Squirrels are small, furry rodents whose natural habitat is arboreal. In nature, they live in trees (mainly hollow ones) and make their livings finding and storing nuts and seeds. Toward the fall, they become very active as they harvest newly-fallen acorns and other nuts. They eat voraciously to put on weight for the winter, but they also hoard and store nuts away.
Another thing squirrels do in the late summer and early fall is look for a warm place to spend the winter. Hollow trees may be okay, but the attics of houses and other human-occupied buildings are prime real estate for squirrels. I mean, seriously, if you had the choice of a damp, hollow tree or a nice, dry, comfy attic, which would you choose?
Both adult and older juvenile squirrels look for new homes in the fall. Younger juveniles usually spend their first winters with their mothers, but weaned squirrels often set out on their own (usually with a few buddies of the same age who may or may not be litter-mates) and spend their first winters together, away from their mothers.
Squirrels make a huge mess once they get into your attic. They gnaw at anything they can get their teeth on; create a health hazard and odor situation due to their droppings, urine, and shed parasites; and can cause fires or outages when they gnaw through electrical wiring or telephone, network, or cable TV lines. Most of the time they also cause damage to the building itself when they chew their way in. This can also make the house more vulnerable to water damage or to infestation by other animals.
Animal Capture and Removal
EXAMPLE: Catch and remove raccoons from attic.
Wildlife capture and removal is of course, an essential part of nuisance wildlife control. While most people appreciate nature, they do not always appreciate the destruction of property, disturbance of peace, or health risks that wild animals in and around the home cause. The goal of our company is to quickly and humanely eliminate the animals causing the problems. The goal is not to eliminate every animal in the neighborhood, just the target ones causing you the headaches. For example, if a raccoon is living in your chimney, our company will not set traps on the ground, which may catch any number of non-target raccoons or other animals. our company will go right for the target animals in the chimney. There is no area our company can't reach. I have dealt with all animals in all situations, and am aware of the proper methods of capturing the target animals only. Once captured, the animals will be released at an approved area far from the capture site, or euthanized in a humane manner, as the situation dictates.
EXAMPLE: Install heavy gauge wire mesh around perimeter of deck (and into the ground).
The capture and removal of nuisance animals in the home is only half of the problem. If the entryway to the house is not found, a new animal will take the old one's place. This is particularly true of the spaces under porches, decks, and sheds. These areas provide ideal habitat for a number of animals. our company can make sure that no animals invade your space again. Our exclusion barriers are built to last, and are 100% effective at keeping unwanted critters from getting back in.
EXAMPLE: Close up a hole in a side vent that squirrels have chewed through.
Animals can do a surprising amount of damage to your home. Whether it be the chewing of rodents, the removal of screening by a raccoon, the droppings of a colony of bats, or the digging of an armadillo, our company can fix the damage, and eliminate the source of the problem. Be aware that all rodents chew -including electrical wires- a potential fire hazard.
EXAMPLE: Alter the habitat that attracts snakes and apply snake repellant.
our company will work with residential owners and managers of condominiums, apartment buildings, church and school grounds, etc. to pest proof affected areas, secure livestock from predation, provide Canada goose control, control of digging animals in cemeteries, etc. This often involves habitat modification to make your property, once an attractive home to wildlife, less prone to pests.
Noises in Walls or Attic
EXAMPLE: Inspect attic for animal sign, take appropriate trapping measures, and fix the entry points.
For the best advice available on the internet, please see my animals in the attic guide, featuring advice for squirrels, rats, mice, raccoons, bats, pigeons, opossums, and more! I also have guides written for rats in the walls and mice in the walls. Here is an article on squirrels in the attic, and one on raccoons in the attic
One of the most common complaints involving nuisance wildlife is the noise they can produce in a home. Many home owners may be unaware that they even have an unwanted visitor in their home if not for the noise. Certain animals may spend their time crawling around (and doing other things) in their newfound home (your attic, soffits, walls, garage, etc.). The scurrying scratching, chewing, or vocal noise that you hear may be most unwelcome, particularly from nocturnal animals. The primary culprits are raccoons, squirrels, rats, and mice, but other creatures may be at work. Give me a call, and I will identify the source of the noise, as well the means by which the animals are entering the structure. Get the problem fixed, and you will sleep better at night!
