Rodent Control Lakeland FL | 24/7 Rat Removal

Rodent Control and Rat Removal in Lakeland, FL

Lakeland mixes 38 named lakes, brick streets lined with 1920s bungalows, old citrus country on its edges and a belt of warehouses along I-4. Rats use all of it. We find where they get into your home or building, close those gaps with metal, trap the rodents inside and come back to make sure they are gone.

District	On the National Register	Where it sits	What we check first
South Lake Morton	1985	South and east of Lake Morton, toward Ingraham and Johnson Avenues	Arts and Crafts bungalows: open eaves, rafter tails, old gable vents and gaps where porch roofs meet the house
Beacon Hill-Alta Vista	1993	Along South Florida Avenue near Beacon Road	Older roofs under big trees, so roof rats in the attic and soffit gaps
East Lake Morton	1993	Lake Morton Drive to Massachusetts Avenue	Chimney chases, attic vents and utility lines coming into the house
Dixieland	1994	South of downtown, bordered in part by Lake Hunter	A mix of homes from the 1910s, 1920s and 1940s booms: additions where old and new walls meet, garages and sheds
Munn Park	1997	Downtown around the town square	Brick commercial buildings: shared walls, back doors, restaurant dumpster areas
Lake Hunter Terrace	2002	Near Sikes Boulevard and Lake Hunter	Lakeside yards, sheds and dense shrubs against the foundation
Biltmore-Cumberland	2004	Near Ingraham Avenue and Bartow Road	Attic vents, gaps around plumbing and AC lines, garage door corners

District

On the National Register

Where it sits

What we check first

South Lake Morton

1985

South and east of Lake Morton, toward Ingraham and Johnson Avenues

Arts and Crafts bungalows: open eaves, rafter tails, old gable vents and gaps where porch roofs meet the house

Beacon Hill-Alta Vista

1993

Along South Florida Avenue near Beacon Road

Older roofs under big trees, so roof rats in the attic and soffit gaps

East Lake Morton

1993

Lake Morton Drive to Massachusetts Avenue

Chimney chases, attic vents and utility lines coming into the house

Dixieland

1994

South of downtown, bordered in part by Lake Hunter

A mix of homes from the 1910s, 1920s and 1940s booms: additions where old and new walls meet, garages and sheds

Munn Park

1997

Downtown around the town square

Brick commercial buildings: shared walls, back doors, restaurant dumpster areas

Lake Hunter Terrace

2002

Near Sikes Boulevard and Lake Hunter

Lakeside yards, sheds and dense shrubs against the foundation

Biltmore-Cumberland

2004

Near Ingraham Avenue and Bartow Road

Attic vents, gaps around plumbing and AC lines, garage door corners

Living Near the Old Groves: Roof Rats and Fruit

Settlers planted citrus around Lakeland in the 1850s, and Polk County was the leading citrus county in the United States for much of the 20th century. Many groves are gone now, but orange and grapefruit trees still stand in yards across Lakeland and along the edges of town toward Plant City, Auburndale and Winter Haven.

Roof rats love that fruit. UF/IFAS says they hollow out citrus through a round hole about the size of a quarter, and they often go unnoticed until the fruit starts to ripen. A fruit tree that touches your roof, a fence or a power line is a bridge straight into the attic.

Found a hollow orange still hanging on the tree? That is a roof rat, not a bird or a squirrel.

Rodent Control for Lakeland Warehouses and Distribution Centers

Lakeland sits on I-4 halfway between Tampa and Orlando, and that location made it a shipping hub. Publix Super Markets has its corporate headquarters here. The city lists Saddle Creek Logistics plus regional hubs or distribution centers for Amazon, Rooms to Go, Advance Auto Parts, FedEx, Pepperidge Farm and others. At Lakeland Linder International Airport, a 285,000 square foot cargo building opened in 2020 for Amazon Air.

Big buildings with dock doors open all day are easy for rodents. Rats and mice ride in on pallets, walk in under worn dock seals and nest in stored product, cardboard and the dry ground along the fence line. For food and grocery freight, one sign of rodents can mean lost product and a failed audit.

We work from the outside in: a ring of locked, numbered bait stations along the perimeter, traps inside along the walls, and sealing at dock doors, pipe and conduit openings and roof penetrations. Read more about our commercial rodent control.

Rodent	Where we find it in Lakeland	Droppings	Other signs
Roof rat (Rattus rattus)	Most common. Attics, soffits, palm skirts, fruit trees, lakeside brush	Black, banana shaped, about 1/4 to 1/2 inch	Hollow citrus, dark rub marks on beams, running in the ceiling at night
Norway rat (Rattus norvegicus)	Rare in Florida. When we see one, it is usually at a dumpster, loading dock or under a slab	Larger, blunt ends	Burrows in soil, gnawed doors at ground level
House mouse (Mus musculus)	Kitchens, pantries, garages, warehouse racking, newer homes	Small, about 1/8 inch	Chewed food boxes, nests of shredded paper or insulation

Rodent

Where we find it in Lakeland

Droppings

Other signs

Roof rat (Rattus rattus)

Most common. Attics, soffits, palm skirts, fruit trees, lakeside brush

Black, banana shaped, about 1/4 to 1/2 inch

Hollow citrus, dark rub marks on beams, running in the ceiling at night

Norway rat (Rattus norvegicus)

Rare in Florida. When we see one, it is usually at a dumpster, loading dock or under a slab

Larger, blunt ends

Burrows in soil, gnawed doors at ground level

House mouse (Mus musculus)

Kitchens, pantries, garages, warehouse racking, newer homes

Small, about 1/8 inch

Chewed food boxes, nests of shredded paper or insulation

Is your ZIP on the route?

Lakeland’s ZIP codes run from 33801 to 33815. These are the ones we serve most, but we cover the whole city and surrounding Polk County. Call if you do not see yours.

338013380333805338093381033811338123381333815

Areas we serve

Downtown Lakeland · Dixieland · Beacon Hill · South Lakeland · Lake Hollingsworth · Lake Parker area · Polk Parkway corridor

Check my address →

The roof rat. It climbs trees, palms and power lines and nests in attics and soffits. UF/IFAS says Norway rats are rare in Florida. House mice show up in kitchens, garages and newer homes.

Usually, yes. Most openings can be closed with hardware cloth behind existing vents and painted metal or mesh in spots that do not show from the street. If a change would be visible on a locally designated home, check with Lakeland Historic Preservation at 863.834.6011 first.

If the fruit has a round hole about the size of a quarter and the inside is scooped out, it is almost always a roof rat. Trim the tree away from the roof and fences, pick up fallen fruit and have the roofline checked, since the same rats often nest in the attic.

Yes. We set up exterior bait stations in locked, numbered boxes, interior traps along the walls, dock door and roof penetration sealing and a written log after every visit for your audits.

Lake lots have water, thick shoreline plants and lots of storage like boats and sheds. Rats nest near the shore and travel up to 150 yards to eat. Clearing cover, storing gear off the ground and sealing the house is what stops repeat visits.

Inside the home we rely on sealing and traps placed out of reach. Any outdoor bait goes in tamper-resistant stations, as Florida labels require. Bait should never be loose on the ground or tied to tree branches.

Report it to Lakeland Code Enforcement at 863.834.6251, by email or through the Citizens Action Center online. You will need to give your name and address. Meanwhile, sealing your own home keeps the rats on their side.

Yes. We cover Lakeland and the surrounding parts of Polk County, plus nearby cities like Plant City, Bartow and Winter Haven. Call (561) 562-7607 any time to check your address.