The short version
Trap the ones inside, then seal the gaps. Around Florence, check the roofline too, since roof rats come in high. An inspection usually costs $75–$250.
- Look for droppings, gnaw marks and night-time scratching.
- For Florence homes, mice usually start moving indoors in November and December, as nights get colder.
- Traps remove them; sealing keeps them out.
- Never sweep or vacuum droppings dry.
Anyone in Florence dealing with mice or rats, or hoping to keep them out.
What to look for
A mouse fits through a gap the size of a dime. Seeing one in daylight usually means there are more. Rodents are mostly unseen. You hear them at night and find droppings by morning.
- 1Dead-animal odor that appears and slowly fades.
- 2Chewed holes in the bottom of cabinets or drawers.
- 3Disturbed insulation or tunnels in the attic.
- 4Small dark droppings on top of the water heater.
- 5Tracks or tail drag marks in dust or flour.
- 6A musky or ammonia-like smell in closed rooms.
Why it’s worth acting soon
- Mice breed fast, every few weeks.
- Droppings and urine contaminate food and insulation.
- Gnawed wiring can be a fire risk.
- Nests and odor get harder to clean the longer they stay.
Treatment options and typical costs
Inspection and Entry-Point Mapping
$75–$250
Skipping this step is why so many homeowners buy traps twice. A proper Florence inspection finds the gap you cannot see from the ground, usually up high or under the deck.
- Time
- 60–90 minutes
- Best for
- Every job; nothing else works without it
Tamper-Resistant Exterior Bait Stations
$100–$300 setup, $40–$80 per service visit
This is a maintenance tool, not a one-time fix. In Florence neighborhoods with steady rat pressure from alleys, creeks, or restaurants, stations are checked and refilled on a schedule.
- Time
- 30–45 minutes per visit, ongoing
- Best for
- Outdoor rat pressure; ongoing perimeter protection
Sealing and Rodent-Proofing
$200–$1,500, more for large or complex homes
Price depends on how many openings the Florence inspection found and how hard they are to reach. A Florence ranch on a slab is cheaper to seal than a two-story home with a crawlspace and complex rooflines.
- Time
- 2–6 hours, sometimes a full day
- Best for
- Stopping re-entry for good; the lasting fix
Follow-Up Monitoring
$50–$150 per visit, or included in a plan
Monitoring is how you know the job actually worked. A Florence pro returns after sealing to check traps, look for fresh droppings, and confirm nothing has chewed through a repair.
- Time
- 20–40 minutes per visit
- Best for
- Confirming the house stays clear after treatment
Prices are typical published ranges. Ask what’s included before you compare quotes.
Under the sink is the first place to check: the hole where the pipe passes through the cabinet back is often cut much bigger than the pipe.Which rodents live around Florence.
They burrow along foundations and enter low. Roof rats are common around Florence too. They climb, and come in high through attic vents and branches. House mice are the most common rodent in Florence homes. They're small, curious and breed quickly. Norway rats are the other usual suspect.
When they move in.
Listen for them in the attic after dark. Roof rats are active all year. Check for gaps before then. Small problems grow fast. Spring is breeding season.
A good inspection starts outside at ground level: door thresholds, the joint between siding and foundation, and anywhere a pipe or cable enters.How they get into houses here.
Look for gaps where pipes and wires pass through the floor. Homes from Florence out to Sumter share the same weak spots, so the checklist below works across the area. For roof rats, check soffit vents, gable vents and eaves. Trim branches back from the roof. A lot of houses around Florence have crawl spaces, and crawl vents and access doors are the usual way in. Check that vent screens are intact. Make sure the crawl door closes tight.
A year of rodents in Florence.
- Spring: breeding season. Act on any sign quickly. - Winter: with lows near 36°F in Florence, check the attic, garage and pantry for droppings. - Fall: rodents look for shelter. Seal gaps before cold nights arrive. - Summer: with highs around 93°F in Florence, rodents look for water. Fix drips and leaks.
Mice or rats?
- Behavior: mice are curious about new traps. Rats avoid them for days. - Sounds: mice sound light and quick. Rats sound heavier. - Holes: mice chew dime-sized holes. Rats chew holes closer to quarter-sized. - Droppings: mouse droppings are rice-sized. Rat droppings are two or three times bigger. - Rub marks: rats leave greasy smudges along walls and beams.
Sealing small gaps yourself.
- Expanding foam: fine on top of mesh, useless on its own. - Door sweeps: close the gap under garage and exterior doors. - Hardware cloth: use quarter-inch mesh over vents and larger holes. - Sealant or mortar: cover the mesh so it stays put. - Steel wool or copper mesh: pack it into small gaps first. - Check your work: daylight through a gap means it isn’t sealed.
Cleaning up droppings safely.
- Don’t sweep or vacuum droppings dry. It stirs up dust. - Wipe up with paper towels and bag them. - Spray droppings with a bleach solution, then wait five minutes. - Wear rubber or plastic gloves. - Air the room out for 30 minutes first. - Wash your gloved hands, then your hands.
What happens at an inspection.
Inside, they check the kitchen, garage and attic. They check the foundation, vents, rooflines and utility gaps. The inspector walks the outside first. Most inspections take about an hour. Photos help. You should come away with a list of entry points. They'll also check the crawl space.
Rodents in the car.
Park in a closed garage when you can. Mice and rats nest in engine bays and chew wiring. Clear birdseed and pet food from the garage. Check the air filter box for nesting.
Bird feeders and rodents.
