As winter approaches and cold weather settles in, animals are looking for places to stay warm. There are a number of ways that nuisance wildlife will den or nest on our properties and in our homes, and there are few measures that can be taken to help prevent and address these behaviors.
Like humans, critters prefer to stay warm and protected from the elements during cold weather. Attics and crawlspaces provide wildlife with warmth, nesting materials, and safety they need to survive during cold temperatures.
Common Winter Pest Animals
The most common pests we see moving indoors during the colder months are squirrels, rats, mice, raccoons, and opossums. It’s important none of these animals hibernate. So if they are in your home to escape the cold weather, they’ll continue to be a nuisance.
Bats in the winter can pose a unique problem. Some bat species hibernate while other species migrate. If you live in a colder climate, you might have hibernating bats in your attic.
We do not remove hibernating bats, we will repair everything on the structure with the exception of where the bats are roosting until temperatures warm up and the bats start moving again. There are some parts of the U.S. that will have migrating bat problems. For example, homeowners in the Rio Grande area of Texas can have migrating bat problems. In those cases, we can remove bats immediately.
How to Prevent Nuisance Animal Problems During the Winter
It is important to keep a well manicured lawn year around, but especially during seasonal changes. Piles of leaves, debris and overgrown bushes and branches can offer a warm, safe environment for critters to nest or den. Additionally, keeping all food/household waste in tightly sealed garbage bins, along with keeping up any outdoor pet food will help deter nuisance wildlife from being attracted to the property.
It’s crucial to conduct routine inspections of your property and to have any entry points sealed by a wildlife control professional to stop and prevent unwanted pests from coming in.
All structures, whether houses, apartments or commerical properties, can have a variety of entry points for pests to make their way inside for warmth and shelter. Chimneys, ground and roof vents, soffits, rooflines, decks and siding all have different types of intentional and unintentional gaps as a part of their structures. As a reference point, both mice and bats can get into spaces less than an inch large.
Costs of Nuisance Wildlife Damage
Nuisance animals can cost hundreds or even thousands of dollars worth of damage to wood, plastic, metal, and insulation in your home such as electric wiring, plumbing pipes. They can also cause this damage very quickly. If you believe you have a nuisance wildlife issue, it is recommmended to call a wildlife control professional immediately. This winter, stay one step ahead of these critters and take the proper steps to transition your home to keep the warmth in and the critters out!
About the Author
Meg Pearson, Wildlife Training Manager
Meg has over 13 years of experience in the wildlife industry. She started as a wildlife technician and was district manager and technical training manager supporting the Southeast Region. She currently is one of the company's wildlife training managers. As one of the training managers, her primary focus is special projects and leading Women in Wildlife.
Testimonials
This company has been great. The technician Kensi was very through and checked everywhere to make sure all access points were found. After a skunk was found in the trap on a Saturday morning they came to pick it up very quickly.
Michael was super friendly and knowledgeable. He checked my entire house and recommended and installed the solution within an hour.
We are under contract with your company and so far they are doing a fine job. Many thanks.
Excellent work environment full of presence of God. Professional and dedicated staff. A good place if you want to have your children in a place where Christian values are protected and encouraged.
Great company and amazing service, the staff is extremely knowledgeable and friendly! Thank you to the staff and especially to Bubba for taking care of my property and giving it that "personal touch" to rid and maintain it from pests and bugs! Appreciate you guys and look forward to continuing business together!
Thank you!
So when I went to have my insulation replaced I figured out that I had a critter problem that was beyond anything I was aware of. Not wanting to waste time I decided to call a professional and these guys were really good from day one. From the gentleman who gave the estimate to both of the guys that came out and did the work there was great communication and they were very effective at what they did. One little thing got missed and all it took was one text message and somebody was out the next day to take care of it. They always text me when they're on their way or going to be at the house and they let me know what they found along with photographs. My first thought when they gave me the quote was wow that was a lot of money and I didn't want to spend that much and now that I've had them do the service I feel like it's worth every penny and it's actually pretty damn reasonable considering the number of times that they come out and all the things that they do take care of.
I had an issue with squirrels getting into a small section of roofing without access from the attic or inside of the home. Critter control was a huge help in solving the issue, especially thanks to Brandon and Nate. Ended up catching 3 squirrels living in the roof plus they seal the entrance point after all is said and done. I would absolutely recommend critter control, Brandon and Nate did a stellar job.
Dominick was very friendly and he consistently put on his shoe covers each time he entered the house. He looked over every inch of the storage room where we thought the animal was and did a walk around the yard to see if there was evidence of entry. He was very thorough. He did not find any animal at that time. He said he would leave a trap and review the outside area of the house over the next week. It was the next day that the smell in our storage room indicated that the animal had died. We followed the small and discovered a dead bird in an open storage bin. I would highly recommend Dominick for 'Critter Control'.
Thank you,
Valerie
Great explanations regarding findings, friendly, quality work! Each encounter with their tech has been professional and educational.
your representative (Dominic) was very friendly and quickly removed the dying raccoon from our outdoor window-well. He also shared information with us regarding raccoons on their behavior, what they liked/disliked, and provided information on how to disinfect the area the raccoon had been trapped in for a couple of days. I'd rate him 9 stars if I could. -pja