Pest Control in Palo Alto, CA

How do mature trees affect a rat visit?

Mature trees and their overhanging branches give a roof rat a route to the eaves and the roof. The walk checks each tree that touches or nearly touches the roof, and the report recommends cutting the branch back where the contact is made.

A tree trunk with a cavity can house a nest, and the technician notes any cavity near the house and any run that leads from it to the building.

What about the shared fences and garages?

Houses on smaller lots share fences and garage walls with their neighbours, and a rat can cross from one lot to the next. The walk records where the shared line is and notes any sign on either side of it.

A visit can cover the homeowner’s side of a shared fence. Where the run is on the neighbour’s side, the report says so and the homeowner decides how to raise it.

How are the older centre houses walked?

The older houses in the centre often have crawl spaces, older garages and wood porches on the ground. The walk checks the joint at the garage, the porch joists and the step stringers for soil contact.

Eaves and soffits are checked for gaps, because they are a route for the roof rat into the attic.

What should a Palo Alto caller check?

Palo Alto is in Santa Clara County, so the registration check is made for that county. Ask for the licence holder’s name and the business’s registration in Santa Clara County at booking.

Tell the technician about any shared fence or tree, so the walk includes the line and the branch that matter.

Garages, carports and side passages

Many Palo Alto houses have a carport or a garage at the side, with a passage between the house and the fence. The passage is a sheltered route, and the walk checks its floor, its gates and any gap at the foot of the wall.

A carport’s roof often shares a line with the house eave, and that joint is checked for a roof rat route.

A side passage between a house and its fence is often a dark, sheltered route. The walk checks the passage floor, the gate and the foot of the wall, and it notes any run that leads from the passage to the house.

A Palo Alto house on a small lot can share its eaves with the neighbour’s, and a roof rat can move across the line. The walk checks the shared eave, and the report notes where a gap or a branch connects the two roofs.

The walk is planned with the homeowner’s permission to reach the shared line from its own side. Where the line cannot be reached, the report says so and records what was seen.