Rodent Control Delray Beach, FL

Rodent Control and Rat Removal in Delray Beach, FL

From the kitchens behind Atlantic Avenue to 1920s cottages in Del-Ida Park and condos out in west Delray, rats find a different way in at every address. Our job is rodent control in Delray Beach that starts at the opening: we find it, close it with metal, trap what is already inside and clean up after.

District	Where and when built	Typical styles	Where rats get in
Del-Ida Park	NE 4th to NE 8th Street, Swinton Avenue to NE 3rd Avenue; platted 1923, homes from the 1920s to 1940s	Mediterranean Revival, Mission Revival, Craftsman bungalows, frame vernacular	Roof rats through flat roof scuppers on Mission homes and open rafter tails on bungalows
Marina	East Atlantic Avenue south to SE 4th Street, SE 7th Avenue to the Intracoastal; about 1922 to 1943	Mediterranean, Mission Revival, Monterey, Florida Cottage, Art Moderne	Norway rats along seawalls and docks, roof rats at second floor balconies and tile edges
Nassau Park	2 blocks of Nassau Street between Venetian Drive and South Ocean Boulevard; 1935 to 1941	Cape Cod Revival and Minimal Traditional cottages with clapboard siding	Gaps where wood siding meets the foundation, crawl space vents, gable vents
Old School Square	Original town center, SE 2nd Street to NE 4th Street; 1902 to 1945	Frame vernacular, masonry vernacular, Craftsman, Mission, Mediterranean Revival	Raised wood floors, porch skirts, attic vents and old utility penetrations
West Settlers	Early African American settlement; homes from about 1905	Frame vernacular, bungalow, Mission Revival, shotgun houses with tin roofs	Open space under raised homes, gaps at tin roof edges and porch ceilings

District

Where and when built

Typical styles

Where rats get in

Del-Ida Park

NE 4th to NE 8th Street, Swinton Avenue to NE 3rd Avenue; platted 1923, homes from the 1920s to 1940s

Mediterranean Revival, Mission Revival, Craftsman bungalows, frame vernacular

Roof rats through flat roof scuppers on Mission homes and open rafter tails on bungalows

Marina

East Atlantic Avenue south to SE 4th Street, SE 7th Avenue to the Intracoastal; about 1922 to 1943

Mediterranean, Mission Revival, Monterey, Florida Cottage, Art Moderne

Norway rats along seawalls and docks, roof rats at second floor balconies and tile edges

Nassau Park

2 blocks of Nassau Street between Venetian Drive and South Ocean Boulevard; 1935 to 1941

Cape Cod Revival and Minimal Traditional cottages with clapboard siding

Gaps where wood siding meets the foundation, crawl space vents, gable vents

Old School Square

Original town center, SE 2nd Street to NE 4th Street; 1902 to 1945

Frame vernacular, masonry vernacular, Craftsman, Mission, Mediterranean Revival

Raised wood floors, porch skirts, attic vents and old utility penetrations

West Settlers

Early African American settlement; homes from about 1905

Frame vernacular, bungalow, Mission Revival, shotgun houses with tin roofs

Open space under raised homes, gaps at tin roof edges and porch ceilings

Living Near Delray’s Water Brings Norway Rats Closer

Lake Ida was once twice its size and part of the Everglades. It shrank after drainage work finished around 1917, and homes went up along its shores starting in the 1920s. Today it is ringed by backyards, Lake Ida Park and the Delray Beach Playhouse. On the east side, the Intracoastal Waterway runs between downtown and the 3 miles of beach.

Water gives rats 2 things: a drink and soft banks to dig in. Norway rats burrow under seawalls, boat lifts, dock boxes and the slab edge of pool decks. Roof rats use the trees along the water as a highway to the roof.

Near lakes and canals we keep all bait in locked stations away from the water’s edge, so pets, birds and fish are not exposed.

What you notice	Most likely	Where to look in a Delray home
Scratching in the ceiling after dark	Roof rat	Soffit returns, gable vents, the spot where a palm touches the roof
Holes 2 to 4 inches wide in the soil	Norway rat	Seawalls, slab edges, under sheds, beside the dumpster pad
Tiny droppings in a kitchen drawer	House mouse	Under the dishwasher, behind the stove, garage door corners
Hollowed mangoes, avocados or citrus	Roof rat	The fruit tree itself and any branch that reaches the roof or fence
Dark greasy smears on beams	Any rat	Attic trusses, pipe runs in the garage, top of block walls
Chewed AC line insulation or wiring	Roof rat or mouse	AC line set entry, attic air handler, behind the water heater

