Inspirational Quote:
Change the changeable, accept the unchangeable, and remove yourself from the unacceptable.” – Denis Waitley
Labor Day has come and gone and I don’t know about you, but I am wondering what happened to the heat of summer as I reach for my favorite sweater and wrap myself in it for my morning coffee in the garden. The leaves have already started turning and the squirrels seem to be scampering around with a new sense of vigor, preparing for the winter. As the brisk air turns to frigid temperatures, a wild animals’ instinct kicks in to find a safe, dry shelter and very often, your residence or commercial property is the perfect place to call home. Here at Wildlife Busters, we field calls from all over the Hudson Valley, from Westchester, Rockland, Putnam, Dutchess, Ulster, Orange and Columbia counties from residential and commercial property owners who are experiencing a wildlife nuisance circumstance in their homes or commercial property. Very often they are responding to scratching, scampering, thumping, and purring sounds coming from their walls and attics. Not knowing what type of wildlife removal and exclusion issue is invading your home can be overwhelming, but there are a few questions that you can ask yourself to be prepared to talk to a wildlife specialist.
Scratching, hissing, scampering noises in my attic and walls at night:
To begin, what time of day or night are you hearing these noises? If you are hearing noises at night and before dawn, there is a good chance it is flying squirrels, raccoons or opposums.
Flying squirrels are a highly social species. They tend to den and feed together, especially during harsh winters and attics are a perfect place to store their food and provide them with a safe dry home. They tend to enter your residential or commercial structures through small holes in dormers, soffits, ridge vents, eaves and attic vents. Very often you will hear knawing or chewing sounds as they make their way into your residential or commercial structure and build their nests. Given that they are nocturnal creatures, they tend to be busiest throughout the night scampering about.
Raccoons are also nocturnal creatures, who enter and exit your home just after sunset for their nightly foraging and return just before dawn. They are a very vocal species, chattering and growling. Given their size, you may hear thumping and heavy walking as they make their way about your home. Female raccoons enjoy the safety of attics to bear their young between March and April, but maintain their residence in your structure for up to eight months with their litter before they kick them out and prepare to deliver their next litter. Raccoons are very destructive. They are curious and mischievous creatures and are capable of tearing holes in your home in order to enter or exit and or to gain access to a food source or shelter. And they don’t leave your residential or commercial structure to go to the bathroom. They will create a latrine in your attic or crawl space and that raises all sorts of health and liability issues, especially if you are a public facility.
Opossums are unique in that they are marsupials and omnivores. Opossums seek shelter in a home because it is warm and dry, but also in pursuit of rodents and squirrels as their next meal. Attics make great shelters for Opossums, young and old, male and female and can be identified by their scratching, walking, mating, fighting, playing, hissing and the crying of their babies. Female opossums, in particular, seek sanctuary in your home to protect their babies and when a male opossum enters your home, be prepared for a round of fighting, mating or both. Very often, a female opossum tucks their opossum babies down into wall cavities to ensure their safety. They are nocturnal and head out into the night to forge for food, returning at dawn. They do not hibernate, but they are much less active if it is a harsh winter. Their typical mating season is from January to July and each female will produce about seven opossum babies, with two to three litters per year. This numbers game does not fare well for homeowners because as they babies grow older, they become more accustomed to your home.
I’m hearing noises during they day in my walls and attic, what could it be?
The Grey Squirrel is the most common squirrel in our area. They can take up residence in your attic, walls and commercial crawl spaces and tend to stick close to their entry/egress hole. They typically identify one hole that is easily accessible and make it their main entrance/exit. They are light and fast and their activity is marked by chewing, scampering, and scratching during the early morning and late afternoon.
Signs of wildlife activity in my home.
