Author: blogger

When you decide to go camping, you are basically moving into animals’ territory. You are bound to run into the wildlife while staying in the wilderness and this contributes to the great outdoor experience! While it is true that you want to enjoy all the sights and sounds that come with the wilderness, it does not mean that you should allow the animals to take over your campsite. Unwanted wildlife can be destructive and scary and it can end up ruining your camping experience. Fortunately, there are tips that can help to prevent the unwanted guests along with the damage they bring with them.

Choosing the best camping location

Before you decide to set up camp, you need to assess your surroundings. Look for tracks that indicate the presence of wildlife. If you notice tracks in or around the campsite where you want to set up, you need to evaluate if they were left by an animal that could be a threat. While deer track are not likely to be much of a problem, the same cannot be said of wolf or bear tracks. Signs of the dangerous animal’s presence could mean that they visit the campsite looking for food. If you are concerned that the animal may return, talk to the campground manager or park ranger or move to a different campsite!

Do not feed the wildlife

One of the biggest mistakes that first time campers make is that they feed the wildlife. You might think that it is harmless to feed the cute squirrel or chipmunk hanging around, but this might actually attract larger animals. Any food that is left behind by the smaller animals acts as bait to lure larger animals. Make sure that you clean up the area around your picnic table after every meal and remember that even the smell of food can attract the unwanted wildlife. Make sure that you obey signs that caution against feeding the wildlife!

Be careful about food scents

Any time you are out in the wilderness, you should remember that scents are more powerful than you might think. Make sure that you keep all food in airtight and animal proof containers. Remember that smells can get out even if the container does not leak. Wild animals have a very strong sense of smell and they can easily smell food in plastic bags and they often rip the bags to access the food. Bears and raccoons that hang around campsites are capable of opening plastic food containers and coolers. If you are not sure whether your containers are animal proof, leave them locked in your camper or truck.

Keep everything clean

Anyone will tell you that cleanliness is an important defense against animal and pest control. Keeping things clean will help to deter the unwanted wildlife. Clean up after meals and get rid of wrappers, drippings, food scraps and garbage that can attract hungry animals. Make sure that you put items away in the approved garbage cans that are located away from the campsite. Any items that you cannot dispose of right away should be placed in an airtight container and locked in the camper or vehicle trunk. Avoid throwing garbage into a campfire as it smells like food while burning. Clean the cooking equipment and surfaces that the food might have touched to eliminate any smell of food.

Be careful of other odors

It is important to know that animals are not just attracted to the smell of food; they will also want to follow unknown smells. Most perfumes, colognes and beauty products contain pheromones that are designed to be attractive. They attract not just humans but also different animals. The curiosity of the unknown smells, even those of soap and deodorant, can attract different animals to your campsite. To keep away unwanted nighttime visitors, avoid using strong scents while out in the wilderness and put away any clothing that might have the scents.

Dealing with curious animals

You need to know that most animals are simply curious and they are likely to wander into your campsite just to check things out! All your careful cleaning, packing and planning may not necessarily work to keep the animals away. New sounds and structures will draw the animal’s natural curiosity and as long as it does not enter your campsite, you should treat it with respect. Remember that in this case you are the invader. You can move to a more secure area and make sure you avoid sudden movements and loud noises that can scare the animal. Unless the animals pose danger to you, you should learn to enjoy their presence as much as possible.

When planning your camping trip, it helps to talk to a wildlife expert so that you can find out all you can about wildlife. You can get some additional tips about keeping the animals away from your campsite. You can purchase products like bear spray that will help to keep you safe. Remember that it is never a good idea to engage wildlife unless you have no choice.

Adding a water feature to your property is one of the best ways to enhance your landscape. Everyone loves a lovely pond especially one with some beautiful fish. A fish pond can be a great addition to your property and it can be both aesthetically pleasing and valuable. Most people will agree that a water feature can have healing effects. Nothing deals with stress better than sitting outside watching fish swim in the pond. The sight and sound of the feature can be very soothing and it will soon become the focal point of you landscape. It is a good idea to talk to an expert about the type of fish that you should keep.

Unfortunately, you are not the only one who will appreciate this new addition. There are many predators that will think that they have discovered a convenient source of food. Anyone who has lost valuable fish to wildlife knows that keeping away the predators is mandatory. You have to pay attention to the animals that gain access to your property. Animal control will help to ensure that you enjoy your water feature. With some research, you can prevent wildlife from getting to your pond.

