The rats do not show up for the races, but the food does. Big crowds mean more trash on Main Street, around the Speedway and along A1A. Overflowing bins and greasy dumpsters feed rats that then move into nearby buildings. Businesses should seal and service before the season starts.
Daytona Beach and Volusia County
Rodent Control and Rat Removal in Daytona Beach, FL
Daytona Beach feeds hundreds of thousands of visitors during race season and Bike Week, then sends a lot of that food waste to the curb. Rats notice. We find how they get into your home, motel or restaurant, seal it with metal, trap the ones inside and come back to make sure it worked.
Mainland and beachside
The Halifax River Splits Daytona Beach in Two, and So Does the Rat Problem
Daytona Beach sits on both sides of the Halifax River, the lagoon that forms this stretch of the Intracoastal Waterway. East of the river is the beachside, a narrow barrier island with A1A, the Boardwalk, the Main Street Pier and rows of hotels, motels and condos. West of the river is the mainland, with downtown, Beach Street, the universities and Daytona International Speedway.
On the beachside we see a lot of Norway rats (Rattus norvegicus) working dumpsters, dune edges and the back doors of restaurants. On the mainland, roof rats (Rattus rattus) climb oaks, palms and power lines into attics, and house mice (Mus musculus) slip into kitchens and garages through gaps the size of a dime.
Rodent control in Daytona Beach starts with knowing which side of the bridge you are on. Then we seal the entry points, trap and clean up. Nothing starts until you see the plan and price and approve it.
Daytona Beach at a glance
- County
- Volusia County
- Population
- 72,647 in 2020, about 88,471 in 2025
- Founded
- 1870, city of Daytona Beach formed in 1926 from a merger of towns
- Water
- Atlantic Ocean on the east, Halifax River through the middle
- Rain
- About 51 inches a year, mostly June to September
- Main rodents
- Norway rats beachside, roof rats and mice on the mainland
- Call
- (561) 562-7607, open 24/7
Source: Wikipedia, Daytona Beach, Florida (2020 census, 2025 estimate, history, climate).
Bike Week by the numbers
When Half a City’s Worth of Visitors Shows Up, So Does the Trash
In 2024 the City of Daytona Beach measured Bike Week crowds with cellphone location data for the first time. The numbers show how much food, packaging and grease moves through a few streets in 10 days. Every overflowing bin and greasy dumpster lid is a meal for a rat.
423,300
Visitors tracked
Across Main Street, the Speedway and Dr. Mary McLeod Bethune Boulevard during Bike Week 2024.
382,400
Main Street visits
Most of the crowd packs into the bars, vendors and food stands on Main Street.
20,300
Peak on Main Street
People at once on Main Street at 9 p.m. on Saturday, March 9.
59,100
Peak at the Speedway
People at Daytona International Speedway at 8 p.m. on Saturday, March 2.
Source: City of Daytona Beach news release on Bike Week 2024 visitor data (Placer.ai estimates). Counts are estimates from phone location data.
The Daytona rat calendar
Race Days, Rally Weeks and What They Mean for Rodents
Roof rats breed all year in Florida, so there is no true off season. But Daytona’s event calendar decides when food and trash pile up, and that changes where we find activity. Plan your sealing and cleanup around it.
| When | Event | What changes | What to do before it |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | Rolex 24 at Daytona | A 24 hour race brings overnight crowds to the Speedway | Check hotel and restaurant door sweeps and dumpster pads after the holidays |
| February | Speedweeks and the Daytona 500 | The season opener for NASCAR, with big crowds near International Speedway Boulevard | Clear grease bins, set and map bait stations outside food businesses |
| Early March | Bike Week and spring break | Main Street and the beachside run late every night, curbside trash spikes | Seal back doors and loading areas, keep lids closed, empty bins more often |
| June to September | Rainy season | Most of the year’s 51 inches of rain falls, and wet ground pushes Norway rats out of burrows | Check slab edges, garage door corners and AC line openings |
| October | Biketoberfest | A second rally crowd on Main Street, late in hurricane season | Look over storm damage to soffits and roof edges before the crowd arrives |
Sources: Wikipedia, Daytona International Speedway and Daytona Beach, Florida (event months, rainfall); UF/IFAS Extension, Roof Rats (UW120), for year round breeding.
