Rodent Control in Leon Valley, Texas

Leon Valley started out in the 1940s as farm country along Bandera Road between Helotes and San Antonio. People there incorporated in 1954 so they wouldn't be annexed, and the city grew fast through the 1960s and 1970s. Today it's an enclave full of single-story ranch homes, with shopping along Bandera and Huebner Creek running through.

Homes from that era have their own soft spots. Weep holes were left open, garage doors have worn seals, and the attic vents are older. Mice and roof rats use all of them.

Ranch Houses, Low Attics

Single-story ranch homes have long, low attics that are hard to move around in. That's one reason rats can live up there a long time before anyone checks. If you hear running along the length of the house at night, it's worth a look with a flashlight from the hatch. Droppings along the top of the walls and trails in the insulation mean roof rats.

Down low, look at the bottom row of brick. Open weep holes let mice into the wall cavity. Screens made for weep holes keep them out and still let water drain.

Creek Lots and Bandera Road

Houses near Huebner Creek and Leon Creek see more Norway rats, especially where yards have compost, chickens or fruit trees. The restaurants and strip centers on Bandera Road have dumpsters and grease bins, and rats from behind a shopping center will work into the backyards nearby. Business owners can ask about commercial service.

Landmarks and streets: Bandera Rd. · Huebner Creek · Huebner-Onion Natural Area · Evers Rd. · Grissom Rd. (ZIP 78238)

Other parts of town: Alamo Heights, Olmos Park and Terrell Hills, Stone Oak, Timberwood Park, Castle Hills and Shavano Park, Medical Center, Windcrest, Live Oak and Universal City, Leon Springs and Fair Oaks Ranch, Beacon Hill and Five Points, South Side and the Missions.