Rodent Control in Midtown and Sam Hughes

Midtown is a different rodent town from the rest of Tucson. Fewer pack rats, more roof rats and house mice. Sam Hughes sits just east of the University of Arizona, with brick homes from the 1920s through the 1940s, big shade trees and backyard citrus. The blocks around Himmel Park, Reid Park, El Encanto and along Broadway have the same feel: old houses, old trees and a lot of fruit.

That's where roof rats have shown up most. In 2023, local news covered a run of sightings in Sam Hughes, and a City Council member held a neighborhood meeting about it. House mice are a steady call in the older homes and detached garages too.

Why roof rats picked Sam Hughes

Roof rats climb, and midtown hands them everything: citrus for food, bird feeders, vines on the fences, and branches resting on old roofs. Many of these homes have flat or low-slope roofs with parapets and vents that have had the better part of a century to loosen up. A rat runs up the tree, across the limb and in. Hollowed-out oranges still on the tree are the giveaway, and our roof rat page covers the rest.

The fix usually ends with sealing the roof vents and parapet gaps. Attic nests leave droppings and soiled insulation behind, so ask about attic cleanup too. For a small spot in the garage, our cleanup guide is plenty.

The alleys between yards

A lot of midtown blocks have alleys behind the houses, and those are rodent highways: trash bins, stacked lumber, overgrown oleander. Keep your side clean and your bin lid shut. Roof rats move yard to yard, so one house sealing up helps, but a whole block picking fruit and trimming trees off roofs helps a lot more. Talk to your neighbors.

The settled brick and frame houses here also let in house mice, around old doors, pipes and the bottom of detached garage doors, and mouse trapping handles those. Pack rats aren't common in midtown, but homes along the Arroyo Chico or with big cactus beds can still get them. The older barrios west and south of downtown have a lot in common with these blocks.

Reid Park, Himmel Park and the big trees

The parks matter more than people think. Reid Park and Himmel Park have big old trees, and the blocks around them have mature shade trees and citrus with canopies that touch. Roof rats can cover a lot of ground without ever coming down. If your trees connect to the neighbor's, and the neighbor's touch your roof, that's a straight road to your attic. Trimming a few limbs breaks the chain.

Around Midtown and Sam Hughes: University of Arizona campus · Himmel Park · Reid Park · Speedway Blvd. and Campbell Ave. · El Encanto and Colonia Solana · Broadway Blvd. corridor (ZIP 85712, 85716, 85719)

Also serving Catalina Foothills, Oro Valley, Marana, Tanque Verde and East Side, Vail, Sahuarita and Green Valley, Rita Ranch, Casas Adobes, South Tucson and West Side.