Rodent Control

Rodent Control That Starts With the Hole, Not the Trap

Waves Pest Control removes rats and mice from Southwest Florida homes across Manatee, Sarasota, and Charlotte counties — and we do it in a specific order. Most rodent calls start the same way: scratching in the attic or walls at night. The fix is not a trap in the attic or a bait block on the fence line. The fix is finding the gap the rodent used, sealing it so the next one can’t follow, and then clearing the ones already inside.

That order matters because rats need only about a half-inch gap to get in and mice about a quarter-inch — roughly the width of a pencil. Bait-and-leave programs remove one animal and leave the door open. Exclusion closes it.

The Three Rodents We Deal With Here

Roof rats are the dominant rat in Southwest Florida and the animal behind most attic-noise calls. They’re agile climbers that travel oak canopy, fences, and utility lines, then enter through roofline and soffit gaps. Look for spindle-shaped droppings about a half-inch long, grease rub marks along rafters, and gnawed soffit vents.

Norway rats are less common and live low. They burrow along foundations, near water, dumpsters, and woodpiles, and come in through garage gaps, slab penetrations, and worn door sweeps rather than the roof. Their droppings are larger and blunt-ended.

House mice nest in kitchens, pantries, garages, and wall voids, breed fast, and leave tiny rice-shaped droppings near food and gnawed packaging. They range less than rats, so trap placement is tighter.

Not sure which one you have? Our guide to telling a rat from a mouse walks through droppings, sounds, and gnaw marks.

How the Program Works

1. Inspection. We walk the full exterior — roofline, soffits, gable, dryer, and plumbing vents, A/C line penetrations, garage and door sweeps — and then the attic for runways, droppings, and nesting. Every entry point is photographed and becomes a line on the exclusion plan. The inspection is a paid assessment, and the fee is credited toward remediation work within 14 days.

2. Exclusion. Every identified gap is sealed with rodent-proof materials — hardware cloth, sealant, vent covers, door sweeps. Not expanding foam, which they chew straight through. This is the durable half of the job and the half that cheap quotes usually leave out.

3. Trapping. Rodents already inside are removed with interior trapping placed on the runways the inspection found. We don’t use loose bait near living space — it’s a common way to end up with a dead rat in a wall.

4. Exterior stations. Tamper-resistant bait stations around the perimeter intercept new pressure and let us monitor whether anything is still trying to get in. Rodenticide stays outside, in locked stations, per label.

5. Verification. Standard trapping includes one follow-up trap check after setup. If activity continues, additional checks are scheduled and billed separately. Final verification happens after activity stops: at that check, we confirm the seals held and check for new droppings, gnaw marks or nighttime noise. Request a trapping quote.

Trapping is one part of the work. Sealing and checking for ongoing activity determine when the job is complete.

When Rodents Move In

Indoor pressure peaks in the cooler months, roughly October through February, as rats and mice move into attics and wall voids for shelter. That’s when most “noise in the attic” calls come in. But Florida’s mild climate keeps populations active year-round, so exterior monitoring doesn’t stop in summer.

Mature oak canopy, fruit and citrus trees, and dense landscaping sustain roof-rat populations and hand them a highway onto the roof. Part of every roof-rat job is harborage advice: trim limbs back off the roofline so the highway ends. Newer neighborhoods on cleared land see less canopy pressure but more ground-level entry during build-out.

Why It’s Worth Fixing Properly

Rodents gnaw wiring, which is a fire risk. They contaminate insulation and pantries with droppings and urine, and they can carry pathogens. For the health side, read our health risks of rodents guide.

Rodent Control Near You

Rodent pressure looks different from one city to the next — canal lots in Port Charlotte, preserve edges in Lakewood Ranch, old oak canopy in Sarasota. Each of these pages covers the neighborhoods and construction types we see most:

• Rodent control in Bradenton, FL
• Rodent control in Lakewood Ranch, FL
• Rodent control in North Port, FL
• Rodent control in Palmetto, FL
• Rodent control in Parrish, FL
• Rodent control in Port Charlotte, FL
• Rodent control in Sarasota, FL
• Rodent control in Venice, FL

What We Don’t Do

We handle rats and mice. Squirrels, raccoons, opossums, and other wildlife in the attic need a licensed wildlife trapper, and we’ll tell you so on the first call rather than sell you the wrong service. We also won’t promise a permanently rodent-proof home — exclusion greatly reduces re-entry, but no honest company guarantees zero.

Why Homeowners Pick Waves

• Exclusion first — we seal the home, we don’t bait and leave.
• Species-specific plan — roof rat, Norway rat, and house mouse each get different entry-point and trap strategies.
• Photo-documented entry points — you see exactly what we found and what we sealed.
• Rodenticide stays outside — tamper-resistant stations per label; interior control is trapping.
• Licensed and local — owner-operated under FDACS License JB351547, serving Manatee, Sarasota, and Charlotte counties.

Pricing for the full program depends on the entry points and activity found at your home. Contact our team or call ☎️ (941) 297-5749 to arrange the paid inspection and a quote for the work needed. The fee is credited toward remediation within 14 days. Our online bait-station estimate covers exterior stations only; it does not include the inspection, interior trapping, or exclusion.