Critter Control of King of Prussia

In the first quarter of 2023, there were no reports of animals with rabies in the King of Prussia area. However, adjacent counties weren’t so lucky. The number of raccoons with rabies cases includes three in Philadelphia, one in Delaware County, three in Chester County, and two in Berks County.

King of Prussia raccoons have a black band across their eyes and on their tails. They are typically nocturnal, wreaking havoc in attics, garages, and sheds. Their dexterous hands are almost human-like, allowing them to turn doorknobs, open storage containers, rip bags, shred insulation, and dig holes in the yard. They like to feel food and other items underwater. This behavior can appear as if they are washing their food before they eat it.

Raccoons are notorious for leaving feces and urine piles, also called latrines, wherever they go. The buildup of waste in one area can cause further damage to a structure. They love to take evening dips in swimming pools, leaving feces in the water before they leave. Raccoons will enter your home through a pet door if they can access food.

To get rid of raccoons, it is critical to seek help from a professional wildlife control operator. They understand the laws regarding trapping raccoons since they are considered furbearers and sometimes require a hunting license. They know which type of trap is effective in catching raccoons, which can break weaker traps.

If the raccoon has babies in a nest inside your home, experts can ensure they will be reunited with one another after removal. Depending on local laws, a raccoon may need to be tested for diseases before release. Wildlife technicians can apply sanitization techniques to soiled areas, seal all potential entry points to your home, and remove food sources to prevent future raccoon visits.

Before trying to remove a raccoon from your home by yourself, remember they can carry diseases, and if threatened, they may bite. Calling nuisance wildlife animal control experts is recommended. Critter Control's three-step process works well for raccoon removal.

In 2019, a mice infestation at the King of Prussia Mall food court made headlines. The rodents roamed the food court at all hours, even during the day. Catching sight of rats and mice in your home is less likely since they wait for dark, quiet times to leave their nest. While they don’t usually travel more than 50 feet from their nest, they do much damage in their limited space.

Mice and rats, mainly house mice and roof rats, leave feces and urine trails everywhere they go. Feces is one of the most common ways to recognize that you have a rodent problem. Where there is one mouse or rat, there are many others nearby. Mice and rats multiply quickly and often. Females can begin breeding 28 days after birth and soon after delivering a previous litter.

You can expect rats and mice to reproduce up to five times a year, delivering more than five babies each time. Each of those litters gives birth to five or more babies, which then breed and give birth, and before you know it, you have an infestation.

Mice and rats chew, gnaw, and claw on all materials, including insulation, electrical wires, siding, cabinets, and pantry foods. Removing rodents yourself is not recommended due to the diseases they carry. Using the wrong traps and bait can also lead to a bigger problem.

Wildlife control technicians know how to effectively capture and dispose of rodents, which can take a week or longer to clear the entire infestation. They also know how to seal entry points to your home, which only must be the size of a dime for mice. Experts apply sanitization to affected areas and teach exclusion methods, like proper food storage, to deter rodents from your property.

Another rodent in King of Prussia, the squirrel, is a collector that stores its treasures in unique places, like your attic, yard, trees, chimney, or vents. The gray squirrel is the most common kind in King of Prussia neighborhoods, along with less common varieties, like red, fox, and flying squirrels. Watching squirrels raid birdfeeders, scurry from tree to rooftop, and raid the garden can be enjoyed until you realize their behaviors damage your property.

If you have squirrels in your yard, you likely have a supply of their favorite foods, including seeds, nuts, berries, mushrooms, grains, flower buds, and bird eggs. You may also have a squirrel nest in an unwanted area. If in your attic, expect to find shredded insulation, gnawed beams, and wires. If they build a nest in your heating and cooling system, you will see an increase in your utility costs. Because squirrels actively mate all year, you may find a family of squirrels living in your home.

Squirrels see everything in shades of black and white. However, with their keen senses of smell and hearing, they are great at detecting even the slightest movements. Getting rid of squirrels requires knowledge of trapping regulations and seasons and local requirements for testing squirrels for diseases.