EXAMPLE: A frantic animal (squirrel, raccoon, bat, etc.) has entered your house and can't get out.
Some nuisance wildlife situations can be classified as emergencies. This includes exposure to potentially dangerous animals, such as rabid raccoons or poisonous snakes. Some people carry phobias toward certain animals as well, and may consider a sudden unwelcome visit by a bat, for example, as an emergency. Or perhaps an animal is loose in your house and causing damage. There might be a squirrel or rat running through the house, or a raccoon that fell through the ceiling and is now cornered in the house. If you are in an emergency situation, I can come at any time, day or night, as quickly as possible.
EXAMPLE: A skunk has discharged its glands under your front porch.
Nuisance animals cause odor problems in a variety of ways. Their excrement is a primary source of odor problems, and often quite noticeable if an animal has taken up residence somewhere in your home. A colony of bats in the attic, for example, can really stink up the house, as can an opossumm, which is a smelly animal that leaves a lot of waste in an attic. Animal carcasses are another source of odor, and if you've left out poison to kill rats, you'd better get ready for a big odor problem! Skunks present a whole other dimension in odor problems. I can identify the source of animal odors, and eliminate both the current source of the odor (for example, excrement removal) and the underlying cause (the animal's entry into your home). This work may be covered by homeowners insurance.
Dead Animal Removal
EXAMPLE: You smell a dead animal somewhere in your attic.
Dead animals attract all matter of vermin and disease, not to mention new nuisance animals which wish to feed on the carcass. Of course, the smell and sight are also offensive. If an animal has died on your property and you do not wish to dispose of it yourself due to health concerns or other reasons, I can remove it for you and dispose of it in a proper manner for a small service fee. If the dead animal(s) is within the architecture of your house I can find its location and remove it. This may involve some dismantling, for example, the removal of drywall behind which a dead carcass is located. Charges for animal removal within houses varies depending upon the difficulty of the removal. Describe your problem in detail, and I can provide an estimate.
Lawn & Turf Services
EXAMPLE: You find mole tunnels all over your yard.
Certain animals can wreak havoc on your yard, specifically moles, voles, and armadillos. Skunks can also do a lot of digging. If you have raised ridges throughout your yard, that's the work of moles. They can swim through the dirt like it's water, in search of earthworms, grubs, and other food. A single mole can litter your yard with tunnels. The raised ridges you see are surface tunnels. our company can kill the moles in your yard, and treat it with a non-toxic substance that will prevent moles from coming back.
Voles dig skinny pathways through your yard. They also eat the roots of plants, often killing the plant and destroying your landscaping. our company can catch the voles and treat your property so that new ones won't come in.
Armadillos love to dig (in search of food), and can fill your yard with divots and holes. Our company can treat your yard with Armadillo Away, a non-toxic substance which makes their food less appealing - and causes the armadillo to search elsewhere. (I've since learned, through a lot of experience, that there really is no product that will make them dig elsewhere. I wrote this line in my first year of business, when I was still learning).
Attic Deodorization & Decontamination
EXAMPLE: After capture and removal of rats in attic, the urine/droppings/pheromones must be cleaned.
I will thoroughly treat the contaminated area with a special enzyme-based biological decontaminating agent, applied with an electric atomizer. This will neutralize the odors and pheromones the animals leave behind, as well as aide in the decomposition of organic matter, helping to decontaminate the affected area. This treatment also destroys parasties left behind that can affect your pets, kills mold that can decay wood, and destroys zoonotic diseases such as raccoon roundworm eggs or histoplasmosis spores on bat and bird droppings, which can infect humans.