The first step in effectively dealing with a wildlife nuisance is understanding the situation you are facing. Wildlife Busters strongly believes that an initial site inspection is the best way to gain a thorough understanding of each and every unique situation. Our years of experience and extensive training in squirrel removal, raccoon removal, and opossum removal gives us the credentials to look for indicators within your residential or commercial structure that will allow us to provide you with a permanent solution to your wildlife control circumstance. At Wildlife Busters, we believe in treating the root cause of the issue not just the symptoms. We do this through our wildlife exclusion techniques.
What is wildlife exclusion? It means to seal any potential wildlife egress points throughout your residential or commercial structure. The first step in wildlife exclusion is to conduct a thorough site inspection of your residence or commercial property by a trained wildlife specialist. Once all entry points are noted, they are sealed using wildlife exclusion materials that are aesthetically pleasing to the specific structure. Wildlife Busters prides itself in providing permanent humane solutions to human/wildlife conflicts, not simply just removing the wildlife, but ensuring that it doesn’t get back in.
Why is it important to remove and exclude wildlife from my home?
Having raccoons in your attic or squirrels in your walls can present a health and safety risk to you, your family, your employees or clients and can damage and devalue your residence or commercial property. Raccoons and squirrels carry ectoparasites that are always looking for new hosts and your family pet or best client could be that potential host. Raccoon scat also contains contaminants that cultivate the growth of several harmful diseases. Entry and egress points for wildlife will become great place for leaks to form and a passageway for rodents, raccoons, birds and insects to enter. In addition, nesting materials and the chewing of wires poses a serious risk of fire. It is important to remember that dealing with wildlife is more than just animal trapping and removal. It is about modifying your residential and commercial structure as well as your habits to deter the current wildlife and any future inhabitants. Inclusive of that deterrent process is the decontamination and sanitization of the wildlife-infested area to ensure that the scent will not attract other animals into your home.
If you are experiencing a nuisance wildlife issue, whether it be raccoons, squirrels, woodchucks, moles, voles, bats, give Wildlife Busters® a call toll free at 855-945-1212 and we resolve your wildlife management issue professionally, efficiently and humanely. Please note that all of our wildlife exclusion services come with a 1 to 5 year warranty which can be extended upon expiration with one of our long-term prevention plans. Please give us a call or check out our website at www.WildlifeBusters.com for more information.
Sizzling Hot Deals for September
As fall approaches and our beautiful wildlife seeks shelter, we at Wildlife Busters® offer full attic clean outs combined with decontamination and sanitization services. We believe one of the key components to avoiding a re-occurrence of a human/wildlife conflict is to ensure your residential commercial property is thorough cleaned out. Enjoy a 5% savings on full attic clean outs combined with decontamination and sanitization services booked by October 30st. When you schedule your clean out, just reference our September newsletter to experience the savings.
Fun Animal Fact
Raccoons are a very intelligent species and have incredible dexterity, similar to apes.
President Calvin Coolige had a pet raccoon named Rebecca.
Community Wildlife Programs and Upcoming Events
Mohonk Preserve.
Hawk Migration Workshop, Saturday, September 22nd, 9am-12noon. (Raindate: Sunday September, 23rd.) , Toddlers on the Trail – Trees of the Shawangunks September 28, 2012 Friday, 10am-12noon. For more information please visit www.mohonkpreserve.org
Hudson Highlands Nature Museum.
Honey Festival, Saturday, September 22 from 10am-4pm at the Wildlife Education Center, Family Camp-Out, Friday September 21, 6 pm-Saturday, September 22, 9am at the Outdoor Discovery Center. Pre-paid registration is required. Limited space, For more information please visit; www.hhnaturemuseum.org
Weinberg Nature Center.
Monday September 17 –Fall Plants Part 1: Wildflowers, Tuesday September 18th-Fall Plants 2: Trees Tuesday, Please call in advance for hours of operation 914-722-1289 www.weinbergnaturecenter.org
And for some Wildlife fun all year round visit:
www.palisadesparksconservancy.org The Bear Mountain Zoo located in the Bear Mountain State Park, NY
Receive FREE wildlife Tips!
