Jacksonville, FL, residents must contend with numerous wildlife pests throughout the year, one of the most common being snakes. Florida is home to nearly 50 species of the pest, six of which are venomous, including the cottonmouth, or water moccasin. Though white-tail deer were once nearly eradicated from the state, populations now number in the hundreds of thousands. The wildlife pests feed on numerous crops and ornamental plants and can also carry Lyme disease-causing ticks. Finally, wild hogs are omnivorous pests that feed by rooting in the ground with their snouts. Large populations of feral pigs cause extensive damage to the soil and trample planted crops. Gray squirrels can also be a nuisance.
As a thriving seaport, Jacksonville, FL, is invariably home to plenty of rodents. Black rats, also called roof rats, are excellent climbers that enter homes through gaps in the roofline. They can be heard scurrying and scratching in ceilings and attics during the nighttime hours, when they are most active. Norway rats in Jacksonville are larger and are usually found around foundations, digging in rubbish and burrowing underneath buildings. Both types of rats regularly infest homes, passing along disease and contaminating stored food with their feces and urine.
Most rodents live outdoors, but house mice sometimes move into homes in Jacksonville, FL, and infest attics or cabinets. Although mice need little food and water to survive, kitchens are ideal living quarters, as pantries provide the pests with plenty of options. Aside from contaminating stored goods and countertops, mice in Jacksonville also leave disease-infected droppings and urine. Their waste is especially problematic when it carries hantavirus, which causes serious health issues in humans. Mouse problems can be detected by listening for scratching noises in the walls or noticing gnaw marks on woodwork and wires.
During a rodent inspection, we thoroughly inspect your attic and provide a complete exterior home inspection. The most common signs of rodent activity are gnaw marks, feces, rub marks, nesting material, runs in insulation material, and small entry points.
A Critter Control wildlife specialist will create a strategic trapping plan to remove the rodents found in your home. Critter Control specialists may use snap traps and live traps to capture and remove mice and rats. Rodent trapping can usually takes between five to fourteen days.
The best way to reduce the possibility of letting unwanted rodents into homes is to seal possible entrances. Exclusion methods include caulking cracks in foundations, capping chimneys, and installing mesh covers over vents and crawl space entrances. We also strongly recommend a maintenance service. Rodents have front teeth that continuously grow, which means they can gnaw a new way back into your home.
Raccoons in Jacksonville, FL, find food and shelter in both urban areas and residential neighborhoods. Since raccoons are scavengers with versatile appetites, they can eat a number of different items found in Jacksonville yards and trash bins. Scratching sounds heard during the night may indicate infestations, while messy lawns the following morning are another sign that the pests are present. Sometimes raccoon populations move into attics and crawlspaces, under decks, or behind walls to nest and breed. When frightened or rabid, they may attack people and pets.
During the inspection, we determine the severity of the raccoon infestation. We look for physical evidence like footprints in or around the home, stains from raccoon feces and urine. On the exterior of the house, we look for damage like scratches on boards, broken vents and screens, ripped apart shingles, destroyed soffits, and every possible entry point.
Live trapping is one of the most efficient ways to get rid of a raccoon. Depending on the situation, a one-way door or excluder valve can be installed. An excluder valve works by allowing the raccoon to leave but blocks its reentry. The choice of device is largely dependent on the season and location of the raccoons on your property. Direct capture is not commonly used because raccoons are a rabies vector species. If we must trap, we place traps strategically to safely catch the raccoons and we check traps frequently, based on state laws.
We provide a wide range of repair and restoration services. We can repair raccoon damage like broken screens on vents and chimneys and broken boards on decks and porches. It is essential to apply cleaning agents and ectoparasite treatments on areas inhabited by raccoons.
The year-round pleasant weather in Jacksonville, FL, creates an enticing environment for a wide variety of wildlife. This includes pesky and curious squirrels, which can sometimes take up residence in the attic or behind walls. Homeowners with a squirrel infestation will hear scurrying noises and the sounds of scratching. Squirrels in Jacksonville can also carry diseases like tularemia, which can cause flu-like symptoms in humans. Even when confined to yards, the pests make a nuisance of themselves by emptying bird feeders, harassing other wildlife, and leaving droppings behind.
Wildlife specialists look for signs such as chewing on, in, or around your home, small openings leading to the attic or the crawl space, droppings, and debris like nuts or nesting material. Beams, wires, pipes, and insulation may all show signs of damage from squirrels.
Live trapping or one-way doors are the most effective and humane ways to get rid of squirrels. One-way doors should never be used during birthing seasons (Spring & Fall), so our specialists will decide which is the best tool for the job. If we have to trap, we place traps strategically to safely catch the squirrels and check those according to state laws.
We can restore your home or office by squirrel proofing all entry points after we have removed the offenders. We can also clean-up the nesting sites and remove any debris, food, feces and soiled insulation.
Brazilian free-tailed bats and northern yellow bats have adapted well to the rapid urbanization of Jacksonville, FL. These species can be found living in overpasses, culverts, attics, and walls. In homes, their musky odor and scratching noises quickly become a nuisance. The humidity in Florida is ideal both for young bats and the fungus Histoplasma, which grows in bat droppings and makes humans ill. Since the flying pests roost in colonies and create huge piles of waste, bats in Jacksonville attics and chimneys can be dangerous. Their ability to transmit rabies is also a serious threat to homeowners and pets.
We perform a full interior and exterior inspection and search for signs such as rub marks, guano, a strong scent of ammonia, and small openings. The most common sign is the accumulation of guano (feces).
The most effective and humane way to remove bats is by utilizing a bat valve in conjunction with a full home exclusion. A bat valve allows for bats to exit your home but not re-enter. We follow all local ordinances for humane bat removal. We will never abandon flightless pups in your attic.
After removing the bat valves, we seal the entrance hole(s) so bats can no longer enter your home. If there is substantial guano in your attic, you should consider taking advantage of our attic remediation services to remove the soiled insulation and replace it.
The eastern mole, Scalopus aquaticus, occurs in Jacksonville and throughout all of Florida. Moles are not rodents, they are Insectivores and their diet consists exclusively of insects. The most noticeable feature of moles are their large, powerful front feet, designed for pushing soil out of their way. As they tunnel just below the surface in search of food, they cause the sod to lift, thereby creating soft, elevated pathways in your yard. This tunneling can make your yard difficult to walk on, as it becomes squishy and unstable. When moles tunnel deep below the surface they have nowhere to place the dirt they’re moving, so they’ll push the dirt to the surface every so often, which causes mounds of dirt to appear in your yard.
During our inspection process, we look for the travel tunnels and the feeding areas. Travel tunnels are long, straight pathways, usually occurring along sidewalks, edging, home foundations, etc. Feeding areas are usually those areas that zig-zag in a close proximity.
We use an exclusive process to treat your mole problem, so no unsightly traps need to remain in your yard. This procees prevents the possible endangerment of pets and children that some mole traps may present. Call us and we can tell you more.
We rid your yard of the unsightly tunnels and mounds that moles create, by leveling your yard. We also provide monthly services for yard maintenance.
Rodents, squirrels and raccoons.
Rodents and squirrels are active all year. Raccoons, opossums, armadillos, etc. peak in the Spring. Bats are problematic year-round.
Scratches on the house, digging in the yard and hearing movements at night.
Have your home inspected annually.
At the first sign of activity.
