Rodent Control in the Encanto and Willo Historic Districts

Encanto and Willo have some of the oldest houses in Phoenix, and old houses have gaps. The historic districts around Encanto Park, including Willo, Encanto-Palmcroft and their neighbors, mix 1920s bungalows with 1930s Tudor, Spanish Colonial and Pueblo Revival homes and early ranch houses. Lovely places. Also full of small ways in.

Old wood trim, original vents, raised floors on some homes and decades of add-ons give rats and mice plenty of options. Tall palms line a lot of the streets, and there's still mature citrus in plenty of backyards.

Raised floors, old vents and add-ons

This part of town is flat, close to downtown and shaded by trees older than most of the Valley. Lots are narrow, many with an alley behind them and a detached garage at the back. Houses are brick, frame or block, and some sit on raised floors instead of a slab, which is rare around here. Foundation vents on those can have torn screens. Additions built decades apart leave seams where new walls meet old ones, and newer plumbing, AC or electric lines punched through old walls leave gaps of their own.

Ask the tech to check foundation vents along with the attic, and ask how they plan sealing that respects historic trim. Most use removable screens or mesh that don't change the look of the house. Noise in the attic here usually means roof rats, droppings in a 1930s kitchen usually mean mice, and a lot of these old attics need cleanup of droppings and old insulation once the rats are out.

• Original attic and foundation vents
• Gaps around old wood windows and doors
• Openings where newer plumbing, AC or electric lines were added
• Detached garages and alley-side sheds
• Tile or flat roof edges with open ends

Alley rats and Palmcroft palms

Rats use the alleys as streets. Trash bins, back walls and stacked junk give them food and cover between yards, and Encanto Park's lagoon and big trees are right next door. Keep bin lids shut, rinse the bins once in a while, and don't stack bags beside them. Tall palms along streets like those in Palmcroft can hold roof rat nests in the dead fronds, so keep them trimmed.

Check the detached garage first. It often sits closed for weeks with boxes, old furniture and yard gear inside, which is exactly what mice and rats want. Old fruit trees and tall hedges along the alley wall give rats a path straight onto the roof, so ask about backyard citrus rat control too. Walk the house with the rodent-proofing guide before the visit. Neighbors north in North Central and Sunnyslope and west in Maryvale call about the same mix.

Around Encanto & Willo: Encanto Park · Willo Historic District · Encanto-Palmcroft Historic District · McDowell Rd. and 7th Ave. · Thomas Rd. · Phoenix Art Museum area on Central Ave. (ZIP 85003, 85007, 85013)

Also serving Arcadia, Ahwatukee Foothills, North Central & Sunnyslope, Maryvale, Paradise Valley Village & Desert Ridge, Scottsdale, Tempe, Glendale, Mesa.