Is It Rats or Mice in My Lake Stevens House?

Mouse droppings are about the size of a grain of rice; rat droppings are closer to half an inch. Mice make light scratching, rats heavier thumps and running. On lakefront lots it is often Norway rats in the crawl space, and in the hillside subdivisions more often mice. We confirm it on the first visit, because the plan for each is different.

Do Lakefront Homes Need Anything Different?

The inspection takes longer, because there is more to check below the main floor: decks, rockeries, bulkheads, boathouses and the lake-facing side of the crawl space. The method is the same. We seal every gap a quarter inch and up, then trap what is already inside. We also look at what is stored near the water, since that is often where mice are nesting.

What Does Rodent Control in Lake Stevens Cost?

The price follows how many ways in the house has and how much sealing it needs, so we quote after we have looked at the roofline, the crawl space and the garage. The quote covers the return visits to finish trapping, and you have the number before any work starts.

We Have Chickens, Dogs or a Barn. Can You Still Treat?

Yes. Inside the house we trap rather than bait. Outside, any bait goes in locked, tamper-resistant stations that kids, pets and livestock cannot open, and we will walk you through where each one goes before we set it. Tell us about coops, feed storage and outbuildings when you call so we plan around them.

Lakefront homes in Lake Stevens, WA stepping down a wooded slope to private docks on the water

Lake Stevens rat and mouse control

Rodent Control in Lake Stevens, WA

Rats under the deck, mice in the garage, scratching in the ceiling once the rain starts. Lake Stevens is our home town, and fall is when rats and mice move indoors here. We find how they are getting in, close it, and clear out the ones already inside.

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5.0 from 64 Google reviews. Family-owned and based in Lake Stevens.

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Rodent Control in Lake Stevens Starts With the Kind of Property

A house on the water, a newer home on Cavalero Hill and five acres out toward Machias each let rodents in somewhere different, so rodent control in Lake Stevens depends on which one you live in. The property type decides where we look first and which rodent we expect to find.

Lakefront Homes

North Lakeshore, South Lakeshore, around North Cove

Mostly Norway rats, plus mice in stored gear

Houses on the lake step down a slope toward the water, with decks, rockeries, bulkheads, boathouses and thick plantings between the house and the dock. Norway rats burrow, swim well and like water close by, so the soft ground and stacked rock near the shoreline suit them.

The way in is usually low: a crawl space vent behind a shrub, the gap where a deck ledger meets the house, or a door into a lower level that faces the lake. Boat covers, cushions and life jackets stored in a boathouse or under a deck are where mice nest.

Hillside Subdivisions

Cavalero Hill, Soper Hill, around Frontier Village and 20th St SE

Mostly house mice, some roof rats

Newer homes are built tighter, but they still have dozens of places where a pipe, wire, vent or hose bib goes through the wall, and many of those are filled with spray foam, which mice chew through. The corners of an attached garage door seal are the other common way in.

A lot of these neighborhoods back onto a greenbelt or a strip of woods behind the fence line. That cover runs right up to the yard, so mice do not have far to travel once the nights turn cold.

Acreage and Rural Lots

The outskirts, from Hartford to Machias

Deer mice and Norway rats

Shops, barns, coops and sheds full of feed, hay and stored equipment are a steady food supply. Rats and mice that settle in the outbuildings work their way toward the house when the weather turns.

Deer mice are the reason to be careful here. They are common where a property backs onto woods or brush, and they carry hantavirus in Washington, so a shed full of droppings is not something to sweep out.

An older house on a Lake Stevens road with power lines running past it and a tall stand of firs behind — Power lines, tall firs and an older roofline on a Lake Stevens road. Photo: Joe Mabel, CC BY-SA 3.0.

Roof Rats Use the Trees and Power Lines

Roof rats are climbers. In a town with this many tall firs and overhead lines, they can reach a roof without touching the ground, then get in at a loose soffit, a gable vent with a torn screen, or the gap where the roofline meets a chimney.

The sign is noise overhead after dark, usually running rather than scratching. Sealing a house like this starts on a ladder: every roof vent, soffit and gable, plus a list of branches to cut back so the rats lose their bridge.

More on telling the two apart: mice or rats in the attic.

What Happens When You Call for Rodent Control in Lake Stevens

Lake Stevens is the shortest drive we make. Someone is out within 48 hours and usually sooner, with a text about 30 minutes before the truck pulls up. We start with what you have heard and seen, then walk the whole outside of the house, including the deck, the garage and any outbuildings.

If it is safe to get into, we check the crawl space and the attic for droppings, runways and nesting. By the end of the visit you know which rodent it is, every way in we found, and what closing them will cost.

Sealing comes first. We close gaps a quarter inch and up with hardware cloth, sheet metal, mortar or copper mesh, because the state health department notes that mice can get through an opening a quarter inch wide. Then we trap inside and come back to clear what we catch. The full method is on our rodent control service page.

If rats have been living in the crawl space, the insulation and vapor barrier are usually soiled, and we can replace them in the same job with a crawl space cleanout and new vapor barrier. Brian holds WSDA applicator license #112338, and the state lookup will show it.

