Los Angeles is roof rat country, and roof rats climb trees, vines, fences, and utility lines to reach the roof, then enter through vents, roofline and soffit seams, chimney openings, and gaps around utility penetrations. Ground-level routes matter too: foundation cracks, door gaps, and garage doors.
When you think of rats, you often think of rodents scurrying across the floor. But that’s not an accurate picture in Los Angeles. We have a lot of roof rats here and they are the ones most likely to cause trouble in residential neighborhoods. True to their name, they often enter homes from the top rather than the bottom.
Roof rats travel along fences, utility lines, and irrigation pipes, climb stucco, brick, and rough siding, and use trees as ladders, with any branch within a few feet of the roof serving as a bridge. Palm trees are often a major source of trouble when it comes to roof rats because their untrimmed fronds can shelter nests right at roofline height. The same is true for bougainvillea, ivy, and other dense vine growth. They’re basically rat ladders.
Once on the roof, these rats can enter through all kinds of places that people don’t think about often, such as: roof vents and gable vents with corroded or torn screens, seams along the roofline, soffits, and gutters, attic openings, chimney flues without caps, the gaps where plumbing vents and cable lines pass through the roof or wall, and the space where a tile roof meets the eave. And, of course, ground-level entry points are still problems too. They can get into cracks in the foundation, gaps around windows and doors, and in dryer and exhaust ports, as well as the spaces around pipes and cables. They can squeeze into spaces roughly the size of a quarter and can often chew smaller spaces until they’re big enough to pass through, with their teeth able to work on wood, soft metals, and even concrete.
To fix the problem, find their routes by looking for droppings and rub marks. You can also track them based on the places they tend to gnaw. You can use traps and bait stations to clear the current population and then seal entry points with chew-proof materials. But all that said, rodents are very hard to clear on your own. We strongly recommend contacting a professional if you have a rodent infestation.
If you are hearing rats in the attic and cannot find how they got in, Mosquito Squad of Los Angeles can help. Mosquito Squad helps get rid of the existing population and blocks the entry points they used to get in. Monthly rodent protection is also available through Complete Home & Yard coverage.
