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Squirrels and Small Mammals

I hear scratching sounds in my attic. What could it be?

Most likely neighborhood squirrels have traveled up vines or growing tree limbs and have found a way into your attic. They need only a very small entrance hole to move in with you. While these occasional invaders can be trapped and relocated outside your home, the best way to prevent future unwanted squirrel visits is to find and seal all entrance holes once the current squirrels are removed. If squirrels are sealed in your attic, they will eventually die and cause an unpleasant smell. With their long teeth, they can damage electrical wiring and they carry ectoparasites including mites and even fleas and ticks, so they must be removed. In addition to sealing holes, check for any gaps in your attic vents and screens. Are soffit and fascia boards rotting? Check for roof leaks and repair any rotten or broken boards. Finally, remove all vines and trim trees to at least three feet away from your home as squirrels do climb and jump.

I have noticed squirrels and several rabbits in my yard and even a black snake on a branch of my cypress tree. Why am I seeing so many of these intruders?

Animals and reptiles are searching for water and food. If you are watering your yard, using sprinklers and soaker hoses, and maintaining your plants and shrubs, you have created a favorable and desirable habitat for these "visitors." Garden ponds, mulched flower beds, and healthy plants are attractants for these populations. Remember these outdoor guests are seeking food, water, and shelter and I suspect you are offering these benefits. Rabbits eat unwanted clover and even snakes are beneficial as they will control mice, rats and other insects. Birds too consume many insects and mosquitoes and bees are beneficial and necessary for pollinating plants and food crops. In fact our industry refers to the use of pests or animals to control other pests as "natural" or "biological" pest management. If you prefer they visit elsewhere, the pest management industry has a number of effective products to repel, trap or remove these "visitors."

I smelled a terrible odor inside my home for several days before I finally called my pest control company for help. The technician found a dead opossum, but was unsure how it got there. I do not want to go through something like that again what should I do?

Small animals finding their way under houses and dying there is a very common occurrence. The first thing that needs to be done is a thorough inspection of your home’s foundation. Look for holes in the foundation where even the smallest of creatures could slip through including cracks in the foundation and other locations where electrical and plumbing lines enter your home. These cracks and holes need sealant, caulk, or concrete patch to close these holes. The foundation vents could be missing or broken and should be replaced.

Crawl space access doors may be broken or do not completely cover the opening. Also ensure the crawl space door has a latch and can be locked securely. Examine your air conditioning unit where the main trunk line accesses the crawl space. Often there will be openings at the bottom large enough for raccoons, squirrels, rats, mice, skunks, opossums, cats and other animals to get under your home.

Some of these unwanted visitors can even find ways to access your living space by ductwork or bathroom or kitchen plumbing penetrations. All entry doors should have a good seal with no gaps between the bottom of the door and the threshold plate to prevent pests from entering your living space. Once you have checked these and made corrections, the opportunity for an animal to get under your house is almost non-existent (unless someone leaves the access door open). Another way of looking at this is that you will have completed needed repairs and pest proofed your home without using pesticides.