Hotels, motels and restaurants on A1A
Keeping Rats Out of Beachside Hotels and Motels
The A1A strip is lined with hotels, older motels, condos and the restaurants that serve them. Many of these buildings are connected inside by shared walls, ceiling spaces, trash chutes and utility runs. A rat that gets in at the loading door can travel to the third floor without ever going outside.
Guest rooms with mini fridges, pool bars, ice machines and outdoor dining all leave crumbs where rodents can reach them. So we treat a beachside property as one system: dumpster pad, kitchen, laundry, pool deck and every floor. Restaurants in Florida face state inspections, so we leave a written log after each visit that a manager can show the inspector.
See our commercial rodent control page for how scheduled service works.
What we check at a beachside property
- Dumpster enclosures, grease bins and the gap under the dumpster gate
- Loading and back doors, with door sweeps sized to close a 1/4 inch gap
- Pipe and wire openings into kitchens, laundry rooms and ice machine alcoves
- Dune side landscaping, sea oats and planters next to the building
- Pool equipment rooms, tiki bars and outdoor storage
- Roof edges and vents damaged by salt air or storms
Ian and Nicole, 2022
Two Storms in Six Weeks Opened the Beachside to Rats
In fall 2022, Hurricane Ian hit Volusia County hard, and about 6 weeks later Hurricane Nicole came ashore on Florida’s east coast. Nicole tore into the beach, seawalls and older buildings along the coast. Damaged walls, broken seawalls and piles of debris are just what Norway rats look for.
6wk
Between the storms
Ian came first, then Nicole arrived on November 10, 2022, as a Category 1 hurricane.
24
Beachside buildings evacuated
Volusia County officials ordered 24 beachside hotels and condos cleared after deeming them unsafe.
1950s
When many were built
Engineers said many damaged buildings were from the 1950s, before stricter hurricane codes, with shallow foundations and low seawalls.
25
Homes declared unsafe
Single family homes evacuated as unsafe, on top of about 6 that fell into the ocean in Wilbur-by-the-Sea, just south.
Repairs on older beachside buildings can leave new gaps where patched walls meet slabs, where seawalls were rebuilt and where utilities were rerouted. If you own or manage an older building east of the river, a sealing check after any repair work is worth it.
Source: The Weather Network (Associated Press), “Nicole leaves unprecedented building damage along part of Florida coast,” November 2022.
Services available in Daytona Beach
Rodent Control Services Available in Daytona Beach
From beachside apartments to golf course homes, our services cover every part of Daytona Beach, including full rat and mouse removal, exclusion and cleanup.
Residential Rodent ControlFull inspections and sealing for homes in Seabreeze, Ortona, LPGA International, Indigo Lakes and every other Daytona Beach neighborhood.Learn More →
Commercial Rodent ControlScheduled service for hotels, motels and restaurants along International Speedway Boulevard and the beachside strip.Learn More →
Rodent RemovalTrapping and removal of roof rats, Norway rats and house mice from homes and businesses across Daytona Beach.Learn More →
Dead Rodent RemovalSafe removal of dead rodents from attics, walls and crawl spaces, with odor control.Learn More →
Rodent CleanupRemoval of droppings and nesting material, with disinfecting of attics and affected rooms.Learn More →
Rodent ExterminatorEPA and FDACS certified technicians using proven methods for lasting rodent control.Learn More →
Rodent ExclusionSealing roof gaps, vents and foundation openings so rodents cannot get back in.Learn More →
Rodent Feces RemovalSafe cleanup and sanitizing of rodent droppings following CDC guidance.Learn More →
Rodent ProofingProperty assessment and barrier installation to keep Daytona Beach homes rodent-free long term.Learn More →
College town, too
Student Rentals Near Embry-Riddle, Bethune-Cookman and Daytona State
Daytona Beach is home to 3 big schools, and thousands of students live in rentals around them. Students move in and out every semester, often leaving food, boxes and full trash bags behind. Those turnovers are when mice and rats move in.
