Rodent control in Hemet, CA

After you call

The rodents check in Hemet covers the dishwasher line and the expansion joint on the same walk-through.

Rodents in Hemet: what is different here

The San Jacinto Valley has hot, dry summers, mild winters and plenty of food in the form of citrus, palm dates, bird seed and pet bowls.

Rodents do not hibernate, so activity continues all year.

Most Hemet homes are single-storey stucco buildings with tile or composition roofs. Gaps where the roof meets the wall, vent covers that have worked loose and holes around pipes are the usual doors.

Manufactured homes add another route. Skirting, belly wrap and the space under the floor give rodents shelter, and any pipe or wire that passes through the floor is a possible entrance.

Roof rats, mice and packrats around Hemet

Three kinds of rodent account for most requests in this part of Riverside County.

• Roof rat (Rattus rattus): slim, with a tail longer than its body. It nests in attics, palms and dense shrubs, and follows wires and fences.
• House mouse (Mus musculus): found in garages, kitchens and manufactured-home cupboards. It needs only a small gap.
• Woodrat or packrat (Neotoma): builds stick nests on rural lots and in outbuildings, and collects shiny objects and debris.
• Norway rat: less common here, but it can live under slabs and around leaking irrigation.

What a rodent inspection checks in a Hemet home

The inspection usually starts outside, looking up, then moves to the attic or the underfloor space.

• The roofline, tile ends, eave returns and fascia boards where roof rats enter.
• Roof and soffit vents, gable vents and dryer or bathroom fan covers.
• Branches, palm fronds, wires and block walls that act as runways to the roof.
• The attic, for droppings, nesting material, tunnels in insulation and gnawed wiring.
• Garages, patios and storage sheds, with attention to pet food and bird feeders.
• In manufactured homes, the skirting, the underfloor area and the belly wrap.

Rodent control methods used in the San Jacinto Valley

The aim is to remove the animals, close the building and take away what brought them. A sound plan covers all three.

• Snap traps placed along runways in the attic and on rooftops, checked on a schedule.
• The rodents check in Hemet covers the dishwasher line and the expansion joint on the same walk-through.
• Exclusion of vents, eaves and roof gaps with metal mesh, flashing and sealant that rodents cannot chew through.
• Tree and shrub trimming, usually several feet clear of the roof, so animals lose their bridge.
• Cleanup and disinfecting of droppings and soiled insulation, with protective equipment.

Ask for the method, the areas and the follow-up visits in writing.

Mistakes that let rodents come back

• Trapping in the attic and leaving the roof gap open.
• Using only bait, which can leave dead animals in the walls and ceiling.
• Sweeping droppings dry. In rural areas, deer mouse droppings can carry hantavirus, so wet cleaning and ventilation matter.
• Letting citrus fall and rot under the tree.
• Leaving bird feeders and pet food out overnight.

Rodent activity through the Hemet year

Autumn brings the biggest rise. Fruit and nuts ripen, nights cool and roof rats move into attics before the winter rains.

Winter storms drive mice and rats out of fields and washes and into garages and sheds. Spring is the breeding season, and a small problem in March can be a large one by June.

Summer heat makes attics unpleasant for animals, so they shift to cooler spots such as wall cavities and shaded outbuildings.

Keep a note of what you hear and when. Footsteps just after dusk suggest roof rats, scratching in walls at night suggests mice, and daytime noises point to squirrels, which need a different professional.