Why do I hear rats on my roof at night?

Roof rats travel along fences, power lines and tree limbs to reach roofs. If limbs touch or hang over the roof, they give rats an easy path.

Do pecan trees attract rats?

Fallen nuts and fruit are food for rats and squirrels. Picking them up regularly in fall helps.

Can I report an overgrown lot next to my house?

Killeen treats weeds over 12 inches as a code violation. Report it through Code Enforcement. See our reporting guide.

A Norway rat facing the camera while eating at the edge of a pond.

Rodent Control in East Killeen

Veterans Memorial Boulevard, Marlboro Heights and the Community Center: older homes, mature trees and creek-side trails.

Rodent help in East Killeen and Veterans Memorial (254) 276-0111

East Killeen runs along Veterans Memorial Boulevard, the business loop of US 190, toward Harker Heights. It includes Marlboro Heights, a neighborhood developed by the early 1950s as an all-Black subdivision, and the Killeen Community Center grounds at 2201 East Veterans Memorial, where the city's parks list shows about 29 acres of fields, the 2.5-mile Andy K. Wells Trail, Rotary Club Children's Park and Mickey's Dog Park. Marlboro Park sits a little farther east on the same road.

Rodent patterns on the east side

Many east side homes are older, with mature trees that have had decades to grow over roofs. Roof rats use those limbs to reach the roofline, then find gaps at the eaves and get into the attic. Pecan trees and backyard fruit trees give them food in fall. A technician working here should look at the roof edge and every limb within a few feet of it.

The business loop has older strip centers and small restaurants with dumpsters behind them, and rats from those lots move into the yards that back up to them. Parks and trails along drainage areas give Norway rats cover close to homes.

Dogs, trails and bait

The east side has Mickey's Dog Park and long walking trails. If you have a dog, bait placement is a real question. Ask any provider how they will keep bait away from pets, or whether traps in covered stations can do the job instead. Pick up dog food bowls at night; a bowl on the patio feeds rats as well as the dog.

What to ask for

Ask for the roofline and attic to be checked along with the kitchen and garage, and ask whether tree trimming is part of the recommendation. Limbs should be cut back several feet from the roof; a tree service usually handles that. For the gaps themselves, see rodent exclusion. If you hear running overhead at night, read rats in the attic before you call.

East Killeen and Veterans Memorial rodent questions

Why do I hear rats on my roof at night?: Roof rats travel along fences, power lines and tree limbs to reach roofs. If limbs touch or hang over the roof, they give rats an easy path.
Do pecan trees attract rats?: Fallen nuts and fruit are food for rats and squirrels. Picking them up regularly in fall helps.
Can I report an overgrown lot next to my house?: Killeen treats weeds over 12 inches as a code violation. Report it through Code Enforcement. See our reporting guide.