Know your local predators

The first thing you need to know is the type of predators in your region. Knowing the wildlife present where you live will help you to understand what you should look out for. The truth is that there is likely to be more potential predators than you suspect. Whether you live in a rural or urban neighborhood, you will discover wildlife that tend to move to different areas due to changes in the available habitat. Changes in climate have also meant that wildlife show up in the most unexpected places.

Get help from a wildlife control company

You can find out all you need to know about local predators from your local animal control, or the local fish and game department. Find out if there is a pond association where you live as the members can offer valuable information. You can get advice on the types of wildlife that you need to watch for. Experts can also recommend safe techniques to protect yourself and your property. Having the contact of a good wildlife control company can prove to be very helpful.

Reduce access opportunity

You can reduce chances of predator plunder through proper pond design. Small ponds that have shallow areas are easily accessible and the fish become easy prey. However, most predators will avoid deep and large ponds that have room for the fish to hide or escape. Most animals will not venture into waters or ponds from where they do not have easy exit. Anything that will make their hunt difficult, such as steep sides, will discourage the animals. A depth of at least three to four feet is recommended for a Koi pond.

Choosing the location

Plan the pond location carefully when designing the landscape. Locating the pond where it is easy to observe from a window will discourage the animals. You can also use lighting to keep away the predators. Having light that illuminates the pond through a simple flip of the switch will deter predators that pose a threat to your fish. A pond that is located a great distance from the house and is hidden by bushes can offer a great opportunity for wildlife to get to the pond with ease.

How to deter predators

Controlling unwanted wildlife is always better than trying to eradicate them. There are several ways to keep your pond safe from the predators. Covering the pond with netting during the night can be an effective way to control most of the predators. Most of the animals are active during the night and the netting will help to keep them away. You can also use the cover during seasons when animals are most active like during spring and fall. Alarms can also work effectively to deter animals. There are small electronic devices that detect movement of animals within a protected area and they emit high-pitched sounds and flashing lights that send the animals fleeing. Motion sensors can help with nighttime control.

Installing a good fence

Fencing can work effectively to keep predators away from the pond. A fence can also work to prevent accidents. Children tend to be very curious when there is a pond in the neighborhood and you should talk to your neighbors and ask them to keep their unsupervised kids away from your property. Keep the yard gate locked, and post a caution sign. If you receive frequent visits from wildlife, it may be necessary to install electric fencing surrounding the pond.

When you decide to install a pond in your yard, talk to wildlife control experts to find out everything that you can about keeping away predators. You can find out about decoys that you can use and how to get rid of animal hiding places. Of course, you can also get help to get rid of already existing wildlife!

If there are pests that love to live where people live, then they are the rats. They are quick to adjust to any environment or location and are sure to thrive on just a small amount of food and water on a daily basis. When they invade a home and gain access to food such as grains, vegetables and even meat, they simply stay for good.

They prefer to live and feed around the restaurants, private homes, commercial buildings – just about any place that has food and that can shelter them. Rats can settle for scraps from garbage bags, private yards or whatever else they find at a place, for example at the community refuse disposal. If they can’t find refuge at your place, then they get their shelter from surrounding tall grass, weeds, walls, abandoned appliances, fences, to name but a few.

How do you check for rats?

If rats are suspected to have invaded your home, pest control experts recommend you take a fast and appropriate action to get rid of them. Here is how to determine if rats have entered your home.

• Listen

During the night, turn on the lights in a basement or any other dark room and listen for scurrying sounds. If you hear some gnawing noises in here, then chances are that rats have invaded your home.

• Watch

If you find tail marks or paw prints in any dusty room at your home, chances are they are from the resident rats. To be sure, sprinkle some flour around the area and check for tracks for a few days. If this doesn’t work, then place a small amount of food, for example grains where the local rats can get at it. On a daily basis, check for signs of feeding.

• Look

Uncover rats hiding places by moving furniture and stored materials from one section of your room or home to another. While at it, check for signs of gnawed electrical cords, packaged items, baseboards, doors, windows, etc. If you discover wood shavings or chips, tooth marks or chewed marks, then chances are that rats have invaded your home. Dark smears near the beams, pipes, stair edges and along hallways is a clear indication that rats have found habitat in your home. Old droppings or even old ones near the walls, pathways and food supplies is another indication of rat manifestation in a place.

How do rats get into your home?

