How to Protect Your Home From a Rodent Infestation

 

Pest Control TorontoRodent infestations can put your family’s health and safety at risk. Not only can they carry nasty diseases, but they can also cause some serious damage your property by gnawing on wires and scratching through walls and flooring. There are several things that you can do in order to lower your chances of attracting rodents. This article provides several tips that will help to protect your home from rodents, plus it explains what to do in the event of a rodent infestation.

Food

Rodents are attracted to food, therefore you will need to maintain a high level of cleanliness when it comes to storing and disposing of foodstuffs. Store all of your food that you keep out of the fridge in airtight containers. This particularly applies if you have a pantry, as pantries will often attract rodents. Make sure that all outside bins are properly sealed and that the rubbish is taken away regularly.

Water Sources

Rodents will also look for areas where there is a water source. Therefore, you should fix up and seal anywhere where there may be water leaks, such as leaking pipes in the attic. Clogged drains are also sure to attract rodents, so keep these clean and sealed at all times too.

Holes and Entry Points

Rodents will scratch and dig their way into your home through any small holes in your home’s structure. You can spend an afternoon walking around your home looking for small gaps and entry holes. Also keep an eye out for scratch marks or gnawed areas as these will give an indication as to the areas that they are gaining entry. These areas can be sealed using products which are available from your local DIY store. If you are unsure of how to seal them then you can hire a handyman or rodent infestation specialist to come and seal them for you.

You can use door sweeps and screens to block small areas underneath doorways. Open chimneys can also be enclosed by installing specialist chimney screens.

Signs of a Rodent Infestation

Common signs of a rodent infestation include scratching, gnawing or squeaking noises – particularly at night. Holes in the structures of your property, scratch marks, missing food or rodent droppings are also an indication that you have a problem. Avoid cleaning up rodent droppings, as these can contain nasty diseases, instead call in the professionals to do it for you.

If you suspect that you have a rodent infestation then you will need to call in some rodent infestation specialists as soon as possible. Rodents can breed very quickly, so what may start as a small problem can turn into a large problem in a short space of time. These specialists will have the tools and the expertise to identify whether you have any type of infestation, plus they will provide you with the most efficient way to remove the rodents. If possible, try and choose a company who is reputable and able to remove wildlife in the most humane way possible. Good luck.

Common Signs of a Raccoon Infestation

Raccoons are a type of mammal that are native to North America. They are considered a pest as they can destroy lawns, cause damage to property and even carry harmful diseases such as rabies. Apart from visually sighting a raccoon, there are several other ways you can identify them. This article takes a look at some of the most common signs of a raccoon infestation, and it also explains what you can do if you think that you have an infestation.

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Raccoon Noises

One way you can identify a raccoon infestation is by listening out for any unusual noises. These can include scampering, scratching or chattering noises coming from your attic area, or from underneath the home. Noises can indicate that you have a raccoon infestation, but it may also mean that you have another type of infestation, such as a rodent problem.

Damage to Your Property

There are several physical signs that a raccoon is living either in or around your property. You can inspect the external area of your home to look for signs of shingles that have been removed from the roof area. You can check for damaged vents around the property, or signs of scratching on boards or vents outside of your home. Also check for garbage that has been scattered from your garbage cans, as raccoons are notorious for doing this. Finally take a look out for any rolled up sod on your lawn area as well as destroyed garden crops. Again these signs may help to indicate that you have an infestation, but they could also mean that you have another type of infestation such as a skunk, squirrel or fox infestation depending on the country or area that you live in. If you have any of the above signs it is worth calling in an infestation specialist.

Urine and Faeces

Another way to check for raccoons is to look for signs of raccoon feces or urine either in or around your property. Take a look in areas where raccoons are likely to infest, such as attic spaces, chimneys and vents as well as under your home. If you notice any form of faeces in your home then avoid touching or going near them, as they can often contain harmful bacteria and diseases. Instead call your local infestation team who can remove them quickly and safely.

If you are still unsure as to whether you have a raccoon infestation or not then you should call an infestation specialist to come and take a look for you. They will have the skills and expertise to identify whether or not you have a problem, and what they can do to remove the pests.

At Sand Wildlife Control we offer a range of services and our professional team are on hand to remove pests in the most humane way possible. We are able to deal with a number of pests including skunks, opossums, pigeons, bats, startling, sparrows and squirrels. You can contact us via our online form on our website, by email or by telephone.

Common Signs of a Squirrel Infestation

Squirrel Removal

Squirrel Removal Specialists-Sande Wildlife Control

Squirrels are a type of rodent that is indigenous to America, Eurasia and Africa. They are a common pest as they can cause problems in and around the home. If you think you have a squirrel infestation then you will need to hire an infestation specialist to come and remove them humanely; failure to do so could result in additional damage to your property and electrical wiring. Squirrels can also transmit a number of diseases which can cause health problems for you and your family. Apart from a visual sighting there are several other ways that you can identify whether you have a problem. This article takes a look at some of the most common signs of a squirrel infestation, plus it also explains what you can do to resolve the problem.

 

Droppings

You can start by taking a look in areas that squirrels will be likely to live and nest. This includes warm and covered areas, such as in the attic of your home. Take a look for squirrel droppings or urine. The droppings will vary depending on the type of squirrels that live in your area, but squirrel droppings are typically brown, oval-shaped and approximately 1/2 an inch long. If you spot any form of faecal matter then you should avoid touching it, and instead call in some infestation experts who will be able to remove it safely.

