A technician closing a gap at the base of a wall with metal mesh

Rodents and mice in Al Balad Jeddah

Al Balad is Jeddah's historic commercial heart, a fabric of old coral limestone tower houses with wooden rawashin screens lining lanes so narrow that the buildings lean toward each other. The souqs and shops cluster around Bab Makkah and Bab Sharif, and this extreme density combined with ageing masonry creates wide gaps between the walls and foundations where rodents find easy passage.

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Targeted, not broadcast

Product goes into cracks and runways, never sprayed across open surfaces.
Told before we start

What we will use, where it goes, and what to cover or move before we arrive.
A follow-up visit

We return after the first treatment, because what survives it does not show on the day.
Homes and businesses

Apartments and villas, and kitchens and stores that need a record of each visit.

Why they keep coming back in Al Balad

The traders in the old souqs report rodents more often than most, because the narrow lanes provide protection from light and fast movement, making it safe for rodents to forage throughout the day. The method is set out in full on how we approach Rodents and mice.

The first reason

Ancient foundations and their wide gaps

The coral stone houses and historic buildings have eroded foundations with large gaps between the stones and aged mortar, which the rodent can traverse as ready-made passages without gnawing or digging, because the gaps are already there from centuries past.

The second reason

Narrow lanes and permanent shadow

The lanes are so cramped and the buildings so close that daylight never reaches the ground, creating perfect shelter where rodents move safely all day hunting for food, unseen by pedestrians and protected from the weather above.

The third reason

Dense souqs and accumulated food

Souq Al Alawi, Souq Al Badu and the markets around Bab Makkah pile up food scraps from traders and visitors daily, offering rodents abundant food that draws them into the area, where they then breed in the gaps beneath the shops and nearby houses.

Al Balad on the map

Al Balad sits about 1 km from Al Sahifah and about 1 km from Al Ammariyah.

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Before treatment

What we read in the building before any bait goes down

Old coral stone buildings pressed so tightly together that foundations are not properly sealed, ancient sewers beneath narrow lanes, and dense commercial markets leaving daily food scraps exposed.

An exterior door with a narrow gap at the threshold

The gap under the door

The gap under a shop or house door in Al Balad is often large because old doors sit slightly raised above uneven floors, making it easy for rodents to crawl beneath even without damaging it further.

Pipes passing through a concrete wall from outside

Pipe and conduit openings

Gaps around pipes and air conditioning work in old walls are surrounded by cracks, because the ancient mortar was never compacted and has crumbled over time into loose material.

An electrical cable with its outer sheath damaged

Gnaw marks

Gnaw marks appear on damp rotting timber and mouldy supports on the wooden floors and joists beneath shops, evidence of rodent activity in the ideal breeding spaces below.

The corner between a skirting board and a tiled floor

The run along the wall

The run along the walls shows constant rodent movement along shop and house walls, leaving obvious greasy marks on the old stone and mortar where their bodies contact it repeatedly.

Palm fronds touching the edge of a building roof

The route from above

The route from above through the old wooden ceilings and floors is the main corridor for rodents between storeys and shops, where they move safely in darkness beneath the busy street-level traffic.

Sacks of grain stored on a storeroom floor

The water and the food on offer

Water and food are readily available from market scraps and busy commercial activity every day, and moisture from the old sewers keeps the environment rich in resources for the rodents.

How we work

1
Inspect and trace the runs

We work the perimeter, the kitchen, the store and the false ceiling, establish the species, the entry points and the water source, and mark the station positions before anything is carried in.
2
Close the openings

Metal mesh, mortar and base strips at the gaps, around pipe sleeves and at vents, because foam and silicone are gnawed through within days.
3
Secured bait and traps

Closed stations fixed on the runs outside the building, and traps rather than loose bait indoors, so that anything that dies stays somewhere we can reach.
4
The follow-up visit

We read the take at each station, replenish what has gone, remove anything found, and close any opening that showed itself once the movement settled.

What rodent control includes

Inspection and a station map

Entry points, runs and station positions recorded, so the same points are checked on every visit.
Sealing pipes and drains

Floor traps, pipe sleeves, vents and the air conditioning drain line, the routes that arrive from outside the unit.
Secured bait stations

Closed and fixed on the outside runs, out of reach of children and animals, while indoors we work with traps.
Treating the nest site

A rodent leaves parasites and nesting material behind, so the nest is removed and the void it sat in is treated.
Aftercare instructions

Stock lifted off the floor, droppings cleaned damp with disinfectant instead of swept dry, and pet bowls emptied at night.
A scheduled follow-up

A set date after the first visit: read the take, replenish the bait, remove anything found and close what is still open.

Landmarks of Al Balad

Technicians reach the shops and houses of Al Balad through the narrow lanes around Bab Makkah and Bab Sharif, where the busy souqs concentrate the highest activity. Access to beneath-floor voids and wall cavities is gained through the shop interior or from beneath adjacent shops in the same building, where treatment extends along shared foundations.

Nassif House
Al Shafi'i Mosque
Souq Al Alawi
Souq Al Badu
Bab Makkah
Bab Sharif

Questions about this district

Are gaps around old drainage pipes a main weakness in Al Balad?

Yes, old and eroded pipes have wide gaps around them, and rodents use them as direct routes in from beneath the street into the shops and houses above, without needing to climb or squeeze.

Why do rodents move so easily between shops in the old souqs?

Adjacent shops share walls with old cracks and gaps, and rodents move between them through these weak points without gnawing, especially beneath the old wooden floors where gaps are even wider.

Is coral stone and old mortar easier to gnaw than modern concrete?

The stone itself is hard, but the mortar and clay between the blocks has become brittle over centuries and damp, making it easy for a rodent to chew a path through without much effort.

Is treating one shop in the souq enough to stop rodents in neighbouring shops?

No, because rodents move easily between adjacent shops through shared walls, cracks and old wooden floors. Several neighbouring shops must be treated at the same time to cut off the rodent routes.

Does darkness and dampness under old wooden floors attract rodents more?

Yes, the gaps beneath old wooden floors provide darkness, damp shelter and protection from movement above, making them ideal environments for rodents to hide and breed.

How often should shops and houses in Al Balad need regular checking each year?

Commercial shops need frequent checks because food scraps build up daily and rodents find abundant food, while houses need seasonal checks particularly before and after periods of heavy trading and visitor footfall.

How much does rodents and mice in Al Balad cost?

It is set after the inspection, because the price follows the type of infestation, the size of the space, how far it has spread and the number of visits it needs. Send a photo and a description on WhatsApp and we will give you an estimate before we reach Al Balad.