Ask a Wildlife Experts
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Most people don’t consider the problems nuisance wildlife cause until an animal like raccoons, squirrels, and bats are causing problems! Trying to find accuarete, expert advice on how to identify pest and nuisance wildlife problems and how to solve the infestation can be confusing.
After the inspection, our experts sit down with homeowners to describe the animals infesting their house, the problems created, the solutions available, and the remediation options to restore their home. During this point of the process, people usually have numerous questions that we can answer. These are questions people have had during the process. Don’t see your question? Ask them below!
The Experts
Russell Bennett
Division Manager, Bird Free
Aaron Carlson
District Manager for Southwest Florida
Brad Woods
District Manager for Dallas-Fort Worth
Armadillos
I have my flower beds ruined every night, probably by an armadillo. I have spread deterrents, but that hasn’t worked. What should I do?
If you have an armadillo problem, trapping that one armadillo will not solve the burrow issue. You need continuous protection to keep armadillos out of your yard. In Southwest Florida, we apply a non-pesticide scent deterrent to keep armadillos away. Scent deterrents will not expel an armadillo but they can help keep armadillos out of your yard. We apply the treatment monthly.
While lawn treatments can reduce the food source for armadillos, they will not completely eradicate their supply. We encounter this situation quite often. I would suggest a control program for both pests, which includes trapping and deterrent to greatly reduce the time that they spend counteracting your landscaping!
Repellents outdoors rarely work to when wildlife is already established. The animal needs to be trapped, removed, and then install barriers to prevent future infestations.
We have been experiencing a lot of problems with some kind of animal under our porch here lately. It’s been so bad that we are scared to stay in our home. What should we do?
First, don’t panic! Second, I don’t recommend investigating the matter. If whatever is under your porch has given birth, the female will be protective of it’s young. Third, pay attention when you notice a problem. Is the critter active at night? That can be an important clue on what type of animal it is.
Don’t try to trap it. Using the wrong trap or bait is not only ineffective but you might also catch the wrong animal (like cats). Don’t’ leave your pets in the yard. Keep food inside. Secure garbage. Finally, call a professional wildlife control operator.
The most common animal to live under your porch is a skunk, opossum, armadillo or raccoon. You shouldn’t wait to call a professional. Some of these critters might continue to look for safer places to den like inside your house.
Help, armadillos have been foraging in my yard. At least a dozen new holes appear every day. I have not been able to locate their den. I think I also have moles. I currently have a lawn service treating my lawn for bugs & weeds, but the damage from both of these animals has seemed to escalate in the last month. Any suggestions and/or help would be greatly appreciated.
If you have an armadillo problem, trapping that one armadillo will not solve the burrow issue. You need continuous protection to keep armadillos out of your yard. In Southwest Florida, we apply a non-pesticide scent deterrent to keep armadillos away. Scent deterrents will not expel an armadillo but they can help keep armadillos out of your yard. We apply the treatment monthly.
While lawn treatments can reduce the food source for moles and armadillos, they will not completely eradicate their supply. We encounter this situation quite often. I would suggest a control program for both pests, which includes trapping and deterrent to greatly reduce the time that they spend counteracting your landscaping! Both mole and armadillo control programs are monthly services.
Armadillos will move on own their own. After they leave, bury a fence around your property to keep future armadillos out.
I have about 15 to 20 holes in my back yard. What animal could be digging up my yard?
Depending on the size of the holes, this sounds like moles or gophers. Both pests stay underground most of the time. Mole hills are identified by their circular and conical shape. These hills are typically a foot wide and up to 2 inches tall. In addition to these hills, you may also spot raised tunnel tracks across your lawn.
It depends on what part of the country you live in. That many holes could be moles, gophers, or groundhogs.
Depending on where you live, it could be gophers, groundhogs, or moles. Their burrow systems can create extensive damage in your yard, but each animal creates unique problems too.
I haven’t seen an armadillo or vole problem with 20 holes in the yard.
There is a hole near a tree stump and I believe there is some kind of burrowing animal making its home there. Armadillo maybe?
If its an armadillo, you’ll notice other problems. Armadillo forage is a nuisance. They dig up yards, tear up bulbs, and destroy plants looking for grubs, earthworms, ants, and other insects. Their burrows create the real damage. Burrows can undermine structures and break pipes.
Burrowing animals are definitely attracted to old hollowed-out tree stumps. To determine the species an inspection would be needed because multiple burrowing animals would be attracted to that area. Example. Armadillo, Raccoon, Skunk, etc. If you were seeing areas around the tree stump or in your yard that have been rooted up, then the target animal may be Armadillos.
It could be an armadillo but it could also be a skunk or a groundhog. Both critters dig their burrows near something else for added protection for the entrance to their dens.
Rats
We recently found serious rat activity in our home, so we hired an extermination service. Do we need a full attic restoration, including clean-up and insulation replacement?
Attic remediation after a rodent infestation is essential because rodents cause significant contamination and structural damage.
In all likelihood, yes. Rats and mice create an immense amount of damage in your attic — damaging & contaminating insulation. Most of the time, removing the soiled insulation and replacing it is the most effective remediation.
Depending on the severity of the contamination, you might.
Rodents carry ecto-parasites (fleas, ticks, mites, etc.) on them. These ecto-parasites can reproduce and spread into your home. R-Juvenate is equipped to spread an insecticide dust into your insulation and kill these parasites. We also have a variety of enzyme active bio-cleaners to clean the rat waste. And if the issue is severe enough, we can always manually remove droppings from the attic. Most restorations can take anywhere from a few hours to a few days, depending on the severity of the restoration process.