What you notice

Most likely

Where to look in a Delray home

Scratching in the ceiling after dark

Roof rat

Soffit returns, gable vents, the spot where a palm touches the roof

Holes 2 to 4 inches wide in the soil

Norway rat

Seawalls, slab edges, under sheds, beside the dumpster pad

Tiny droppings in a kitchen drawer

House mouse

Under the dishwasher, behind the stove, garage door corners

Hollowed mangoes, avocados or citrus

Roof rat

The fruit tree itself and any branch that reaches the roof or fence

Dark greasy smears on beams

Any rat

Attic trusses, pipe runs in the garage, top of block walls

Chewed AC line insulation or wiring

Roof rat or mouse

AC line set entry, attic air handler, behind the water heater

Rule	What it says	Why it matters for rats
Set out time	Carts no earlier than 5:00 p.m. the day before pickup, and back in by 7:00 p.m. on pickup day	Less time for rats to tear open bags at night
Late set out	Trash not out by 6:00 a.m. may be missed if the truck has passed	A missed pickup means 3 or 4 more days of food at the curb
Off schedule fee	Material out at the wrong time can be picked up for $11.50 per cubic yard, billed on the water bill	Early piles of yard waste and bulk items give rats cover
Bulky items	Too big for the cart: out no earlier than 5:00 p.m. the day before, covered or secured	Old couches and boxes make ready nests
Cart use	WM collects trash twice a week; bag all trash and keep the lid fully closed	A closed lid is the simplest rat barrier there is

Rule

What it says

Why it matters for rats

Set out time

Carts no earlier than 5:00 p.m. the day before pickup, and back in by 7:00 p.m. on pickup day

Less time for rats to tear open bags at night

Late set out

Trash not out by 6:00 a.m. may be missed if the truck has passed

A missed pickup means 3 or 4 more days of food at the curb

Off schedule fee

Material out at the wrong time can be picked up for $11.50 per cubic yard, billed on the water bill

Early piles of yard waste and bulk items give rats cover

Bulky items

Too big for the cart: out no earlier than 5:00 p.m. the day before, covered or secured

Old couches and boxes make ready nests

Cart use

WM collects trash twice a week; bag all trash and keep the lid fully closed

A closed lid is the simplest rat barrier there is

Storm Seasons Open New Doors for Delray Rats

Delray Beach has taken direct or near direct hurricane hits many times, including 1928, 1947, 1949, 1964, 1965, 1979, 1992, 1999, 2004 and 2005. The city also gets about 61 inches of rain a year, and February is the only month that is really dry.

High winds lift barrel tiles, tear soffit panels and bend vent screens. Heavy rain floods burrows and pushes Norway rats up toward slabs and garages. After a big storm, a roof that was tight in spring may have new gaps by fall.

Is your ZIP on the route?

These are the Delray Beach ZIP codes we serve most, but we cover the whole city and Palm Beach County. Call if you do not see yours.

3344433445334463348333484

Areas we serve

Pineapple Grove Arts District · Delray Beach’s historic districts · Osceola Park · Tropic Isle · Palm Trail · Barwick Estates and the Lake Ida area · Delray Lakes · The Bridges

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Roof rats are the most common in homes, mostly in attics. Norway rats show up near the Intracoastal, Lake Ida, canals and restaurant dumpsters. House mice get into kitchens, garages and condo units all over the city.

Yes. We are open 24/7, so visits can be set before opening or after close. You get scheduled service, locked outdoor bait stations, door sweeps and a written log after each visit for your records.

Exterior changes in Delray’s historic districts usually need a Certificate of Appropriateness. Most rodent work uses small screens and metal pieces that can be painted and hidden, but it is smart to check with the city’s Historic Preservation staff before larger changes. We can walk you through what we plan to install.

Inside your unit, you can call us directly. Shared roofs, attics and outside walls are usually the association’s responsibility, so we can work with your board or manager on a building plan. Sealing only one unit in a shared building rarely lasts.

Water helps. Norway rats dig into seawalls and soft banks, and trees along the shore give roof rats a path to your roof. Sealing the house, trimming limbs and keeping bait in locked stations away from the water’s edge is the fix.

City code allows carts out no earlier than 5:00 p.m. the day before pickup and back in by 7:00 p.m. on pickup day. Trash not out by 6:00 a.m. may be missed. Keep lids fully closed so rats cannot get in.

It depends on how many openings need sealing, how big the attic is and how many rats are inside. A small block home costs far less than an older frame house with open vents along the whole roof. We give you a written plan and price after the inspection, before any work starts.

Yes. We serve all of Delray Beach, plus west Delray communities with a Delray mailing address, Gulf Stream, Highland Beach and the rest of Palm Beach County.