Local rodent information

Rodent control in Missouri

Learn what to look for around your property, explore your city, and ask about an inspection or a quote.

Rodents in Missouri: what to know

Around Missouri

Conditions vary across the state. Choose your city below, then describe what’s happening around your home or business.

What to note

Where you see rodents, how long it has been going on, and anything you’ve already tried are the most useful details to mention.

A useful next step

Ask about an inspection, what treatment would involve, and whether follow-up visits are included. You don’t need to identify the problem yourself before getting in touch.

Local research

Rodents in Missouri: what the public record shows

Before you compare quotes, it helps to know which rodents actually live in Missouri, when they are busiest, and what the state figures look like. Everything below links to the agency or university page it came from.

4 to 6 litters a year of 6 to 12 young; one female raises more than 20 offspring a year

Norway rat reproduction

Gestation is 21-23 days and young breed at about three months, so a burrow colony rebuilds fast.

University of Missouri Extension

About 30 pounds eaten, roughly 300 pounds contaminated

Grain one rat destroys per year

Contamination with urine, feces and hair costs more than what the rat actually eats.

University of Missouri Extension

100-150 feet of daily activity, seldom beyond 300 feet

How far Norway rats range from the burrow

Baiting and trapping have to cover the whole burrow area, not just the building.

University of Missouri Extension

Rodent species recorded in Missouri

House mouse (Mus musculus) — Enters at 1/4 inch; 5-10 litters per year; eats about 200 small meals a night.
Norway rat (Rattus norvegicus) — Burrowing rat of basements, sewers and ground floors; tail shorter than head plus body.
Deer mouse (Peromyscus maniculatus) — Primary U.S. hantavirus carrier; lives throughout Washington and the interior West.

MU Extension treats the Norway rat as Missouri's structural rat, in and around both towns and farms.

For context, nationally

1/4 inch (the width of a pencil) — Smallest gap a mouse can enter. CDC
890; 35% fatal; 94% west of the Mississippi — Hantavirus cases reported since 1993 (through 2023). CDC

Sources: University of Missouri Extension; CDC; Pest Notes: House Mouse; Pest Notes: Rats; Hantavirus. Figures are quoted as the source prints them. How we check our sources

Explore Missouri cities

Blue Springs

Humid Continental · suburban setting

Rodent control in Missouri

Rodents in Missouri: what to know

Around Missouri

What to note

A useful next step

Rodents in Missouri: what the public record shows

Rodent species recorded in Missouri

For context, nationally

Explore Missouri cities

Blue Springs

Cape Girardeau

Chesterfield

Columbia

Florissant

Independence

Jefferson City

Joplin

Kansas City

Lee's Summit

O'Fallon

St. Charles

St. Joseph

St. Louis

St. Peters

Springfield

Wentzville

Wildwood

Kirkwood

Ask about rodent control in Missouri