A homeowner faced with scratching sounds in the attic at midnight will try anything — snap traps, glue boards, ultrasonic devices, poison bait blocks. These products kill individual rats, but they do not solve the fundamental problem: entry points that allow new rats from the same local population to enter.
What DIY Methods Can and Cannot Do
Snap traps are effective at killing individual roof rats and are appropriate for small, isolated infestations. Bait stations can reduce a local population over time. However, neither method addresses how rats entered in the first place. Houston roof rat populations are sustained by the city's extensive tree canopy, older housing stock with structural gaps, and year-round mild climate that allows continuous breeding.
Professional Exclusion: The Permanent Solution
A licensed rodent exterminator in Houston uses a three-stage approach: thorough inspection to map all entry points, strategic trapping to eliminate the active population, and structural exclusion using materials rated for each gap type. Professional exclusion does not just reduce the population — it breaks the re-infestation cycle.
What to Expect from Professional Rodent Control
A TPCL-licensed technician seals every gap larger than a quarter-inch with appropriate materials: hardware cloth for vents and large openings, stainless steel mesh for soffit gaps, copper mesh and caulk for pipe penetrations, and expandable foam for foundation cracks. The result is an entry-proof structure that keeps rats out permanently.