Richland County has its share of nuisance wildlife. You can see raccoons, skunks, opossums, bats, rats, mice, squirrels, foxes, rabbits, and other wildlife near your home, searching for the basic items needed to survive.
Wildlife in Columbia becomes a nuisance when they annoy you and your family, pose a threat to the public, or destroy your personal property. Getting rid of these wildlife needs to be a priority. Check out examples of the work we’ve done in Columbia below.
Critter Control Wildlife Removal Process
Critter Control is here for you every step of the way in the wildlife removal process. From inspection to removal—and even exclusion and repair—we have the services you need to get rid of raccoons, rodents, and other nuisances fast. First, we identify the animal on the property, then use humane methods to remove the animal and secure weak points where more could enter. If damage has been done, we can make those repairs for a complete restoration. Contact a Critter Control office near you today.
Wildlife Inspection
During the inspection we try to ascertain how many animals there are, where they are located, and how they got in.
Based on what you have seen, heard and smelled, we start the inspection where you have noticed signs of animal activity. Evidence of animals inside your home include nests, dens, feces, and animal tracks. We investigate the exterior of your home looking for possible entry points, any evidence of animal damage, tracks, fur, animal waste, or rub marks.
Removal
We use several methods to humanely remove the animal from your home. Depending on the species, the number of animals, and the condition of your property, we develop a custom wildlife removal plan. Humane wildlife removal strategies include animal traps, one-way doors, and repellents.
Once we guarantee all animals are gone, we implement exclusion techniques. Exclusion techniques provide a safe, long-term solution to nuisance wildlife in your home. We create barriers to prevent animals from getting to resources. We only apply exclusions once we are sure all animals are gone from your home.
Exclusion and Repair
Wildlife will damage your home. Exclusion techniques repair any damage the animal causes getting into your home. Inside your home, animals build nests and dens out of readily available material. They will create runs through the insulation. Rodents will gnaw on anything including electrical wires and pipes.
Animals can also spread diseases. We apply sanitation agents to clean up feces and urine. Mammals can host pests like fleas, ticks, and mites. Ectoparasite treatments exterminate those pests so you don’t become their next host.
Although the raccoon population in Columbia is high, you will rarely see them. They go out at night searching for food. They will eat anything, including leftovers thrown in the trash, scraps behind a restaurant, insects, and even chickens or other small animals. While you’re sleeping, they are out roaming Columbia acting out by tipping trash cans, dumpster diving, raiding pet food containers, and stealing garden crops.
During the day, raccoons like to rest in a safe, cozy spot, like your attic or crawlspace. They are great climbers and will shimmy up the side of your house to get into your chimney or attic. They will break screens, boards, and posts if it helps. Once inside your home, they create a spot for a latrine since they prefer to go to the bathroom in one place.
You may have already heard strange noises coming from parts of your home. It sounds like scratching on walls, ripping drywall or insulation, or footsteps. You may notice electrical issues since they love chewing on wires. Raccoons can turn your home into a fire hazard in a short time. It’s essential to call an expert who can remove the animal and fix your repairs like we’ve done so many times in Columbia. Our process:
Inspection
During the inspection, we determine the severity of the raccoon infestation. We look for physical evidence like footprints in or around the home, stains from raccoon feces and urine. On the exterior of the house, we look for damage like scratches on boards, broken vents and screens, ripped apart shingles, destroyed soffits, and every possible entry point.
Raccoon Trapping
Live trapping is one of the most efficient ways to get rid of a raccoon. Depending on the situation, a one-way door or excluder valve can be installed. An excluder valve works by allowing the raccoon to leave but blocks its reentry. The choice of device is largely dependent on the season and location of the raccoons on your property. Direct capture is not commonly used because raccoons are a rabies vector species. If we must trap, we place traps strategically to safely catch the raccoons and we check traps frequently, based on state laws.
Repairs
We provide a wide range of repair and restoration services. We can repair raccoon damage like broken screens on vents and chimneys and broken boards on decks and porches. It is essential to apply cleaning agents and ectoparasite treatments on areas inhabited by raccoons.
Rat and Mice Pest Control
We have many different species of rats and mice in Columbia, but it’s the black rat, Norway rat, house mice, and deer mice that will sneak into your home and build nests in your walls, attic, ceilings, vents, ducts, chimney, and even furniture. Some will make nests in your vehicle’s air filter.
Rodents are always on the hunt for food, water, and shelter. If they are in your house and yard, that means you can supply all three. They don’t mind chewing through roof shingles, cabinets, food packaging, drywall, wiring, wood, or anything else to get what they need. As rodents travel throughout your home and yard, they leave a trail of urine and feces. Yes, it’s gross.
