PREVENTION

Prevention of Wildlife Problems

We offer a variety of wildlife prevention services, such as:
- Repairs to holes in buildings, on roof, soffit, and entire structure, to keep wildlife out
- Installation of steel chimney caps to keep animals out of the chimney
- Installation of steel vent covers, ridge caps, plumbing stack covers, and more
- Installation of trenched underground exclusion barriers to prevent animals from going under sheds, porches, etc.
- Attic cleaning and de-odorization to eliminate odors that attract wildlife.
- Tree removal and branch removal to restrict easy access to roofs
- Specialty prevention tactics to keep raccoons out of pools, garbage cans, etc.



Do-It-Yourself Wildlife Prevention Tips
Most buildings located in urban and suburban areas in North America are prone to wildlife invasion, especially houses with yards and gardens where the animals may find easy access to food and shelter. And with animal damage control not being a walk in the park neither in terms of effort, nor in terms of money, doing your part in preventing such a situation is always something you should consider.

There are a variety of nuisance wildlife that will find themselves being attracted to your property, and that are able to cause serious trouble in their attempt to set camp or find more food there. However, even if their destructive behaviors will differ from species to species, there a couple of general prevention golden rules aimed at beating the menace of invasive wildlife.

Keeping it neat and clean
Not letting surrounding vegetation overgrow by being proactive with your outside trimming and lawn mowing is key in preventing mollusks and insects from appearing. Without an extra volume of bugs, grubs and snails, you’re eliminating one possible food source that many invasive wildlife find appealing. What’s more, neatly cut grass will also diminish the chances of snakes wandering on your property because they won’t be benefiting from the nice camouflage tall grass can offer them. Keeping yard and garden debris to a minimum will accomplish the same purpose. If you have fruit or nut trees on your property, make sure you keep the surrounding area clean. Ground that’s rich with fallen fruits and nuts is a big invitation for wildlife.

Securing garbage cans
The first step in securing your garbage cans should be to keep them somewhere inside, in the garage perhaps. The second step should be properly securing the lids with a lock or latch, or with a bungee cord locking system. Garbage cans that lock in place are also an option, and they may be distributed for free depending on where you live, so you might want to look into that. Keep the cans clean so that animals won’t be attracted by the smell. If you have no other option than to store the garbage cans outside, you could purchase a garbage can cabin – yes, they exist and they look pretty good, too – and store the cans in there. If you don’t want to go the extra mile, you can just keep the cans clean and secured. But don’t underestimate a hungry animal, especially one that is as smart and strong as the raccoon, and make sure your garbage cans are fittingly secured to match their abilities.

Restricting access to pet food
Garbage and pet food are the two main things that attract nuisance wildlife to our properties. If you have dogs or cats that eat outside, their food should only be out there for as long as they eat. If any food is left once they’re done eating, that food should be moved inside. Even if the bowls are left clean, you should also move those inside, as smell will linger and can still attract wild animals. Storing unopened bags of pet food outside is also a no-no, as they can be easily torn apart by raccoons or chewed through by rats and mice.

Restricting access to birdfeeders and birdhouses
Some types of wildlife will always be happy to give your birdfeeder or birdhouse a go, if they have the opportunity to do so, squirrels and raccoons in particular. You can equip the feeders with steel baffles, but keep in mind that you will need bigger baffles if raccoons are your problem. You also need to mind the location of your feeder, meaning no feeders hanging from tree branches. Make sure the pole of your bird feeder is big enough in diameter so that a squirrel or a raccoon can’t grab it in their paw, and that the surface of the pole is hard and slippery enough so that animal claws can’t penetrate it. Smearing the pole with some greasy liquid is common practice, but I don’t recommend it. For one, depending on what you’re using, you can actually be attracting wildlife even more through smell. Secondly – and this applies especially to squirrels – if wildlife want to get into your birdfeeder, a few jump-and-slide failed attempts won’t stop them. They might get bored and leave it alone, but the more common case is that they’ll try and try until all the grease is absorbed by their fur, thus removing the obstacle and gaining access to their prize.

Restricting access to the house
If you live in an elevated structure, make sure animals can’t nest underneath your porch or deck by installing solid exclusion barriers that are deep enough for wildlife not to be able to dig under in order to gain access to that space. Perform a thorough building inspection from top to bottom, exterior and interior. Inspect all nooks and crannies, especially at roof level. Equip your chimney with a metal cap, repair any cracks and holes, cover up venting openings with metal mesh screens, use metal flashings for holes in walls, replace missing shingles etc. Be sure to inspect the attic when it’s sunny outside so that you can easily see if the sunlight comes through any tiny cracks or holes.

Depending on your specific situation and surrounding flora and fauna, more prevention tips and tricks may apply, but what has been listed here is certainly applicable to any household. Prevention is the best and single effective wildlife repellent, so as long as you’re thorough in eliminating food sources and use quality materials for home repairs, invasive wildlife shouldn’t be a problem. Nonetheless, animals that live in urban and suburban areas may choose parts of your home to nest in just because it reminds them of their original dens. This means they can set shop in your attic, for example, even if food sources aren’t easy to access, and even if the structure is secured and they have to make their way through. This is not a common scenario, but it can happen, especially in areas where wildlife population is on the rise. If this happens, professional wildlife removal services are always recommended.