Upon determining that you have a rat infestation at your place, it is time to investigate how they got in. Once you have determined you have rats at your place, it is now time to check out on how they got in, eradicate them and then take the necessary steps to prevent them from coming back. Rats get into a building in any of the following ways:

• By squeezing past thin openings in the piping systems, in the foundations, wall cracks and the likes

• By digging under shallow buildings foundation

• From inside large packages that are brought in a home

• Through open doors, vents, windows, sidewalks and the likes

• Through foundation or wall holes or cracks, (even as small as a dime)

• Through door gaps, fan openings, floor drains, letter drops, etc.

Keeping the rats out

It is easier to keep rats at bay than getting rid of them. But how can this be accomplished?

• Make sure there’s no appropriate shelter for them

Indoors: Replace wooden basement floors with permanently poured concrete. Storage racks should be placed at least 18” above the floor. Appliances such as refrigerators, cabinet and sinks, etc, should be moved out far away from the walls so that cleaning behind them can be achieved.

Outdoors: Start by restricting their shelter by rat-proofing all structures in a given area. Unnecessary structures, scattered disused appliances, old fences, junk piles and walls need also to be removed from an area. Areas behind wooden steps particularly those that lead into a building need to be thoroughly cleaned.

• Cutting off their access

Install outward opening self closing doors and make use of spring locks or latches to keep your doors closed. Ensure that all the doors and windows in your home are tightly closed. Make sure to use metal screens on all windows that are normally left open. Basement windows should be protected with 0.5 “wire meshes (hardware cloth). Window and door edges should be covered with screens that can be gnawed by the offending rodents. Floor drains need to be tightly fastened in order to keep sewer rodents from finding their way into your home or property.

Surefire ways to get rid of rats

Trapping and poisoning the rats are two common ways for getting rid of them. However, when you do it on your own, you can encounter many types of inconveniences as well as mishaps. The best solution for you to take when you want to fight off a rat infestation is to look for an animal control specialist in your locality so that they can use professional ways to get rid of the rats. Today, animal control services in Toronto have become very affordable and therefore, there’s no reason why you should not try them.

Proper home maintenance is one of the best ways to protect your home against all type of pests that are likely to invite themselves into your home. This is particularly important in the winter and fall season when pests come looking to get into your home so as to keep warm from the cold weather. But just because the seasons are changing, your outdoor property should never be left to fall into disarray or wayside.

If you tend to slack off your maintenance habits during winter or fall, all kinds of pests are sure to take advantage of your mistake. What should you do then to discourage pests from damaging the wood that makes up the deck?

Apply a fresh coat of clear paint on a weathered wooden deck

One section in a home that is commonly infiltrated by pests during the aforementioned seasons of the year is the deck. If the deck is severely weathered or the wooden parts have lost their shine and luster, it becomes an attractive place for pests to invade or get comfortable. If you notice your deck is considerably weathered, you are advised to consider re-sealing it with a stain or a clear coat of paint. Pests find sealed decks harder to penetrate. These pests are constantly looking to get into the grooves of rotting or exposed wood so as to make it their meals.

A layer of stain or clear coat of paint is applied on this type of wood for added protection against these pests. This also decreases the risk over the winter for coming spring season. There is an increase of moisture loving pests such as wood destroyers during the spring season.

Consider installing a screen mesh material underneath

This prevents unwanted pests such as raccoons, rodents, skunks and other wildlife from nesting in the dark and often comfortable area beneath the deck.

Properly seal your shed

The shed is another area in a home that regularly needs to be checked for pests. Pests such as rodents, opossums, skunks, squirrels and other wildlife often seek to hide in sheds, potentially causing damage underneath. Homeowners should screen off these areas so to prevent the pests from invading your home through the deck. You don’t want to offer them an opportunity to wreak havoc, do you?

In a summary, the following measures can be applied to prevent pests from invading your deck and your house.

• Trim back trees and bushes surrounding your home, in particular these near your deck.

• Do away with any standing water, debris or puddles around your home.

• Keep all structures within your home freshly sealed or painted

• Make sure your drains are properly installed and away from the structures

• Level debris or dirt under the deck and other structures at your compound

The local raccoon

This is a good example of a common pest that frequently invades the deck and thereafter the attic. As the leaves start to change, signifying the coming of a cooler weather, it is not only humans who want to snuggle up indoors. But some of the visitors who come invading your home can really steal your sanity. Raccoons make all sorts of a mess within an area they have invaded. If you have recently heard a scurrying noise outside your house or in your attic, chances are that it could be a local raccoon paying you a visit.

