When people think of pests, they often think of insects and spiders. Some might include mice and rats in the pest category, but what they usually don’t include is wildlife.
While many species may appear cute and harmless, wildlife can often carry disease, get into garbage, and damage property. To protect homeowners and their property, we practice humane wildlife control in North Carolina and Virginia.
Different Types of Wildlife
Birds can be interesting to watch, but they can also be pests. They and their droppings can carry diseases. They often carry other pests such as fleas, mites, ticks, and lice. For those reasons, you don’t want a bird infestation in your home. We are very experienced in bird removal and exclusion from homes and commercial properties.
In most residential situations, squirrels are fairly harmless. Unfortunately, they can gnaw into attics to establish dwellings. They can find their way into buildings to nest or store food. Most dangerously, they can chew electrical wiring, creating fire hazards. Essentially, squirrels can become home-invading pests.
Raccoons are well known as pests. They may appear cute, but they should be treated with caution on your property. Like many other wild animals, Raccoons are often infested with ticks and fleas, can carry rabies, and can leave feces that aggravate respiratory problems.
They like to occupy attics, basements, and crawl spaces. They get into these places by finding openings in damaged vents, trims, or carpentry. Raccoons can damage the lawn by digging for grubs and wreaking havoc.
Skunks can exhibit behavior similar to raccoons. They share many of the same characteristics and can post the same problems to humans. They can carry disease, be infested with fleas and ticks, and dig for food. Also, they leave an awful scent behind, perhaps on you or a pet.
Skunks prefer to live and nest under porches and in crawl spaces that have damaged vents or other easy-access points.
You will find opossums taking up residence in crawl spaces, under porches, in outbuildings, and attics. Similarly, they can carry ticks and fleas, serving as carriers of diseases. They are known to get into garbage cans and even prey upon chickens and their eggs. On the helpful side, they eat a massive amount of ticks.
Bats serve as a natural insect repellent, but they aren’t desirable as attic dwellers. They can carry rabies, parasites that affect humans, and their droppings can transmit fungal disease and attract other pests. Bats can cause damage to a home by staining walls from droppings and urine leaks from the attic. There are very specific laws and rules regulating bat relocation in the Carolinas and Virginia.
Some snakes actually benefit us by eating other pests, but some snakes are not so beneficial. Black snakes are good, but copperheads are not. If you have even been bitten by a copperhead, it is a very painful experience. Copperheads thrive in North Carolina and Virginia, and sometimes venture into people’s yards. We have methods to keep snakes away from your property, and we can remove snakes that have already invaded.
Signs of Wildlife
There are signs you can look for to determine if you have wildlife invading your home. Some common things you may notice include:
- Feces or dropping
- Odors associated with these animals
- Damage to property or structures
- Rustling and unusual sounds
- Odd behavior by pets
Asheville Wildlife Removal Service
Many animals love to live in the attic or basement of your house. If animals have invaded your home, removing them is our job. The majority of calls we get are because homeowners hear animals scurrying around inside the attic or wall.
Most damage inside a house or attic is not noticeable until it’s too late. Rodents like squirrels, mice, and rats often chew on electrical wires. Wildlife such as raccoons, bats, birds, opossums, and rats spread several harmful diseases.
If the damage is not done by wildlife, it could be one of these nine pests hiding in your attic.
We provide humane critter trapping and removal of unwanted nuisance wildlife from your property. We also handle animals outside the house, causing chaos on your property.
Whatever the problem is, our wildlife experts can remove the source and prevent it from happening again. Contact us for a quick response and effective wildlife management.