North Carolina wildlife plays essential roles in the local ecosystem, but when these animals head indoors and begin to nest in your home, they can wreak havoc. Bats, squirrels and raccoons are the most common sources of wildlife problems in both urban and suburban areas throughout the states. Keep reading to learn how to prevent wildlife problems in your home what to do if animals have made their way into your home.
Wildlife Animal Control for Bats
If you have been hearing some strange sounds coming from the attic, you may be unwittingly playing host to bats. While bats are responsible for keeping the mosquito population under control, they don’t make for great house guests. Not only can they cause structural damage, their droppings can make your house smell and provide an ideal environment for fungus to grow. In fact, the first sign that you have a bat problem will probably be the smell.
Bats are most active around dawn and dusk. If you watch the eaves and vents to your attic around these times, you can see them entering and exiting your home. The female bats will enter your attic to give birth to their pups, which means that a colony can quickly take over your home.
How to Remove Bats from Your Attic
It is important to note that you must have the bats removed through humane methods. It is illegal to kill most species of bats. Once the pups have been born, usually between April and June, it will be several months before they can fly and safely be removed. You will have to put up with the colony of bats until the pups are old enough to fly and leave their mother.
The best way to remove bats is through exclusion methods. This includes shutting off most of the entry and exits points. Any passage that is left open should be outfitted with a exclusion device that allows them to exit, but not enter. Keep in mind though that this can only be done during certain times of the year because the pups need their mother. If they are left alone, they will die and you will have some new problems on your hands.
Your best bet is to work with a professional wildlife handler to make sure that the bats are safely removed and all measures are taken to prevent another colony from moving in.
How Do I Know if I Have Squirrels in My Attic?
Squirrels also love to nest in attics. They will chew holes in roofs, dormers and eaves to gain access to your warm and cozy attic so that they can have a nice place to have babies. A sure sign that you have a squirrel problem is scurrying sounds around dawn. That is when they leave their home to go and collect food.
What Kind of Damage Do Squirrels Cause?
Squirrels are powerful chewers and there isn’t much that can stop them. They will eat away at wood insulation and even wiring. It won’t take long for them to cause serious damage to important components of your home.
Best Way to Remove Squirrels from Your Home
Basically, the only way to remove squirrels from your home is through live trapping. Whether you purchase a trap yourself or hire a wildlife management professional, this is the best way to capture and remove squirrels. Once the pests have been caught, it is vital that you repair any damage, seal off any entry points and trim back trees and bushes from the house. This will ensure that you don’t have a constant rotation of squirrels moving back into your home.
What to Do if I Have Raccoons in My Home?
Raccoons also like to enter homes and make a nest for their young. The vast majority of the time, any raccoon in your home will be a female and there will be 3-5 pups also present. As with bats, it is important that the mother and the young are not separated. To ensure the safety and survival of all the raccoons, your best course of action is to contact a wildlife management expert. They can safely and effectively remove the family of raccoons and help you close off any vulnerable points of entry so that your home is protected from future infestations.
It is common for homeowners to experience problems with local wildlife. As natural habitats become crowded, bats, squirrels, raccoons and other animals will enter homes to seek shelter and watch over their young. Removing these animals can be a delicate undertaking and probably not something you want to tackle on your own. Partnering with a highly trained wildlife expert will allow you to safely remove wildlife and reclaim your home.
