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Autumn street in Chevy Chase Village, Maryland with an early-1900s shingle-style house, a wide front porch, and mature oak trees

Chevy Chase Rodent Control

Family-owned & local since 1968

Mice in the pantry or rats under the deck? Our 4-step rodent plan clears them out of Chevy Chase, MD homes, with follow-up visits and unlimited free callbacks.

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From Your Chevy Chase Neighbors

Trusted Rodent Control in Chevy Chase, MD — in Our Customers' Words

Hear what Northern Virginia and Maryland homeowners have to say about our service — in their own words. Real customers from real homes, sharing why they trust Better Termite with what matters most.

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Why Better Termite

Rodent Control in Chevy Chase you can trust — from $49/mo with no binding contracts.

Lower-Impact Products

Hand-picked, EPA-approved treatments selected by our research team — without 9 of the harshest products still used by most companies.

Local Rodent Control Experts

Family-owned since 1968, with 300+ years of combined experience protecting Chevy Chase homes. A licensed local tech answers the phone.

The Better Promise

Unlimited free re-services and no binding contracts — we keep coming back until your problem is gone. Cancel anytime with 30 days notice.

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About Better Termite

Mouse and Rat Control for Chevy Chase, Maryland Homes

Old houses, big trees, and a creek in the backyard

Most Chevy Chase rodent calls start the same way. Scratching above the bedroom ceiling around 2 a.m. A torn corner on a bag of birdseed in the garage. Little dark pellets behind the coffee maker that were not there last week.

This page covers Chevy Chase, Maryland, the Montgomery County side of the circle, ZIP code 20815. Many of the houses here are 90 to 130 years old. They sit under a heavy tree canopy, next to stream valleys, and a few blocks from busy commercial strips on Connecticut and Wisconsin Avenues. Rodents get everything they need in a few hundred feet.

Better Termite & Pest Control has been family-owned since 1968. Your call goes straight to a licensed technician. You can cancel any rodent plan with 30 days notice, and callbacks between visits are free and unlimited.

Local Knowledge

Why Chevy Chase Gets So Many Mice and Rats

Chevy Chase was laid out in the 1890s as a streetcar suburb along Connecticut Avenue. The early houses went up before anyone built with pests in mind, and the woods and streams that made the area attractive are still here. That mix explains most of what we see.

Stream valleys on two sides

Rock Creek and its parkland run along the east edge of Chevy Chase. Coquelin Run winds through the Town of Chevy Chase before it reaches the creek, and Little Falls Branch starts near the country clubs to the west. Streams give rats water and soft banks to dig in, and the wooded slopes give white-footed mice cover all summer. When it gets cold, the ones living closest to houses move in. Lots in Rollingwood and North Chevy Chase that back up to the park feel this first.

The Capital Crescent Trail and Chevy Chase Lake

The old rail corridor that carries the Capital Crescent Trail cuts across the north end of Chevy Chase, and it is also the route of the Purple Line light rail. Around the Chevy Chase Lake station, older low-rise shopping centers have been redeveloped with new apartment buildings and shops. Any time ground gets dug up, rats lose their burrows and look for new ones nearby. Restaurants and dumpsters along the corridor keep them fed.

Big yards with a lot of cover

Chevy Chase yards tend to have deep beds of English ivy, thick boxwood along the foundation, compost bins, and bird feeders. Ivy is one of the best places a rat can live. It hides burrows and runways, and the feeders drop seed right on top. Montgomery County saw this play out in 2004: when the Brood X cicadas came out, the county logged 436 rat complaints in June alone, compared with 60 for all of 2003 (Maryland Matters). Extra food means more rats, fast. For the species behind it, read about rats across Maryland.

Rodent Control

House Mice, Field Mice, or Norway Rats?

Three rodents account for nearly every call we get from Chevy Chase. They behave differently and need different setups, so identifying yours comes first.

House mice

The most common by far. They live inside year-round and leave droppings about the size of a grain of rice, pointed at both ends, in drawers, under sinks, and along the backs of pantry shelves. A pair of house mice in a warm Chevy Chase basement can turn into a few dozen in one winter.

White-footed mice

Brown on top, bright white underneath, with big dark eyes. They spend the warm months in the woods along Rock Creek and Coquelin Run and come indoors in fall, often nesting in garages, sheds, and stored patio cushions. Here is how to tell field mice from house mice.

Norway rats

Norway rats are burrowers. Check for holes about the width of a fist under decks and sheds, in ivy beds, along fences, and beside the compost bin. Their droppings are about half an inch long with blunt ends. Still unsure? Our rodent droppings chart lines them up side by side.