Embry-Riddle
Next to the airport
Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University has a 185 acre campus built next to Daytona Beach International Airport, with about 8,370 students. Rentals nearby are mostly apartments and small homes with shared walls, where house mice spread from unit to unit.
Bethune-Cookman
Historic campus since 1904
Mary McLeod Bethune founded the school in 1904. Older homes in the surrounding neighborhoods often have open crawl spaces, worn soffits and big shade trees, which is roof rat territory.
Landlords
Between leases is the time
The empty weeks between tenants are the best time to seal a rental. We check kitchens, water heater closets, AC lines and the attic before the next tenant moves in. The city runs a Rental Property Program, reachable at (386) 671-5298.
Sources: Wikipedia, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Daytona Beach and Bethune-Cookman University; City of Daytona Beach, Code Compliance directory.
Old Daytona, new Daytona
Rodent Entry Points by Building Type in Daytona Beach
Daytona Beach has buildings from the 1880s next to ones built last year. The way rats get in depends a lot on when and how a building went up. This is where we look first on each type.
| Building type | Where you find it | Rodent we see most | Weak spots |
|---|---|---|---|
| Queen Anne and revival style homes | Seabreeze Historic District on the beachside, between University and Auditorium Boulevards | Roof rats | Wood siding gaps, raised floors and crawl spaces, old attic vents with no screen, porch roofs touching trees |
| Mid-century motels and low rise condos | Along A1A and the beachside streets | Norway rats and house mice | Cracked slabs, shared ceiling spaces, worn door sweeps, storm repair gaps |
| Riverfront homes with docks | Along the Halifax River on both banks | Norway rats on the ground, roof rats in trees | Seawall edges, boat and dock storage, sheds, fish scraps left out |
| Downtown storefronts and restaurants | Beach Street and Main Street | Norway rats and house mice | Back alleys, grease bins, shared walls between old storefronts |
| Newer block and stucco homes | Mainland subdivisions | House mice and roof rats | Garage door corners, tile roof edges, pipe and cable gaps, dryer vents |
Seabreeze Historic District: National Park Service, National Register listing 98001131 (listed 1998, 596 historic buildings per Wikipedia). Weak spots are what we look for on these buildings; every property gets a full inspection.
City trash rules
Daytona Beach Trash Rules, Read Like a Rat Would
The City of Daytona Beach and its hauler, Waste Pro, set clear rules for carts, yard waste and bulk items. Following them keeps food off the ground and gives rodents fewer places to hide.
| Rule | What the city says | Why it matters for rats |
|---|---|---|
| Set out time | Carts at the curb by 7 a.m. on service day, or the night before after 6 p.m. | Fewer nights at the curb means fewer nights of free food |
| Bring carts back | Remove containers from the curb by 8 p.m. after service | A cart left out all week becomes a feeding station |
| Extra bags | Up to 2 closed 30 gallon bags next to the cart, the morning of service | Bags left out overnight get chewed open |
| Yard waste | Wednesdays. Limbs and palm fronds up to 5 feet long and 6 inches thick, loose leaves bagged, up to 15 bags, 3 cubic yards | Brush piles are instant shelter, so time them for Wednesday |
| Bulk items | Call to schedule at 386-671-8670 | Old couches and mattresses in the yard become nests |
Source: City of Daytona Beach, Solid Waste FAQ. Questions: CODB Solid Waste 386-671-8670, Waste Pro cart orders 386-788-8890.
How the job runs
From the Roofline to the Last Quiet Night
Most Daytona Beach homes take about 2 to 3 weeks from first visit to final check. Hotels, condos and restaurants are set up on a schedule instead.