Wildlife experts have this knowledge and proper equipment to get rid of a squirrel or a family of squirrels. Traps, one-way doors, deterrents, and direct capture are some methods qualified technicians use. In addition, they can implement exclusions like sealing access points, removing food sources, and installing tree or roof barriers to prevent climbing. They can also repair and sanitize areas affected by squirrels.

The big and little brown bats can be seen after dark in King of Prussia, usually swooping towards a light source for their evening meal. Bats are fascinating and extremely necessary for the ecosystem. They consume thousands of insects every night, building up the fat on their bodies to help them survive the winter months. Not all bats go into hibernation, but they will slow their heart rates to preserve energy.

Bats are on Pennsylvania’s and the federal government’s endangered or threatened species list. Therefore, you are restricted to when you can remove bats from your property that have become nuisances. What makes a bat a problem is usually their guano, or feces, which contains uric acid. Guano also can grow mold spores that, when inhaled by humans, can lead to respiratory issues. Guano is heavy, and because bats excrete waste even while sleeping, its weight may be too much for some beams.

Never try to handle a bat. You risk being bitten, encountering feces and urine, or forcing the bat into a space that cannot be removed. Wildlife experts remove bats using their one-way valves after they have flown out at night. They then seal each access point. Most importantly, they know the laws regarding when to remove bats. In Pennsylvania, removal is prohibited during their maternity season, typically from May to October. Babies must be able to fly out on their own.

Excluding bats is the best method for removal, which involves eliminating food sources, such as birdfeeders, pole lights that come on at night, bird baths, manure piles, and any stagnant water source.

Non-native birds face danger when flying into new territory. This is one reason the “Lights Out Philly” project was created. It reduces the number of deaths when birds fly into building windows, a nuisance for their area. Birds are nuisances in King of Prussia, too. They cause power lines to sag, contaminate food and water sources, and damage monuments, and their droppings can carry diseases. It can also cause erosion due to the acid it contains.

The nesting habits of birds cause damage to local homes. They plug vents and ducts, creating water and fire hazards. Their droppings can be slippery, staining walkways, siding, and vehicles. Some birds are annoying with their loud calls, and some become aggressive when they feel their babies are threatened.

To get rid of unwanted birds on your property, get rid of potential food sources. For example, bird feeders, baths, and open trash cans. Deterrents such as loud noises, decoy objects, or high-frequency sounds make birds uncomfortable. Motion-activated sprinklers work too.

As the wildlife pros will tell you, it is impractical to trap and release birds since they can fly right back to your property. Instead, you must remove all the places where they can put a nest, like eaves, gutters, soffits, chimneys, and vents. A pro may install barriers, including netting, wire, or spikes for trees. If a bird doesn’t have a good place to land, it will find a new location.

One of the top reasons to call an expert for help is that some migratory birds are protected under the Migratory Bird Act. You do not want to break any laws or acquire consequences trying to remove birds yourself. Let the experts help.

The three birds that most often become pests in the U.S. in urban areas are pigeons, house sparrows, and starlings. Hundreds of bird species exist in Pennsylvania, both native and non-native. Pennsyvalnia's most common backyard birds include sparrows, starlings, bluebirds, bluejays, woodpeckers, and blackbirds. Birds seem harmless until you start paying for repairs like removing stains from bird droppings, fixing broken roof ledges, unclogging gutters that led to water damage, or cleaning out nests in chimneys that are fire hazards.

In particular, Critter Control’s Philadelphia-based specialists often receive calls to remove woodpeckers, which may peck holes into house siding looking for insects to make nest cavities, or to communicate with other woodpeckers.

Birds, especially in swarms, do more damage than you may think. These "pest" birds tend to roost in large numbers, putting too much weight on parts of your home's structure. They also breed in large numbers. Colonies can mean large amounts of waste and a lot of noise.

Most birds are protected under the 1918 Migratory Bird Act, making exclusions the only way to get rid of nuisance birds. Wildlife technicians are experts in exclusions.