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House mouse inside a glass pantry jar, the most common rodent found in Chevy Chase Maryland kitchens

Rodent Control

Rats in Chevy Chase Backyards

Rats on the Maryland side of Chevy Chase are mostly a yard problem first and a house problem second. They burrow outside, travel along fences and foundation walls, and only come inside when a gap lets them. That changes how we treat them.

What brings them into a yard

  • Bird feeders. Spilled seed is a free meal every night. Catch trays help, and so does taking feeders down until the problem is handled.
  • Compost. Open piles and bins with food scraps are a top attractant. Keep meat, dairy, and cooked food out of them.
  • Ivy and overgrown beds. Dense ground cover hides burrows and lets rats move from yard to yard without being seen.
  • Trash and recycling. Cans with loose lids, and bags set out the night before pickup.
  • Pet food and water left outside on porches and decks.

Montgomery County puts it on the owner

Chapter 39 of the Montgomery County Code makes it unlawful to let your property become infested with rats or to keep conditions that feed them. The county will inspect after a complaint and give the owner a written list of fixes and a deadline, but it does not bait or set traps for you (Montgomery County Vector Control). On closely spaced blocks in Section 3, Section 5, and Martin's Additions, a single overflowing feeder can support rats for several houses, so it helps to talk to the people next door. More on getting rats out of a house.

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Several Norway rats on a muddy stream bank, the kind of habitat found along Rock Creek and Coquelin Run near Chevy Chase Maryland homes

Rodent Control

How Mice Get Into a 100-Year-Old Chevy Chase House

Daren, one of our longtime technicians, tells customers to try their pinky. Any crack your fingertip slips into is wide enough for a mouse, roughly dime-sized. Rats need a gap about as wide as your thumb. A century-old house has hundreds of openings like that. See how tiny a mouse entry hole can be.

Here is where we find them most often in Chevy Chase:

  • Stone and brick foundations. Mortar wears out after a century. The joints at the base of the wall, behind the shrubs, are where mice slip in.
  • Old openings that were never fully closed. Coal chutes, abandoned dryer vents, cellar windows, and spots where old pipes or wires were pulled out.
  • Porches and additions. Many Chevy Chase houses have wide front porches, sunrooms, or rear additions built on shallow footings or crawl spaces. The seam where the addition meets the original house is a favorite route.
  • Garages and sheds. Detached garages hold birdseed, grass seed, and stored cushions, and the door bottoms are rarely tight.
  • Roofs and trees. Branches that touch the roof let mice reach gaps at the eaves and soffits. Trimming limbs back a few feet takes that route away.

Brand-new homes are not immune either. Chevy Chase has seen a lot of older houses torn down and replaced. Rodents living under the old house move to the neighbors while the lot is cleared, and new construction still has utility gaps until it is fully finished.

Get Quote Rodent Control Plans
Rodent bait station tucked into a planted bed along the foundation of an older Chevy Chase Maryland home

Rodent Control

Why Store-Bought Traps Stall Out, and What We Do Instead

A typical caller has already gone through a pack of hardware-store traps. A couple of mice get caught, the house is quiet for a bit, and then fresh droppings turn up again. The problem is not the trap. It is stopping too early and not knowing where the rest of them are living.

  1. Inspect first. We look at the heaviest activity and at what is feeding them. If there is dog food on the floor, they will skip the bait.
  2. Bait and trap. Tamper-proof stations go where they travel. For rats indoors we use snap traps, not bait.
  3. Check back. Early return visits show which stations are taking bait, and we relocate the quiet ones. Heavier problems get more of these checks.
  4. Stay on it. When activity drops off, most homes shift to three visits per year for fresh bait and station checks. Some homes also get key entry points sealed at this stage.

Every product on our trucks is vetted by our in-house research team, which cut 9 of the harshest products still common in pest control. Hear scratching again between visits? We return for free. Want ants, spiders, and stink bugs covered too? See our Chevy Chase pest control plans.

Get Quote Rodent Control Plans
Better Termite technician checking and rebaiting an exterior rodent station at a home in Chevy Chase Maryland
Mouse & Rat Control in Chevy Chase, MD

Everything We Do

Every service we offer in Chevy Chase — one local team, one phone call.

Core Programs

Insects & Spiders

Stinging & Flying

Rodents & Wildlife

Inspections & Real Estate

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♥ Wall of Love

What Montgomery County Homeowners Say About Us

Google 1800+ Reviews on Google
★★★★★

"We had a bad cockroach problem - we knew it was bad because of all the baby cockroaches we spotted. It took a while but Better Termite ultimately solved it and our house is cockroach free. Cindy in particular, was quick to help out and made it pain free."