According to the Center for Disease Control, rats and mice can carry over 35 diseases. Both rats and mice multiply quickly. If not controlled, you could have an infestation soon. Think dozens upon dozens of poop trails on your property. Let us handle the dirty work before this happens.
Inspection
During a rodent inspection, we thoroughly inspect your attic and provide a complete exterior home inspection. The most common signs of rodent activity are gnaw marks, feces, rub marks, nesting material, runs in insulation material, and small entry points.
Rodent Trapping
A Critter Control wildlife specialist will create a strategic trapping plan to remove the rodents found in your home. Critter Control specialists may use snap traps and live traps to capture and remove mice and rats. Rodent trapping can usually takes between five to fourteen days.
Repairs
The best way to reduce the possibility of letting unwanted rodents into homes is to seal possible entrances. Exclusion methods include caulking cracks in foundations, capping chimneys, and installing mesh covers over vents and crawl space entrances. We also strongly recommend a maintenance service. Rodents have front teeth that continuously grow, which means they can gnaw a new way back into your home.
Squirrels have caused complete power outages for towns and cities, all due to them chewing on electrical wires. Remember November 2020 when portions of downtown Columbia were without power because of a squirrel?
Because their teeth never stop growing, they constantly search for something to gnaw on, including beams throughout homes, making structures unstable.
Residential squirrels in our area are the
gray squirrel and the fox squirrel. They spend most of their time collecting food and nest materials and then storing those items. Squirrels breed twice a year, so they must find a nesting spot close to a food and water supply. Your house is as good as any.
Squirrels like to eat fruits, nuts, seeds, grains, vegetables, leaves, bark, and tiny bird eggs. They can fit whole apples in their mouths. If you have an unfenced garden, your crops may disappear.
If you hear chirping, squeaking, and scurrying in your walls or ceilings, a nest is probably inside your home. That can also mean you have damaged wiring, shredded insulation, broken roof shingles, scratched drywall, and a lot of chewed wood. Ready to get rid of your squirrel problem? Call us.
Inspection
Wildlife specialists look for signs such as chewing on, in, or around your home, small openings leading to the attic or the crawl space, droppings, and debris like nuts or nesting material. Beams, wires, pipes, and insulation may all show signs of damage from squirrels.
Squirrel Trapping
Live trapping or one-way doors are the most effective and humane ways to get rid of squirrels. One-way doors should never be used during birthing seasons (Spring & Fall), so our specialists will decide which is the best tool for the job. If we have to trap, we place traps strategically to safely catch the squirrels and check those according to state laws.
Repairs
We can restore your home or office by squirrel proofing all entry points after we have removed the offenders. We can also clean-up the nesting sites and remove any debris, food, feces and soiled insulation.
There are at least
14 bat species in South Carolina. In your attic or office building, the ones you may find are the big and little brown, evening, Brazilian free-tailed bats. Horror films may have given bats a bad rap, but they are beneficial to our ecosystem. They eat a lot of insects. They can eat 15 mosquitos in one minute. They are nocturnal and consume thousands of insects each night, reducing the need for pesticides in our neighborhoods.
So, why do you need to get rid of bats if they are so beneficial and endangered? Good question with one answer, guano, also called bat poop.
Bat guano grows mold spores that can be toxic to humans if inhaled. For some, it can lead to respiratory diseases like histoplasmosis. For bats to be so small, they produce a lot of guano, which can be heavy, weighing down the boards in your attic or building. Bat guano also contains uric acid, which can erode metal and wood. To make things worse, bats poop on themselves while roosting upside down.
The reasons to call an expert for removing a bat from your home or property include: they are filthy, they may carry diseases, the law states they cannot be harassed or harmed, and you don’t have the proper safety equipment- for you and the bat. We can help.
Inspection
We perform a full interior and exterior inspection and search for signs such as rub marks, guano, a strong scent of ammonia, and small openings. The most common sign is the accumulation of guano (feces).
Bat Removal
The most effective and humane way to remove bats is by utilizing a bat valve in conjunction with a full home exclusion. A bat valve allows for bats to exit your home but not re-enter. We follow all local ordinances for humane bat removal. We will never abandon flightless pups in your attic.
Repairs
After removing the bat valves, we seal the entrance hole(s) so bats can no longer enter your home. If there is substantial guano in your attic, you should consider taking advantage of our attic remediation services to remove the soiled insulation and replace it.
South Carolina lawns, golf courses, and gardens may see skunk damage. The pests dig up turf in search of grubs and insects. Sheds, porches, and foundations make ideal burrowing locations which can lead to structural damage.
Removing food supplies is one of the most effective ways to prevent a skunk from entering your property. Foul-smelling skunk spray affects people, pets, and costly outdoor furniture. To avoid a skunk’s spray, rely on professional handling and skunk trapping. Skunks breed in January and February. Males typically spray during fights over females. A minor skunk problem can quickly magnify during breeding season.
