Rodents in South Texas Are a Year-Round Problem

In most parts of the country, rodent activity peaks in fall and winter when temperatures drop and animals seek warmth indoors. In the Rio Grande Valley, the climate means rodents stay active all year. House mice, roof rats, and Norway rats don’t slow down in South Texas, and neither does the damage they cause.

Rodents aren’t just a nuisance. They chew through electrical wiring, insulation, and structural wood. They contaminate food and surfaces with droppings and urine. The fleas they carry can spread diseases, and their constant gnawing create fire hazards and costly structural damage. Once a rodent gets into a structure, it rarely leaves on its own — and where one goes, others follow.

At Del Valle Pest Control, we don’t just trap what’s already inside. We find out how they’re getting in and we seal it off so the problem doesn’t come back.

Signs You May Have a Rodent Problem

Rodents are most active at night and are rarely seen during the day. Here’s what to look for:

• Droppings along walls, in cabinets, or near food storage areas
• Gnaw marks on wood, wiring, or food packaging
• Greasy rub marks along baseboards and walls — left by rodents traveling the same routes repeatedly
• Scratching, scurrying, or squeaking sounds in walls, ceilings, or the attic — especially at night
• Nesting materials like shredded paper, fabric, or insulation in hidden areas
• A persistent, musky odor in enclosed spaces

If you’re noticing any of these, the infestation is likely already established. Call us for a free inspection before it grows larger.

Rodents We Treat

House Mice — The most common rodent in residential properties. Small, fast, and able to squeeze through gaps as small as a dime. They nest inside walls, attics, and storage areas and reproduce rapidly — a single pair can produce dozens of offspring in a matter of months.
Roof Rats — Also called black rats, these are excellent climbers and commonly found in attics, soffits, and upper structures. They’re the dominant rat species in South Texas and coastal areas of Texas generally.
Norway Rats — Larger and heavier than roof rats, Norway rats tend to burrow along foundations, under slabs, and near dumpsters and garbage areas. More common in commercial settings and properties with food storage.
Cotton Rats — Found in some areas of South Texas, particularly in properties adjacent to fields or heavy vegetation.

How We Handle Rodent Control

Professional rodent control is not just setting a few traps and hoping for the best. We follow a structured process built around the principle that exclusion comes first — because if you remove the rodents without sealing the entry points, new ones will move right in.

Step 1 — Inspection
We inspect the full property — interior and exterior — to identify what’s present and how they’re getting in. This includes:

• Attic, garage, and crawl space
• Roofline, soffits, and utility penetrations
• Foundation, doors, windows, and HVAC entry points
• Kitchen, pantry, and storage areas

We look for droppings, rub marks, gnaw marks, nesting areas, and active entry points. By the end of the inspection, you’ll know exactly what you’re dealing with.

Step 2 — Exterior Exclusion
This is the most important step, and it’s one many companies skip. Sealing the structure is what makes the difference between a temporary fix and a long-term solution.

Common exclusion repairs include:

• Sealing utility penetrations and pipe entry points
• Installing door sweeps on garage and exterior doors
• Repairing damaged soffits and fascia
• Screening vents and roof openings
• Sealing foundation gaps and construction joints

Step 3 — Trapping
We install snap traps, multiple-catch traps, and live traps where appropriate. Traps are placed in the attic, garage, utility rooms, and along active rodent runways — always against walls and in areas where rodents are traveling.

We do not rely on interior rodent poison as a primary method. When rodents consume poison and die inside walls or the attic, the odor can be significant and removal is often difficult or impossible. Trapping allows us to remove captured rodents cleanly and monitor activity accurately.

Step 4 — Exterior Bait Stations
For exterior rodent pressure — particularly around the perimeter of the property, dumpster areas, and outbuildings — we install tamper-resistant, locked, and anchored bait stations. These are monitored and serviced on scheduled visits.

