By McKenzie • Nov 13th 2023
As the weather gets cold, animals look for food, shelter and warmth for themselves and their young. There are plenty of places for them to find this in the wild, but if you don’t take proper precautions with residential wildlife control, your house may become an appealing option. Here are five types of wildlife that may try to move in this fall:
In the fall, there’s nothing like pulling on your favorite cardigan, snuggling near the fire and feeling cozy. Unfortunately, wildlife likes to get cozy in cold weather, too — and sometimes that means moving into your home and destroying your things.
As the weather gets cold, animals look for food, shelter and warmth for themselves and their young. There are plenty of places for them to find this in the wild, but if you don’t take proper precautions with residential wildlife control, your house may become an appealing option. Here are five types of wildlife that may try to move in this fall:
Mice and rats are industrious little critters. They’ll sneak in through cracks in your walls, gaps in your window screens and any small holes they can find. From there, they’ll scout your home to find food, warmth and a dark place to hide. Strange noises in your walls, tiny droppings and grease marks along your floorboards are all signs of a rodent infestation.
A small infestation can quickly grow into a large infestation. Female mice can have between five and ten litters a year, with about five babies in a litter. That means that even if there are only two mice in your home at the start, you could be facing a much, much larger infestation by the time spring hits.
It can be frightening to see a raccoon perched on top of your garbage can when you go to take out the trash. There are some things you can do for residential wildlife control like getting a secured bin, that decreases the chances of a raccoon living outside of your house. But, in the fall, they’ll fatten up and have more motivation to find a place to move in — preferably in your attic or crawlspace.
Raccoons will scavenge for food before finding shelter for the colder months. If you can keep them out of your trash and compost, they’re more likely to stay away.
Squirrels are small, fast and smart. They’ll store their food around your property so they can find it later. Like rats and mice, they multiply quickly, so you want a residential wildlife control professional like Thorn to get them out of your house before an infestation starts. If they make it into your home, they won’t just hibernate in your attic. They’ll make a nest, store food there and chew through wiring and other materials, creating a big mess.
It’s obvious why you don’t want skunks stinking up your home. These fluffy, black-and-white animals want to spend the winter underneath your deck or in your shed. Instead of hibernating, they go through a process called torpor. In this state, they don’t burn as many calories and don’t need to eat as much. If there isn’t a food source on your property, you decrease their chances of hanging around.
Bats like to hunker down in caves or mines, but your attic will also do. While there, they’ll damage your insulation and crawl space, leading to an expensive nuisance. Remember that bats are a protected species, so never try to remove roosting bats yourself. There are specific rules about removing bats from a home, and violating these rules could result in severe penalties.
Instead, rely on the experts at Thorn. In addition to pest control expertise, Thorn Pest Solutions professionals know the legal protocol for removing bats. Once bats have safely been removed, our pest professionals will employ the best strategies to ensure they don’t return.
Your walls, porch, shed and attic are all attractive places for animals to spend the winter. However, you don’t want them moving in. Wildlife can carry dangerous diseases, destroy your belongings and even damage the structure of your home. Trying to remove them yourself can be expensive and ineffective. You also put yourself at risk of getting hurt if an animal bites or scratches you.
Prevention is the most effective method of keeping animals out this fall. Thorn will start with inspecting your home to identify if you have an infestation, where pests are and how they’re getting in. Sealing entry points, like cracks in the walls, go a long way toward keeping unwanted animals out. Likewise, buying a secure trash bin, keeping compost away from the side of your house and repairing broken window screens also serve as good deterrents.
Animals want warmth, protection and food — but they don’t have to find it in your house. Contact Thorn to learn more about residential wildlife control today.
Thorn is a Utah local pest management company. We are a QualityPro certified company which is a prestigious accreditation awarded too less than 3% of the pest management companies in the US.
Thorn is a Utah local pest management company. We are a QualityPro certified company which is a prestigious accreditation awarded too less than 3% of the pest management companies in the US.