- First visit
Find every way in
Roof, attic, crawl space, garage and yard, plus dumpsters and back doors for businesses. You get photos, the plan and the price.
- Once approved
Seal with metal
Exclusion with sheet metal, 1/4 inch hardware cloth and concrete. Salt air rusts cheap mesh, so we use materials made to last at the coast.
- Week 1 to 2
Trap on the runways
Snap traps go where we find droppings and rub marks, then get checked and moved on return visits.
- Week 2 to 3
Clean up
Droppings, nests and soiled insulation are wet down and removed. See rodent cleanup.
- Final check
Confirm it is quiet
We come back to make sure nothing new is getting in before we close the job.
Local help
Daytona Beach Contacts and Florida Rules
If the rats are coming from a neighbor’s yard or an abandoned lot, these are the places to start.
City code
Report a property
Daytona Beach Code Compliance handles high weeds and grass, junk vehicles and debris. File online or call the 24 hour line at 386-671-5165. Office: 125 S. Palmetto Ave.
Trash
Missed pickup or bulk
CODB Solid Waste at 386-671-8670. If lines are busy, calls go to Waste Pro.
Licensing
FDACS and Chapter 482
Florida pest control companies are licensed by the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services under Chapter 482. Our team is EPA and FDACS certified.
Health
Do not sweep droppings
The CDC says to wear gloves, spray with disinfectant or 1 part bleach to 9 parts water, wait 5 minutes, then wipe up with paper towels.
Sources: City of Daytona Beach, Code Compliance and Solid Waste pages; Florida Statutes Chapter 482; CDC, cleaning up after rodents.
Primary Daytona Beach response zone
Daytona Beach service coverage
Is your ZIP on the route?
Daytona Beach uses ZIP codes 32114 through 32126. These are the ones we serve most, but we cover the whole city and Volusia County. Call if you do not see yours.
321143211732118321193212032124
Areas we serve
Check my address →
Seabreeze Historic District · Ortona · Riverside Drive · Indigo Lakes · Pelican Bay · LPGA International · Mosaic · Latitude Margaritaville
Daytona Beach rodent FAQ
What Daytona Beach Residents and Owners Ask Us
From the Seabreeze district to the Speedway, these come up the most. Call if yours is not here.
Call (561) 562-7607 →Yes. On the beachside we mostly find Norway rats around dumpsters, dunes and older motels. On the mainland, roof rats climb trees into attics and mice get into kitchens. The fix is the same idea, seal and trap, but the entry points are different.
Yes. We work around occupancy, keep bait in locked stations outside, use traps in back of house areas and leave a written log after each visit. Sealing covers the whole building, since rats travel through shared walls and ceilings.
Repairs can leave small gaps where new walls meet old slabs, around rebuilt seawalls and where pipes and wires were moved. A rat needs a hole about the size of a quarter. We check those repair lines first.
Talk to your landlord first, in writing. Landlords can call us to seal the unit and trap. If you own the rental, the weeks between tenants are the best time to have it sealed.
Yard waste is picked up on Wednesdays. Put it out close to pickup day instead of leaving brush piles for a week. Limbs and fronds can be up to 5 feet long and 6 inches thick, and loose leaves need to be bagged.
Report it to Daytona Beach Code Compliance online or at 386-671-5165. In the meantime, sealing your own home is the best protection, because rats from next door cannot get in if the openings are closed.
Yes. We cover Volusia County, including Holly Hill, Ormond Beach, South Daytona, Port Orange and Daytona Beach Shores.
Daytona Beach dispatch is ready
Rats in Your Daytona Beach Home or Business?
Call now. We will inspect the property, show you where rodents are getting in, and seal it so they stay out.
Request Daytona Beach service
Give us a call. We’ll handle the next step.
Call us, tell us what you are seeing and where you are located, and our team will confirm the right appointment type and timing.
Serving Daytona BeachDaytona Beach, Florida(561) 562-7607Open 24 hours · 7 days a week