Why do raccoons invade a home?

The main reason for raccoons invading a human habitat is to search for food and seek a shelter. They particularly do so during the winter and fall season when the outside temperatures are freezing cold. As these animals are nocturnal, they are constantly looking for food, messing everything they come across while touring your compound. They are fast, strong and some of the best climbers you can ever come across. As result, they are adept to survival in both urban and rural areas. So if you find knocked over garbage bins or hear peculiar noises in the attic at night, the offending party could be no one else but the local raccoon.

The only safe way to remove these animals from your home is to have them trapped and then physically removed. It is recommended to contact a licensed wildlife control professional to handle the trapping and then removal of the offending raccoon.

All in all, if you suspect there is an unwanted wild animal, rodent or any other pests taking up residence in your home, take appropriate action to have it removed. Always take caution when handling or removing these pests from your home. The best way to safely remove them from your deck is to contact a licensed animal removal professional as he has both the expertise and tools to perform a perfect job.

This year has to be different from last year where eradication of rodents and other problem causing pests is concerned. If these bothersome vermin were constantly pestering you last year, there are a number of things you can resolve to do differently in order to prevent them from being an issue this year. Here are some of changes you need to implement so as to deter pests and hence prevent them from regularly invading your home.

Start by storing consumables such as firewood away from your home

By storing firewood right next to your house, you are encouraging wood-eating pests such as carpenter ants and termites to enter your house. Not only this, stored firewood is a good hiding place for such destructive animals such as rodents, squirrels and the others. These pests come in to your home in a number of ways.

For the case of termites and carpenter ants, wood brought in is the major culprit. Rodents find their way into your home through these woods. Regardless of where this wood is stored, as long as it is kept near your house, these pests will keep on pestering you. They can all easily move from the firewood to the wooden stairs, wood sidings or even the deck, especially if the wood is stored directly by these items. To avoid these pests from finding their way into house, make sure to store firewood 20-30 feet away from any wooden structure around the home. This includes all the decks, stairs, outdoor storage sheds and many others.

You may also want to regularly inspect any newly bought firewood as it might come infested with these pests. Old stored firewood also needs to be inspected once per month for signs of hiding rodents or wood -eating pests. If any of these is found, then have the wood removed from near your home to prevent rodents from easily entering your home or sprayed with the right pesticide. The more the pests are allowed to sit and multiply on the wood, the more difficult and expensive they will be to remove, particularly if they find their way into your house. So make sure to store firewood some distance or meters away from your home.

Have your home interiors professionally sealed

Rodents, bugs and many other outdoor pests can easily find their way into your home if there cracks around places such as door frames, sidings and window frames. A gap or crack in any of these places is essentially an open invitation to pest to come visiting and finding a safe habitat inside your home. Hot and cold outdoor weather often force these pests to seek a safe hiding place. And can there be a better or safer hiding or dwelling place than in your temperature controlled house? The best way to take care of this issue to fast seal the cracks and gaps in your home’s exterior. Resolving to seal all cracks around a home’s exterior surfaces can help keep pests out while also helping to in energy consumption reduction.

Store food in appropriate storage place

Pests such as rodents, cockroaches and ants enter a home in search of food. Regrettably, once they find the food they came searching for, they bring along their friends and family to your home, making it their own. Fortunately, this all can be prevented by storing food in proper airtight storage containers.

Storing foodstuffs in appropriate containers can help to prevent the pests from having access to it, and thus reducing the chances of them finding a habitat in your home. Rodents or any other pests don’t care if the food they have access to is for human or pets consumption. So it is advisable to store all types of foods in sealed containers so as to deter these harm causing pests.

Employ the services of an expert animal control agency to help you out

If all steps to prevent pests from invading your home fail, it is time to hire the services of a pest control agency. Although this will cost you money, this is the best and proper way to make sure that pests are kept at bay or away from your home. Upon the specialist coming into your home, he walks around it looking for signs that pests are hiding, or are nearby or may have already started to inhabit the home. Furthermore, an animal control specialist is able to spray pesticides that a common homeowner may not have access to. He comes with specialized equipments that are able to reach even the most hidden places around the home, hence making sure that all hiding pests are properly done away with.

So if you want your home to stay pest-free, resolve to take action in order to prevent these pests from bothering you this year. All the above listed ways can keep bugs and rodents away once and for all!