Critter Control in Tallahassee

Ubiquitous throughout the state, raccoons are opportunistic animals that are happy to make their home in residential areas because of the accessibility to food. Raccoons in your Tallahassee backyard generally are not a problem, but keep your eyes peeled. Raccoons can destroy your lawn and eventually might seek shelter in your attic. 

Raccoons are active year round in Florida. During breeding season female raccoons are especially apt to find shelter in attics or in crawlspaces to give birth. Raccoons typically give birth in March in Tallahassee. 

Raccoons spread several diseases that humans can contract, including Rabies, Salmonella, Histoplasmosis, and Leptospirosis. In addition, their droppings and urine within an attic can cause mold and odor problems.

The most common rodents that infest your home are Norway rats, roof rats, and the common house mouse. Rats or mice are frequent home invaders and thrive in the dark, quiet areas of your house like attics, wall cavities, and crawl spaces. Roof rats and house mice are the most common rodents rooting around your home for food and shelter and can contaminate ten times as much food as they eat with their droppings and urine.

The best rodent control is to seal possible entrances. Additionally, regular cleaning and sanitation helps eliminate potential food sources that entice rodents indoors.

However, if the pests have already infested homes, individuals should never attempt to handle or remove them without professional assistance. Untrained individuals may be injured or contract diseases if they come into contact with rodents.

Unlike other rodents such as rats and mice, tree squirrels are active during the day. If you are hearing animal noises coming from your attic during the daytime, chances are that you have squirrels scampering about. Flying squirrels are nocturnal but do not make as much noise as tree squirrels. 

Squirrels enter your attic looking for safe places to den especially during breeding season. Tree squirrels can give birth to two litters a year typically in spring and late summer. As squirrels nest, they can damage insulation.

They also gnaw on wood and electrical wires as a way to keep their continuously growing teeth in shape. If left unchecked, they can create significant and costly damage to your attic and roof.

All bat species are a protected species in Florida. The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service lists eight threatened bat species, including the Florida bonneted bat. 

The little brown bat and big brown bat are the most common types of bats to be in your attic. During the summer, these species roost in maternity colonies, and warm, humid attics make an ideal location. 

In Florida, exclusions are the only appropriate and legal way to get rid of bats. You may only attempt bat exclusions after August or before April. From April to August, there are flightless pups present. Excluding the female bats from the pups is inhumane. 

Autumn is ideal as their young have matured and they are eating actively so they can hibernate over the winter months. Your best bet is to let a professional wildlife service inspect and remove bats from your attic or chimney.

Florida has an abundance of snakes. Most species, such as rat snakes and garter snakes, are harmless, but copperheads and rattlers are venomous. The Tallahassee area has 45 species of snakes. They enter homes looking for food or a sheltered place to shed their skin.

Snakes are carnivorous, so if your home has rodents, snakes might follow. While some make their way to an attic, they also like the cool of a bathroom floor. All snakes should be treated as dangerous, and a wildlife control service should be called in to remove them.

Armadillos present little danger to people. They greatest danger they pose is to your landscaping. Controlling the animal can protect your lawn and garden and the integrity of structures like decks and driveways on your property.

Capturing an armadillo with a live trap can be difficult. Habitat modification and exclusions are extremely effective in removing armadillos from your lawn. Water your garden beds in the morning because armadillos prefer loose soil. Armadillos are nocturnal, and the soil will have dried out by the mid-afternoon.

Birds are a vital part of our ecosystem as they eat insects and pollinate plants, but they need to be removed immediately if they have gotten into your building. Birds can make a significant impact on your warehouse, food production facility, retail store, or any other type of commercial building. Not only are their droppings and feathers dangerous due to their ability to spread diseases such as salmonella, but they are also slippery and could create a slip-and-fall hazard. Further, the lice and ticks they carry can spread disease as well.

Bird Control is an important part of a wildlife removal technician's skills. Critter Control of Tallahassee is who to call if you have pigeons, sparrows, doves, starlings, or any other type of bird inside your industrial building. 

Opossums are more of a nuisance than a real danger. They are very common in urban and suburban settings and will eat practically anything.  Opossums will use attics, crawlspaces and the areas under sheds and porches as dens. 

You probably won’t see a gopher or encounter one in your home. Mounds of dark, moist soil are the signs of an active gopher problem. One gopher can create several mounds in a day.  

Gophers will dig through your yard, feed on your garden, and can even gnaw on irrigation systems. Gopher burrows can cover two hundred to two thousand square feet. For someone with little experience, that can be like trying to find a needle in a haystack.  

The gray fox and red fox are both present in Tallahassee, Fl. A fox diet consists of rodents but pet food, garbage cans, and livestock will attract a fox to your house. Foxes pose very little risk to people or pets. Small cats (less than five pounds) or kittens might be a prey animal.  

Though they prefer to construct their burrows in forested areas, farmlands, or meadows, foxes will also den in crawlspaces, under decks, porches and sheds. Their underground burrows disrupt carefully cultivated landscaping and may even undermine the structural integrity of houses or sheds, depending on their location. Finally, foxes 

Foxes aggressively defend their homes and their young, this creates a safety hazard for residents and their pets.  

Wasps, yellow jackets, hornets, cicada killers, or bees can ruin your outdoor experience. Safe removal of the hive can protect you, your family, and your pets from getting stung.

After the stinging insects are controlled, the entire hive must be removed. An old hive left in your home could attract a new colony or attract other animals. The hive area must be sanitized to remove any honey. Otherwise, leftover honey could attract other pests, including ants, cockroaches, rats, or raccoons.