They are the most common rat in Florida homes. We trap in the attic, seal the roofline, and advise on the trees feeding them. Call (209) 563-1650.
This is part of our rodent control in Wimauma and the surrounding South Shore.
What’s included
- Attic trapping along runs
- Roofline and vent exclusion
- Guidance on trimming trees and removing fallen fruit
- Follow-up monitoring
The highways roof rats use onto a Florida roof
Roof rats are built to climb, and a mature South Shore neighborhood is laced with the routes they use. Overhanging oak and laurel branches, palm fronds and the rough palm "boots," wood fences and trellises, utility and cable lines, and dense vines against the wall all serve as bridges from the ground to the roof. They prefer to travel up and in rather than across open lawn, so the aerial routes are what matter.
Fruit and nut trees add food to the travel route. Citrus, loquat, mango and similar trees — common in older Wimauma, Bloomingdale and Riverview yards — drop fruit that feeds roof rats and draws them onto the property, while the canopy hands them a road to the eaves. That is why trimming trees back off the roof and clearing fallen fruit is part of a lasting fix, not just an afterthought.
Clearing the attic and closing the roofline
Once roof rats are nesting overhead, the work happens where they live. We set and monitor traps along the actual attic runs and travel lines rather than scattering them at random, and we check the insulation for the droppings, trails and nesting that confirm how heavy the activity is. Trapping in the attic gives a known result and avoids bait-killed rats dying in an inaccessible void.
The permanent part is the roofline. Roof rats get in through surprisingly small openings — gaps at the eaves and soffit returns, unscreened gable, ridge and dryer vents, and the spots where plumbing and electrical lines enter, often openings around half an inch. We seal those with materials rats cannot gnaw through after the attic is cleared, so the trapping holds instead of the next rat simply following the same route in.
Why Jobe Pest Services LLC for this service
- Local, family-run and based right here in Wimauma — serving the area since 2022.
- 5.0★ from 19 Google reviews, with customers citing honest, on-time, knowledgeable service.
- We identify the pest and explain the plan and price before any product is applied.
- Free estimates, and we record the products used and their re-entry times in writing.
Serving Wimauma and nearby communities
We treat roof rat control across the South Shore and greater Tampa Bay from our Wimauma base, with the fastest response in the nearest communities.