Noise

Listen out for any abnormal noises within your home. Flying squirrels are active during the nighttime, whereas grey squirrels are active during the day. Make note of any chipping or scratching sounds that you can hear. Again this will typically come from warm, dry areas, such as in the attic, in vents or even in the walls of your home.

Squirrel Damage

Squirrels are notorious for chewing and gnawing through wood and insulation. Inspect both the interior and exterior of your property for any signs of damage, such as scratch marks or gnawing marks. Keep your eyes out for any greasy marks that are located around these areas too. Also look out for areas where squirrels may have made holes through the walls or insulation in order to create an entrance into your home.

If you are still unsure as to whether you have an infestation problem then it is worth hiring in an expert for peace of mind. They will have the tools and expertise to be able to identify any problems that you have and then provide you with a humane solution to eradicate the problem in the best way possible. What may appear to be a squirrel infestation could actually be another form of animal infestation, such as a mouse, rat or even raccoon infestation.

At Sande Wildlife Control we have a team of highly qualified experts who are able to serve the Greater Toronto Area. You can contact us via our handy online form, by telephone or by email and we will be happy to answer any questions that you may have or schedule you in for a booking.

Buying A House: The Process Of Checking For Bats And Why It’s Important

 

Bat Removal Specialists

Bat Removal Specialists-Sande Wildlife Control

Before buying a house, it’s always a good idea to check for the presence of bats in it. This way, you can then have the issue handled either before you buy the property or before you move in.

Why is it important to get rid of the bats?

Bats are genuinely harmless creatures; they rarely bite humans and spread diseases such as rabies in only very few instances. In fact, most of the time, the bats will strive to stay out of the way of any human beings. They also provide a very useful function; they eat insects around the home. This means that when you have bats around the home, they can actually be beneficial and cause very little harm.

However, when they are in very large numbers, their presence could be a nuisance. For one, the droppings might result in you having to clean the house a lot more regularly in order to get rid of them. In addition to that, bat droppings tend to produce a musky smell that might make the home uncomfortable to live in, and might also be a source for some diseases such as some forms of pneumonia. For this reason, it would be a good idea for you to get rid of them especially when they are in large numbers.

What are the benefits of having the problem checked out before you move in?

When you have the problem assessed before you move in, it becomes much easier to handle them. For instance, if there were bat droppings all over the place, you could get a specialized cleaning company to thoroughly clean the house to get rid of them. The fact that the house will have been uninhabited at that point in time means that this process is likely to proceed much faster, and is likely to be a lot more effective.

The process of bat removal is also likely to be much faster when you have an empty house. For instance, if it’s decided that fumigation has to be done to scare away the bats, the fact that you will not have moved in yet means that this is likely to be less of an inconvenience to you.

What should the ideal pest control contractor do?

When you get a contractor to get rid of the pests, they are supposed to first asses the problem. This means finding out where the bats hide, and how many of them there are. They will then employ measure of removing them that conform with your locality’s laws. For instance, there are some regions in which you are not allowed to kill bats, so this would need to be adhered to. Lastly, the contractor would then need to seal all entry points to make sure that no more bats can get into the house in future.

The one thing you need to keep in mind is that when buying a house, it’s usually a good idea to assess whether or not it has a pest problem before committing to buy it. Bats are a particularly important pest that you need to watch out for using the guidelines above.

The Use Of Pest Traps: How You Can Get The Most Out Of Them

Humane Raccoon Removal

When you have a pest problem that you need to handle, one of the best ways of doing this is by using traps to catch them. Ideally, you need to ask an exterminator to provide and set the traps so that they work as effectively as possible. The reason for this is that there are many variables that need to be considered when choosing and using such traps, and making arbitrary decisions might not be wise. Some of the issues that have to be addressed include:

Finding the right trap for the kind of animal you want to trap

When choosing a trap, you need to keep in mind the kind of animal you hope to catch. For instance, you can’t use a bird trap to capture mice or a possum. This also means that in order to get this right, you need to be aware of the different kinds of traps that are available out there, and which one is most useful for the kind of animal you want to trap. By working with a quality pest control company, you can get all the information you need to get this done properly, which in turn means that it’s likely to be very effective. The alternative is usually needlessly expensive, especially when you get traps that don’t really work.

The lethality of the trap

You also need to consider how lethal the traps are. For instance, there are some that can result in instant death of the animal being trapped. Others are likely to cause very light harm, or none at all. When you are searching for a trap for pests, you need to figure out whether you need the pests killed or just captured unharmed, and then buying a trap that allows you to do this. It’s usually a good idea to go for the latter, since it is always recommended to go for more humane methods. You can then release the pest into the wild afterwards.

The legal regulations surrounding the use of traps

There are many legal jurisdictions these days which have laws that govern the use of different pest control methods, including the use of traps. For instance, there are some regions where the use of traps to capture specific animals is prohibited. To avoid any legal action against you, you need to find out what laws you need to follow when doing this, so that you don’t end up contravening any. Working with a high quality pest control company is one of the best ways of doing this.

Setting up the traps in the right way

If you are intent on using traps to capture pests, you need to get it done in the right manner. You need to use the right kind of bait for the trap, and also set it up somewhere where the pest can easily get to them. This usually means that you have to have some knowledge about the mannerisms of the pest involved. This is one more reason why you should involve a pest control expert in getting and using such traps.