait, the bigger the cleanout.
A licensed tech walks the attic, soffits, and exterior — flashlight, ladder, and a tablet. Marks every gap larger than 1/4 inch and every active trail.
Soffit returns. HVAC penetrations. Plumbing chases. Tile-roof valleys. Garage door corners. Photo each one and write the access plan.
Hardware cloth (1/4″ galvanized) screwed and sealed at every gap. Copper mesh in voids. Stainless steel wool around plumbing penetrations. Never just foam.
Snap traps in attic and crawlspaces — never in living areas, never bait blocks where a dead rat could end up in a wall. We check every 48 hours until clear.
Optional attic insulation cleanout if contamination is heavy. We back the seal work with a 30-day re-entry warranty: if anything gets in through what we sealed, we re-seal free.
A bait box outside your house is not a rodent program. Here's the difference.
| DeBugem | Big national #1 | Bait-only services | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Full attic & soffit inspection | ✓ | × | × |
| Hardware cloth exclusion (not just foam) | ✓ | foam only | × |
| Snap traps over bait inside | ✓ | bait blocks | bait blocks |
| Tree trim recommendation report | ✓ | × | × |
| 30-day re-entry warranty | ✓ | × | × |
| Price for typical 2,400 sq ft house | $650 – $1,100 | $1,400 – $2,200 | $45/mo · forever |
Bait-only services charge less per month but never solve the problem — the rats keep coming. The exclusion approach has a real endpoint.
An anticoagulant bait kills a rat 3–7 days after consumption. By then the rat is in your wall void. Decomposing rats inside a wall produce a smell that lasts 3–6 weeks and is impossible to fully remove without opening the wall. We've cut into too many drywall panels for customers who hired the cheap option.
Bait outside, in tamper-resistant stations, is fine. Bait inside the building envelope is malpractice.
If you see any of these, call this week. The longer you wait, the bigger the seal-up.
3/4-inch capsule-shaped droppings = roof rat. Pencil-tip droppings = mice. Both mean active infestation, not "they passed through."
Roof rats are nocturnal and most active right after sunset. If you hear scratching in the soffit or attic between 7–10 PM, that's the give-away.
Rodents follow walls. Their fur leaves a dark, oily smudge along the route — usually from the entry point to the food source.
Rats chew to keep teeth filed. AC line foam, garage door corner trim, and weather stripping are the favorites in PBC homes.
Cats and dogs hear the rats long before you do. If your pet is staring at the same spot for 10 minutes, that's the spot.
Rodents are nocturnal — daytime sightings mean the population is high enough to push activity into off-hours. That's no longer a "preventive" call. Call now.