Use a seed tray and sweep up spills. Spilled seed feeds mice and rats. Store seed in a metal can with a tight lid. If rodents show up, bring feeders in at night.
Questions to ask before you sign.
- Is cleanup included, or extra? - What happens if they come back? - How many trap visits are included? - Which gaps will you seal, and with what? - Where are they getting in? - Will you use poison inside? (Ask them not to.)
Rodents by the numbers.
For Florence homes, those three findings — species, entry points, and scale — are what a quote should be built on, not a regional average. For Florence homes, ask any provider to show you the entry points and the plan before you compare numbers. National surveys set rough expectations but cannot diagnose one house. For Florence homes, what actually matters is a walk-through: where the droppings are, how the rodents are getting in, and how large the colony is.
What affects the price
- Number of trapping visits needed to reach zero.
- Follow-up visits included versus billed separately.
- Mice versus rats; rats take longer and cost more.
- Whether sheds, garages or other outbuildings are included.
- Local labor rates and licensing costs.
- Materials used for sealing: mesh, sheet metal, mortar.
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What's your biggest concern about rodents?
When to call for help
Call right away if you see rats. They take a longer, more careful approach. Attic cleanup is hard to do safely without training. Call if you hear them in the attic or walls. Droppings in several rooms are another sign. So is a dead-rodent smell.
What you can do yourself
That's where a pro's sealing work pays off. Rooflines, vents and attics are harder. Seal small gaps with steel wool and sealant. Store food in sealed bins. Bait them with peanut butter. Start tonight with snap traps along the walls.
Rodents in Florence
A typical home in Florence is worth around $185k, and chewed wiring or soiled insulation can get expensive. In Florence's neighborhoods, woodpiles, fences, bird feeders and gardens draw rodents close to the house. Winter lows average around 36°F in Florence, and that cold is what sends mice looking for a way in. Florence gets about 48 inches of rain a year, and heavy storms flood burrows, which pushes rats toward buildings.
Local research
Rodents in Florence, SC: what the public record shows
Before you compare quotes, it helps to know which rodents actually live in South Carolina, when they are busiest around Florence, and what the state figures look like. Everything below links to the agency or university page it came from.
Statewide rodenticide restriction
Brodifacoum, bromadiolone, difethialone and difenacoum: dealer license required, sales limited to certified commercial, noncommercial and private applicators, with sales records kept.
Clemson University Department of Pesticide RegulationCoastal rodent found in a Clemson monitoring study
On Kiawah Island a Clemson entomologist reported roof rats as the only rodent recorded, with mice largely absent.
Clemson University Cooperative ExtensionRodent species recorded in South Carolina
- 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.
- Roof rat (Rattus rattus) — Climber of attics and trees in warm and coastal regions; tail longer than head plus body.
When rodents are busiest around Florence
Year-round, fall surge. Roof rats dominate Florida, Texas and Gulf Coast attics.
Based on Florence’s humid subtropical climate profile.
South Carolina is one of the few states with a statewide second-generation anticoagulant restriction, so coastal roof rat work leans on exclusion and trapping.
Rules that apply in South Carolina
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: Clemson University Department of Pesticide Regulation; Clemson University Cooperative Extension; CDC; Pest Notes: House Mouse; Pest Notes: Rats. Figures are quoted as the source prints them. How we check our sources
Simple ways to keep rodents away
- Check crawlspace doors and vents for chewed openings each fall.
- Keep ivy, shrubs, and firewood away from the foundation.
- Fix leaking hoses, faucets, and irrigation heads.
- Insert metal weep-hole guards in brick veneer.
- Take bird feeders down or use catch trays for spilled seed.
- Clean up pet waste and do not leave bowls out overnight.
After sealing, a few monitors or unset traps left along the walls tell you whether anything is still getting in before you hear it again.Did you know?
For Florence homes, rats make ultrasonic chirps when they're tickled, which researchers compare to laughter.
For Florence homes, the word rodent comes from the Latin rodere, which means to gnaw.
Questions people ask
How do I know if I have mice or rats?
Rats also chew larger holes and sound heavier at night. Mouse droppings are about the size of a rice grain. Check the droppings.
Do ultrasonic repellers work?
Sealing and trapping work better. It doesn't pass through walls either. Rodents get used to the sound within days. Not reliably.
What does a rodent inspection involve?
You should get a list of entry points. Inside, they look at the kitchen, attic, garage and under sinks. The inspector checks the outside walls, roofline, vents and utility gaps.
How long does rodent control take?
Most jobs take two to four weeks. That covers inspection, sealing and a few trap checks.
Do I need to replace attic insulation?
Ask the inspector to show you before you agree to replacement. Light activity can often be cleaned up. Only if it's heavily soiled or flattened by nesting.
Where in the house are mice most often found?
Before work starts in Florence, ask how many visits are included and what happens if the rodents come back. homeowners who had encountered rodents said they saw them in the kitchen, according to a September 2022 Harris Poll for the National Pest Management Association (NPMA). Thirty-seven percent of U.S. The kitchen leads.
How many homes have a full rodent infestation?
14% of U.S. homeowners reported ever having multiple rodents in the 2022 NPMA/Harris Poll, which still argues for acting early, before one visitor becomes several.
Are rodents a problem in Florence?
They're common here, as almost everywhere. Roof rats are also common in the area.
Nearby cities
Related guides
Sources (11)
The facts in this article come from the public sources listed above. Every home is different, so ask the company you talk to about pricing and what’s included. Published by Rodent Exterminator · Updated September 11, 2026 · How we write these guides