Marc S. Derwood, MD 5 Stars on Google
Google
★★★★★

"I've had nothing but great experiences for 3 years now. Their consistent, reliable service really stands out for me, and everyone is always kind and easy to talk to. I also like that they're a local, family-run business. Kamaal, who I'm gonna call my customer consultant, is fantastic—he really listens to my concerns."

Alexander K. Boyds, MD 5 Stars on Google
Google
★★★★★

"I highly recommend this company for your home pest control. Their technicians are thorough and have prevented any unwanted problems from happening on our property. During our last treatment, Jasmine took care of our outdoor spider webs without us even asking. Last summer they removed a mud dauber's nest under our deck and above our patio door. That attention to detail speaks volumes. Thank you for taking care of us!"

Sandi Marino 5 Stars on Google
Google
★★★★★

"The team at Better Termite & Pest control are phenomenal! I feel like my family and my home are in good hands. Everyone I have come into contact with has been responsive, pleasant and professional. The price is right and the service is superb!"

Erneisha Bailey 5 Stars on Google
Google
★★★★★

"Joann is amazing! She always takes time to talk with me and check inside boxes. I so appreciate her!! I have been using Better Termite and Pest Management for over 20 years."

Joann With us for 20 Years
Google
★★★★★

"We had a bad cockroach problem - we knew it was bad because of all the baby cockroaches we spotted. It took a while but Better Termite ultimately solved it and our house is cockroach free. Cindy in particular, was quick to help out and made it pain free."

Marc S. Derwood, MD 5 Stars on Google
Google
★★★★★

"I've had nothing but great experiences for 3 years now. Their consistent, reliable service really stands out for me, and everyone is always kind and easy to talk to. I also like that they're a local, family-run business. Kamaal, who I'm gonna call my customer consultant, is fantastic—he really listens to my concerns."

Alexander K. Boyds, MD 5 Stars on Google
Google
★★★★★

"I highly recommend this company for your home pest control. Their technicians are thorough and have prevented any unwanted problems from happening on our property. During our last treatment, Jasmine took care of our outdoor spider webs without us even asking. Last summer they removed a mud dauber's nest under our deck and above our patio door. That attention to detail speaks volumes. Thank you for taking care of us!"

Sandi Marino 5 Stars on Google
Google
★★★★★

"The team at Better Termite & Pest control are phenomenal! I feel like my family and my home are in good hands. Everyone I have come into contact with has been responsive, pleasant and professional. The price is right and the service is superb!"

Erneisha Bailey 5 Stars on Google
Google
★★★★★

"Joann is amazing! She always takes time to talk with me and check inside boxes. I so appreciate her!! I have been using Better Termite and Pest Management for over 20 years."

Joann With us for 20 Years
Google
Join 100,000+ Protected Homes Or call (703) 683-2000 →

How It Works

How Chevy Chase Rodent Control Works

Call and Describe What You Found

Tell a licensed technician about the noises, droppings, or chewed packages in your Chevy Chase house and get a price before anyone comes out. You will not sit in a phone tree.

Find the Hot Spots

We start in the basement, work up through the house, then walk the yard. We note droppings, gnawing, greasy rub marks, burrows, and any open food source that keeps them coming back.

Set Stations and Traps

Locked stations are placed along the routes rodents use. Indoors, rats get snap traps rather than bait, which keeps one from dying out of reach inside a wall or under a floor.

Follow Up, Then Keep Watch

We return early on to check which stations are getting hit and shift the ones that are not. Once things settle, we switch to visits three times a year, and callbacks between them cost nothing.

Your Local Office

Serving Chevy Chase, MD From the Circle to Chevy Chase Lake

Chevy Chase Village, the Town of Chevy Chase, Section 3, Section 5, Martin's Additions, Chevy Chase View, North Chevy Chase, Rollingwood, and Chevy Chase West. ZIP code 20815.

Get in Touch

Visit Our Alexandria (Headquarters) Office

2647 Duke Street
Alexandria, VA 22314

Office Hours

  • Mon, Tue, Thu7:30 AM – 7 PM
  • Wed, Fri7:30 AM – 8 PM
  • Sat, Sun9 AM – 6 PM
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Good to Know

Frequently Asked Questions

Still have questions? A licensed local tech picks up at (703) 683-2000.

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Our Free Callback Promise

See pests between scheduled visits? We come back and retreat at no extra cost — as many times as it takes. No binding contracts, cancel anytime with 30 days notice.

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