Aerial view of acreage north of Lake Stevens, WA: pastures, outbuildings and homes set into second-growth forest — Acreage north of Lake Stevens: pasture, outbuildings and woods on every side. Photo: brewbooks, CC BY-SA 2.0.

Droppings in the Shop or Barn? Don't Sweep Them Up

The Washington State Department of Health says infected deer mice live throughout the state, and people catch hantavirus by breathing dust from droppings and nests. Sweeping or vacuuming a shed floor is exactly how that dust gets into the air.

The state's advice is to wear gloves, soak droppings and nests with a bleach solution, let it sit, then wipe it up damp and double-bag it. Our guide to mouse droppings vs. rat droppings walks through it. For a big mess in a barn, shop or crawl space, call us and we will handle the cleanup along with the sealing.

Six Things to Do Before We Get There

None of these replace sealing the house, but each one takes away food or cover. If mice are already inside, start with how to get rid of mice in your house and, for the garage, how to keep mice out of the garage.

Move boat cushions, covers and life jackets into sealed plastic bins for the winter, and check the boathouse for nesting.
Keep chicken, horse and pet feed in metal cans with tight lids, and sweep up spilled grain at the end of the day.
Trim back branches so nothing touches or hangs over the roof, and pull ivy and blackberry off the siding.
Stack firewood off the ground and away from the walls of the house and garage.
Check the bottom corners of the garage door seal and the foam around pipes where they enter the house.
Write down where and when you hear noises. Night scratching in the ceiling and thumping in the crawl space mean different things.

5.0 from 64 Google reviews

What Customers Say About Our Rodent Control

Read all 64 reviews

"We were in need of immediate local service, since I woke up hearing scratching in my wall. I knew it wasn't good. I am super thankful for the care and concern that was given to me by the owner (who's amazing by the way), very knowledgeable, honest and very fair price. So much so that I dropped Orkin and signed up with these guys due to the low price I got quoted. When the tech showed up, he put me at ease, very knowledgeable young man, and answered all my questions and concerns. By that same night one of the traps that was laid down had caught the little bugger in my wall. I'm thankful for the quick reply and how quickly someone came out to help us. They even came back to retrieve the critter. I appreciate honesty, it's hard to come by these days. So thank you!"

CHELSIE SCHREINER · GOOGLE REVIEW →

"This company is fantastic. Not only did they come to treat my home within a day, but the service was super friendly, educational and reasonable. The owner spoke with me personally and took care of my rat issue swiftly and professionally. Just call them."

BRIANNE FIELD · GOOGLE REVIEW →

"I was having a problem with rats and mice. I called so many places. I live in Lake Stevens. Pure Guard worked with me. The price is low. They set me up quickly. Would highly recommend! Thank you."

SUN SHINE · LAKE STEVENS, WA · GOOGLE REVIEW →

"Brian stopped by to let us know about his eco-friendly pest control services, and we are happy to know we are supporting an eco- and family friendly small business. He is super knowledgeable and uses products that are safe for our pets and kids, and applies them so they won't interfere with our honey bees. We are also going to have chickens in the near future, so we are happy that they (and we) will be protected from rats too. We are fine with bugs being outside where they belong, but very glad we don't have to worry about them being inside!"

MELISSA DOERING · GOOGLE REVIEW →

"Reliable and effective. Very affordable pricing. Got rid of the rats and wasps!"

POE ALLAN · GOOGLE REVIEW →

Questions, answered

Lake Stevens Rodent Control Questions

Is It Rats or Mice in My Lake Stevens House?: Mouse droppings are about the size of a grain of rice; rat droppings are closer to half an inch. Mice make light scratching, rats heavier thumps and running. On lakefront lots it is often Norway rats in the crawl space, and in the hillside subdivisions more often mice. We confirm it on the first visit, because the plan for each is different.
Do Lakefront Homes Need Anything Different?: The inspection takes longer, because there is more to check below the main floor: decks, rockeries, bulkheads, boathouses and the lake-facing side of the crawl space. The method is the same. We seal every gap a quarter inch and up, then trap what is already inside. We also look at what is stored near the water, since that is often where mice are nesting.
What Does Rodent Control in Lake Stevens Cost?: The price follows how many ways in the house has and how much sealing it needs, so we quote after we have looked at the roofline, the crawl space and the garage. The quote covers the return visits to finish trapping, and you have the number before any work starts.
We Have Chickens, Dogs or a Barn. Can You Still Treat?: Yes. Inside the house we trap rather than bait. Outside, any bait goes in locked, tamper-resistant stations that kids, pets and livestock cannot open, and we will walk you through where each one goes before we set it. Tell us about coops, feed storage and outbuildings when you call so we plan around them.
How Soon Can Someone Get to My House?: Our base is in Lake Stevens, so this is the shortest drive we make. Someone is out within 48 hours and usually sooner, and you get a text about 30 minutes before the truck arrives.

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Our base is in Lake Stevens, so this is the shortest drive we make.

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Pests come back inside the window, so do we. No charge.

#112338

WSDA applicator license

Checkable on the state lookup. Ask us for the link.

Rather talk to someone? (425) 332-6566

Something other than rats or mice? See everything we do for pest control in Lake Stevens, from carpenter ants in older homes to mosquitoes along the lake.