During the fall season wildlife in the New England area becomes very active. Squirrels, raccoons, mice, rats, and skunks will all be looking for a warm place to spend the colder months. When these pests get into your home, they can cause serious damage to your property and can be a health risk to your family. Take some preventative steps to keep these nuisance animals out of your yard and home. NW Pest Control offers these basic tips for keeping wildlife out in the wild.
NW Pest Controls Tips for Keep Wildlife Out
- Keep all garbage in containers with secure lids, so they cannot be opened by animals.
- If using bird baths and bird feeders in your yard, be sure to keep these far away from your home. These feeders tend to attract wildlife other than just birds.
- If you have firewood stacked in your yard, be sure it is away from the home. Small wildlife like chipmunks like to make homes in the stacks and they could find access into your home if the wood is close by.
- Installing a small fence around your garden area can help keeps pests from coming into your yard looking for food.
Some Tips for Specific Types of Wildlife
Rodents – Mice and rats are constantly looking for food and shelter. Keep food off counters and always wipe down the counters after cooking. Mice can find their way into your home in a space as small as a dime. Do an assessment of your home and property to be sure all cracks and entry points for mice and rats are sealed and closed off to the outside. Once they gain access to your home, they can chew on wires and create a fire hazard. Mice and rats can carry fleas and some diseases which can be a serious health problem for your family.
Raccoons – Raccoons are always looking for food. They can destroy your garbage cans and leave a mess in your yard. Be sure to have trash barrels that close tightly. These critters are very good at getting lids off barrels. As well as looking for food, these pests can also look for a home inside your attic or chimney. Have a chimney cap installed to keep them out of the chimney and be sure to seal any areas that a raccoon could enter your attic.
Squirrels – Squirrels can be real pests in urban areas as they tend to destroy gardens and try to nest in attics and other spaces indoors. If a squirrel gets into your home, they can cause serious damage to the wiring and insulation. Be sure to keep trees trimmed back so squirrels cannot jump from trees to your home. Do an inspection of your attic to be sure there are no small spaces open to the outside where squirrels could enter. Seal any openings you may find.
Skunks – Skunks can be a real nuisance as they will try to get into yards for food and shelter. In general skunks are not big climbers. However, they are very good at digging. Skunks like to move into a previously vacated nest left by another animal. So, if you saw that you had bunnies living under your shed during the summer, that is an attractive location for a skunk to move in. Put fencing materials around the bottom of the shed to keep skunks from nesting there for the winter. Be sure to put some of the fence underground since a skunk will burrow to get under a fence. Skunks will rummage through your trash barrels for food, but they also like to eat insects. Especially grubs. If you had a grub problem during the summer, so try to eliminate the grubs to reduce the incentives for skunks to come into your yard.
If you think you may already have a problem with any type of wildlife, contact NW Pest Control. We can send a trained wildlife technician out to inspect your home and property and determine the best plan of action to rid your home of nuisance pests.