Rat Extermination on Long Island

You have rats around your Long Island home if you see capsule-shaped droppings roughly the size of a raisin, greasy rub marks along foundations, chewed holes in garage or basement doors, or fresh dirt piles at burrow entrances in the yard. Norway rats favor ground-level travel and dig burrows under decks, sheds, and along foundations, especially in South Shore towns with sandy soil. Roof rats are less common on Long Island but do show up near shoreline restaurants and older commercial strips. Neighbors reporting activity, active construction nearby, and dumpsters within 100 feet all raise the odds substantially. A single sighting during the day usually means an established population.

Bobby Bugs treats rats on Long Island with a combined interior trapping and exterior bait station program, plus sealing of every accessible entry point with heavy hardware cloth. Expect a full property inspection, tamper-resistant station placement, and a 60-day written guarantee.

1. 1Free phone triage and site walk to confirm rats versus mice and identify burrows.
2. 2Interior snap and multi-catch traps in any active runs inside the home.
3. 3Exterior tamper-resistant bait stations at a flat quoted ratedecorative rock-style stations, placed along active runs.
4. 4Sealing of entry points with heavy hardware cloth, mortar, and door sweeps.
5. 5Follow-up service inside 60 days to inspect stations, remove trapped animals, and confirm activity has stopped.

Most Long Island rat jobs show activity drops within the first week and are functionally resolved in 14 to 30 days. Interior signs usually stop first, followed by a longer tail on the exterior bait stations as outdoor traffic works through. Properties near shoreline, restaurants, or ongoing municipal work often benefit from ongoing station service beyond the initial job. The 60-day guarantee covers reintroduction inside that window.

To keep rats off your Long Island property, secure trash in metal or heavy plastic cans with tight lids, never leave pet food or bird seed outside overnight, and pick fallen fruit and dropped grill scraps daily in summer. Seal garage door corners, uncap sewer clean-outs, and screen crawl space vents with quarter-inch hardware cloth. Move firewood at least twenty feet from the house. Bobby Bugs will leave a written prevention checklist and can install ongoing exterior stations after the initial job.

• Visit our full services list.
• See every area we serve across Nassau, Suffolk, Queens, and The Bronx.
• See our mice extermination page.
• See our wildlife removal and trapping page.
• From the blog: How Much Does a Rat Exterminator Cost on Long Island? Real Numbers From a Local Company (2026).

Rat extermination cost on Long Island depends on colony size, where the rats are living, and how much exclusion work the property needs. Burrows along a Massapequa canal bulkhead or a Freeport garage slab need tamper-resistant exterior bait stations and repeat service visits, and the number of stations drives the price. Rats inside a structure also mean sealing entry points, which adds material and labor. Heavy infestations near restaurants, rail lines, and waterfronts need more follow-up visits before activity stops. Bobby Bugs gives you a free written quote before any work begins, and the number on the invoice matches the quote. Every rat extermination job includes the 60-day written guarantee.