Rodent Control in Paradise Valley Village and Desert Ridge

In north Phoenix it depends which end you're on. Paradise Valley Village, the Phoenix village around Shea Blvd., Tatum Blvd. and Cave Creek Rd., is mostly established 1970s and 1980s neighborhoods with mature trees, backyard pools and plenty of citrus. Roof rats do fine there.

Up north, Desert Ridge has newer master-planned homes right up against open desert. Newer houses are tighter, but tile roof eaves, gravel-and-cactus yards and open land next door bring their own problems. Tell us on the call whether your wall backs onto open desert or onto another yard. That one detail says a lot about which rat you're dealing with.

Pool pumps and forty-year-old trees

Paradise Valley Village spreads across flat ground north and east of the Phoenix Mountains: ranch and two-story stucco homes, tile roofs and a pool in most yards. Trees planted forty or fifty years ago now shade whole lots and reach over the roofs. Maricopa County lists swimming pools as a common roof rat spot, and a yard with a pool, a tall palm and a citrus tree has water, cover and food all in one place. Check the equipment pad and the gap behind the pump and heater.

Calls here lean toward roof rats around pools and palms, and older attics often need cleanup when it's over. Trim palms that lean over the pool or roof and fix leaks at the pool equipment and drip lines. Scottsdale to the east has the same split between roof rats and pack rats.

Desert Ridge lots along the 101

Desert Ridge sits up along the Loop 101, where newer subdivisions meet open desert and washes. Yards lean toward gravel, cactus and young trees, so there are fewer roof rats than on the older streets to the south and more pack rats wandering in from next door. People find nests by the AC unit, in cactus, in rock piles and under car covers. Keep the AC pad and pool equipment clear, and check under the hood of any car that sits for weeks.

Up here, more calls are for pack rat trapping. Both ends of north Phoenix do well with sealing tile eave gaps, even on new houses. If you're not sure which rat you've got, check the tails, nests and droppings comparison. Sunnyslope to the southwest is another neighborhood that gets both.

Around Paradise Valley Village & Desert Ridge: Desert Ridge Marketplace · Reach 11 Sports Complex · Paradise Valley Park · Shea Blvd. and Tatum Blvd. · Cave Creek Rd. · Loop 101 corridor (ZIP 85022, 85028, 85032, 85050, 85054)

Also serving Arcadia, Ahwatukee Foothills, North Central & Sunnyslope, Encanto & Willo, Maryvale, Scottsdale, Tempe, Glendale, Mesa.