Bats
We are having a problem with bats in Charlotte that we would like to have addressed. Do any repellents or sound machines work to keep bats away?
The only way to permanently keep bats away is with a full exclusion done to the home. This will consist of screening gable end vents, sealing behind fascia board along eaves, sealing construction gaps, sealing dormer corners, sealing ridge caps, and any other areas that will allow a bat to enter into the home.
As for sound machines and repellents, no. Although it may seem that it rustles the bats at first, it is simply the activity of your presence. The bats will soon settle down and continue to roost in that area. If there is a food source present in an area, bats will stay put.
If you have bats in the attic, deterrents and repellents aren’t going to work. A bat valve will be installed, which is a one-way door that allows the bats to easily leave the home but does not allow them to get back in. Once all bats have left through the bat valve, it may then be removed and permanently sealed.
Hi, I have 1-2 bats that are clinging to a screen on the outside of my house, under an attic gable vent, and their guano has built up quite a bit. They are NOT in the house, but I’d rather not have them on the outside either. What is the best way to get rid of the guano and get rid of the bats in the gable vent?
Be careful trying to clean up guano. Piles of guano can grow a fungus that, when airborne, can cause respiratory problems. You can seal the attic vents to keep bats from roosting inside of it. When the bats are evicted from the vent, they will naturally look for another way into their — or in this case, your — home. So you need to make sure the entire roof is sealed from bats.
Just because you see bats on the gable vents doesn’t mean they aren’t inside the attic. Bats only need a tiny gap to squeeze through, and maternity colonies can grow as large as the area will allow. See a dozen bats in an attic is not uncommon. Make sure you have someone inspect the roof and the attic.
The urine and guano of bats are very corrosive and can deteriorate the bottom of gable vents. Eventually, the vent will rot and bats will inhabit the space between the walls and brick, siding, or rock. Don’t procrastinate, as guano can build up fast inside these voids. This not only causes the health risks you hear about but can attract other bats for years to come.
Bees
I have a bee nest in the ground on the side of my house. Can it be removed? How much would it be?
The pricing is determined once the inspection is complete. Pricing depends on the size and location of the nest, and the level of difficulty to treat and remove the nest.
The technician will treat the nest to exterminate the stinging insects and then remove the nest. This process typically takes 1-2 hours including the inspection, treatment and nest removal. Pricing is usually based on the size and location of the stinging insect nest.
If a bee or wasp nest is in the ground near where people are, the chances of getting stung are high. To solve the problem, you need to remove the nest. To safely remove the nest, you’ll need to get rid of the stinging insects and then dig up the nest and fill in the hole. Leaving a nest in the ground can attract other stinging insects or other pests like rats and raccoons.
Our house has taken in some residents that we didn’t want to have. Around the window of one of our bedrooms, a hive of bees took residence. I don’t know who else to contact. My husband went to mow the front yard this evening, and they swarmed him and stung him about 4 or 5 times. Can y’all do anything to help?
We certainly can. Call us ASAP! Honey bees are not typically aggressive unless they are Africanized. Other species are often misidentified as bees, such as yellow jackets.
Depending on the location of the beehive, bees can be beneficial or unwanted. When bees build nests close to people, it is dangerous.
If the hive is in or on your home, it must be removed and the area cleaned.
An old hive left in your home could attract a new colony of bees. Additionally, the hive area must be sanitized to remove any honey. Otherwise, leftover honey could attract other pests, including ants, cockroaches, rats, or raccoons.
The only way you can get rid of the bees on your property is to remove the hive. You should know that you run a risk of getting injured if you attempt to remove an active hive (one that has bees traveling to and from it on a daily basis) on your own.
Squirrels
I may have squirrels in the attic of my home. If so, they are probably getting inside through a roof vent. What’s the best way to get rid of them?
I’ve seen squirrels fit into openings as small as 1 ½ or so. Squirrels can push their bodies up against the top part of the return, which is usually a vinyl material of some sort, and make an entry point big enough to squeeze in and out as they please. Over time this opening gets larger due to the constant traffic, and I refer to it as the highway to heaven. Once they’ve gained access through this area the only way to stop it is to exclude the opening with aluminum, concrete or in some cases both. The same goes for those soffit vents.
Squirrels will be removed by a 10-14 day trapping process that could utilize different types of traps and cages in configurations best suited to the construction of the home. Once the squirrels are removed, the identified openings should be repaired or reinforced to prevent future problems. A trained Trutech technician can perform these exclusion services.
The only way you can get rid of the bees on your property is to remove the hive. You should know that you run a risk of getting injured if you attempt to remove an active hive (one that has bees traveling to and from it on a daily basis) on your own.
Birds
I have a family of birds that are nesting in a space on the outside of my house. I don’t want to kill them, but really don’t know how to remove them safely. Looking forward to hearing from you. Thanks in advance.
Bird spikes, wire, or bird gel is probably the best bird deterrent for on your house. This all depends on the location of the birds on your house and what type of birds are roosting on your house.
Bird exclusion flaps or one-way valves allow birds to fly out of the attic, but when they try to return, they find the entry is too small. Because birds can fly back to the area, trapping and releasing is not a sensible solution unless you can implement exclusions quickly.
Bird exclusion flaps or one-way valves allow birds to fly out of the attic, but when they try to return, they find the entry is too small. Because birds can fly back to the area, trapping and releasing is not a sensible solution unless you can implement exclusions quickly.