Step 5 — Follow-Up Visits
Rodent control is not a one-visit service. We begin with a minimum of three follow-up visits after the initial service. During each visit we:

• Check and reset traps
• Replace bait in exterior stations
• Remove captured rodents
• Monitor for new activity
• Recommend additional exclusion repairs if needed

Wildlife Control Services

Rodents aren’t the only animals that invade structures in the Rio Grande Valley. We also handle a range of wildlife that commonly cause problems in residential and commercial properties.

Opposums — Often found denning under sheds, decks, crawl spaces, and porches. We identify den sites, perform live trapping where legally permitted, and install exclusion barriers to prevent re-entry.
Raccoons — Common in attics, chimneys, and roof voids. Raccoons cause significant damage — torn ductwork, contaminated insulation, and structural damage are all common findings. We perform live trapping, install chimney caps and vent protection, and assess attic damage after removal.
Skunks — Found under porches, sheds, and crawl spaces. We locate den sites, install exclusion barriers, trap where permitted, and close access points. We take precautions during removal to minimize the risk of defensive spray.
Snakes — Snake removal from residential and commercial properties.
Lizards — Lizard control for properties experiencing recurring interior or exterior lizard activity.

For all wildlife services, we follow the same principle: exclusion first, removal second. If food, sources, shelter, and entry points aren’t addressed after removal, new animals will move into the same space.

Commercial Rodent Control

Commercial properties require more intensive monitoring and documentation than residential accounts. We provide commercial rodent control for:

Restaurants, warehouses, factories, retail stores, schools, office buildings, food-processing facilities, and distribution centers.

Our commercial program includes a full site map, exterior bait stations, interior monitoring stations, snap traps, and glue boards where appropriate. Every visit is documented with station maps, activity reports, trend analysis, and corrective-action recommendations — providing the records you need for health inspections and regulatory compliance.

Rodent Control Warranty

Our rodent program includes an ongoing warranty while service remains active. If rodent activity is detected between scheduled visits, we return at no additional charge.

Free Rodent Inspections

We offer free inspections for both residential and commercial properties throughout the Rio Grande Valley and across Texas. If you’re hearing something in the walls, finding droppings, or just want to know if your property is vulnerable, give us a call. We’ll come take a look and give you a straight answer.

Serving the Rio Grande Valley and All of Texas

We provide rodent and wildlife control throughout the Rio Grande Valley — including McAllen, Edinburg, Mission, Pharr, Weslaco, Harlingen, Brownsville, and surrounding communities — and across all of Texas, including Laredo, Corpus Christi, Zapata, Austin, Dallas, Houston, San Antonio, and South Padre Island.

Los roedores son una de las plagas que más cuidado hay que tener sobre todo en los hogares, ya que son portadores de muchas enfermedades infectocontagiosas como la rabia, cólera, hepatitis y tienen una gran capacidad de reproducirse, sin considerar clima, lugar, temperaturas, humedad, alturas o clase de construcción. Están presente en la mayoría de los hogares ya sea dentro del mismo, fuera de la edificación, jardín, garaje, taller o bodega, ya que su alimentación es muy variada con productos limpios o desechos. Además no importa la protección que hagamos a los alimentos, ya que tienen un potencial de destruir cartones, plásticos, papel, caucho y otros. Penetran a los hogares por paredes defectuosas, ladrillos sin juntas, puertas de madera y telas antimosquitos.

La presencia de estos animales roedores, se manifiesta cuando encontramos los excrementos diseminados por los lugares que frecuentan, exponiendo a la contaminación todo aquello que encuentran a su paso por medio de las orinas o sus patas portadoras de virus contagiosos.

La Compañía DEL VALLE PEST CONTROL ha realizado diferentes estudios del  comportamiento de este tipo de plaga con el fin de que nuestro personal especializado realice un trabajo efectivo para su eliminación, utilizando las técnicas, sistemas y menús específicos para cada tipo de roedor, ya que por ser de diferentes clases deberán ser eliminados de diferentes maneras.

No permita que los ruidos nocturnos producidos cuando estos roedores se encuentran en actividad le interrumpan su merecido descanso. Llámenos a los teléfonos de este portal y consulte a nuestros técnicos, quienes le darán una contestación que satisfaga sus necesidades.