Inspection
In addition to noting any pungent odors that signal the presence of a skunk, we will inspect the condition of your landscaping, as skunks are known for tearing-up lawns and shredding grass while hunting for grubs and insects. We will also inspect the perimeter of your building's foundations and under decks, to locate burrows.
Trapping and Removal
Never try to remove a skunk from your property yourself. Getting sprayed is a very unpleasant experience. Furthermore, these animals may carry diseases that can spread to humans and pets, such as rabies. Our specialists will use live traps to capture and remove skunks for you, or they'll use a one-way exclusion device to evict skunks from their harborage areas. The most effective ways to control a skunk problem is exclusion and habitat modification.
Skunk Control
The most effective ways to control a skunk problem is exclusion and habitat modification. Methods like sealing foundation gaps, replacing and screening broken foundation vents and installing hardware cloth (rat walls) around unprotected sheds and decks are the most effective and permanent ways to keep skunks out.
We recommend keeping pet food inside and securing any trash bins.
Many people think moles are rodents, but they are mammals. They are like the tiniest version of the groundhog. They dig holes and burrow underground. Moles in Columbia will burrow under buildings like a shed or house, patios, gardens, and swimming pools. They move dirt underground to create massive tunnel systems. This can mean unstable foundations, tripping on a hole, damaged roots of plants and garden crops, and a lot of frustration.
Critter Control can help.
Mole Inspections
During our inspection process, we look for the travel tunnels and the feeding areas. Travel tunnels are long, straight pathways, usually occurring along sidewalks, edging, home foundations, etc. Feeding areas are usually those areas that zig-zag in a close proximity.
Mole Repairs
We rid your yard of the unightly tunnels and mounds that moles create, by leveling your yard. We also provide monthly services for yard maintenance.
Mole Control
We use an exclusive process to treat your mole problem, so no unsightly traps need to remain in your yard. This procees prevents the possible endangerment of pets and children that some mole traps may present. Call us and we can tell you more.
Of the thirty-eight snakes found in South Carolina, six are venomous. If you have a snake in your home, you have another animal pest problem. Snakes generally enter a home looking for food. Snakes will also enter your home to explore, shed its skin, or as a temporary refuge. Removing the snake’s food source is the ideal way to remove a snake.
Inspection
Snakes are excellent at avoiding detection. We inspect your home for potential entry points and look for signs like snake skin and feces. Because a snake typically enters a home hunting for food, our wildlife inspector also looks for signs of a rodent infestation.
Repairs
In addition to dealing with any possible rodent problem drawing snakes to your property, a specialist will assist with sealing possible entry points and also encourage you to remove any debris where snakes can easily take up residence.
Removal & Control
Depending on the location, we can set a live trap or direct capture. Exclusion is the most effective way to keep snakes out of your home. If rodents are present, it is essential to exterminate the rodent infestation. Their presence will continue to attract snakes.
Feral Hogs and Landscaping Damage
Residents of Columbia and nearby areas like Anderson, SC, may encounter wild pigs near their homes. These animals enjoy the warm climate and regular rainfall. Overpopulation of the pests is a problem in South Carolina, and feral hog herds damage properties through their rooting and wallowing.
The pests spread diseases, such as swine brucellosis and cholera, that affect people as well as animals. Female feral hogs are also dangerous when protecting their young.
Smaller predators are common in South Carolina's wooded areas. Property owners often see red and gray foxes in their yards. While both species den under porches or outbuildings, a gray fox can also climb trees.
These pests scavenge in neighborhoods, seeking out homes with garbage or pet food left outside. Red and grey foxes hunt small pets or domestic poultry when other food sources are scarce. Fox populations in South Carolina are prone to diseases such as rabies and canine distemper.
The Critter Control Difference
Trained Specialists
Animal removal is a highly sophisticated job. As such, we vet and train our team members to ensure they have the knowledge and skill to remove any pest from your building. Our wildlife experts utilize advanced removal and exclusion techniques and damage repair.
Guaranteed Work
Your satisfaction is always guaranteed. Critter Control® takes great pride in providing quality workmanship resulting in customer satisfaction.
Residential and Commerical
Invading nuisance wildlife can wreak havoc on property. If left unattended wildlife and pests can cause costly property damage. Whether a residential property, apartment buildings, retail stores, office buildings, industrial plants, medical facilities, or warehouses, our trained professionals can handle any wildlife removal problem.
Critter Control Guarantee
Your satisfaction is always guaranteed. We provide reliable prevention from future intrusions. Resolving a nuisance wildlife issue calls for more than trapping and removing the critter. Our exclusion services offer immediate and long-term wildlife solutions.
Other Common Wildlife Issues
This franchise is independently licensed and operated by Biotic Environmental Services, LLC, dba Critter Control of Columbia, SC.