Rodent control in Wylie, Texas

Wylie started as a railroad town. The Gulf, Colorado and Santa Fe Railway reached the area in 1886 and the town incorporated in 1887. For most of its history it was small, then it boomed: about 15,000 people in 2000, about 41,000 in 2010 and about 57,500 by 2020. It spreads across Collin, Dallas and Rockwall counties, with Lavon Lake a few miles north.

So Wylie is mostly newer subdivisions around an old downtown, with a lot of open land and water nearby. That combination brings mice to garages and rats to the lake and creek edges.

Lake and field edges

Neighborhoods on the north side of town sit closer to Lavon Lake's open land, and many lots back onto fields or greenbelts. Field mice and cotton rats live in that tall grass. When it dries out in late summer, or when a cold front comes through, they try the closest garage. A tight garage is the best defense.

Hail-damaged roofs

Wylie knows hail. An April 2016 hailstorm damaged an estimated 80 percent of the homes in the city, and most of those roofs were replaced. Replacement work sometimes leaves small gaps at the drip edge, roof returns and vents. If you hear something overhead in a house with a newer roof, ask a technician to check the roofline anyway. See entry point sealing.

Something in the attic or the garage?

Call and describe what you're seeing. Your call goes to an independent, licensed rodent provider that works your part of Plano. (972) 325-9652

The older town center

Wylie's old downtown and the streets around it have older houses and mature trees, which is where roof rats show up. A tornado hit downtown in May 1993, but the old street grid, the big trees and the alleys are still there, and roof rats use them the same way they do in Plano. Roof rat control covers the attic side.

Code concerns

If a neighboring property is feeding or sheltering rodents, Wylie's code rules apply, not Plano's. Contact the City of Wylie.

Around Wylie: SH 78 · FM 544 · Lavon Lake · Downtown Wylie (ZIP 75098)

Questions from this part of town

Does being near Lavon Lake mean more rats?

Homes near open land and water see more field mice and Norway rats along the edges. Keep the garage sealed and the yard free of food.

We got a new roof after the hail. Can rats still get in?

Yes. A new roof doesn't seal soffits, vents or the gaps behind trim. Have them checked.

Which city rules apply in Wylie?

Wylie's own. Use the City of Wylie's request system for code concerns, not Plano's.

Rats or mice in Wylie?

Call and describe what you're hearing or finding. Same-day appointments are often available. (972) 325-9652

Other service areas: West Plano, East Plano, Downtown Plano, Legacy West and Legacy, Willow Bend, Los Rios, Hunters Glen, Deerfield, Russell Creek, Allen, Richardson, Murphy, Frisco, Parker, Carrollton, The Colony.