With over 30 years of experience, Critter Control is the nation’s leading wildlife control company. At Critter Control of Augusta, we’re skilled at dealing with many of Georgia and South Carolina’s most bothersome pest animals. Whether you need to remove rodents from your attic or get rid of Hogs that are damaging your property, you can trust Critter Control to get the job done safely, effectively and humanely.
Although the raccoon population in Augusta is high, you will rarely see them, as they go out at night in search of food. They will eat anything, including leftovers thrown in the trash, scraps behind a restaurant, insects, and even chickens or other small animals. While you’re sleeping, they are out roaming in Augusta tipping over trash cans, dumpster diving, raiding pet food containers, and stealing garden crops.
During the day, raccoons like to rest in a safe, cozy spot, like your attic, crawlspace or chimney. They are great climbers and will shimmy up the side of your house to get into your chimney or attic. They will break attic vents, attic screens and remove unsecured chimney screens to gain entry into your home. Once inside your home, they create nesting areas and latrine spots, since they prefer to go to the bathroom in one place.
You may have already heard raccoon noises coming from parts of your home. If you hear sounds like screeching birds in your fireplace, attic or walls in the Spring, or scratching on your walls, ripping drywall or insulation, or footsteps above your head, those are all sounds that raccoons make. Raccoons can turn your home into a fire hazard in a short time by disrupting electrical wires in your attic or walls. It’s essential to call an expert who can remove the animal and fix your repairs like we’ve done so many times in Augusta.
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.
There are many different species of rats and mice in Augusta, but it’s the black rat, Norway rat, house mice, and deer mice that will sneak into your home and build nests in your walls, attic, ceilings, vents, ducts, chimney, and even furniture. Some will make nests in your vehicle’s air filter.
Rodents are always on the hunt for food, water, and shelter. If they are in your house and yard, that means you can supply all three. They don’t mind chewing through roof shingles, cabinets, food packaging, drywall, wiring, wood, or anything else to get what they need. As rodents travel throughout your home and yard, they leave a trail of urine and feces. Yes, it’s gross.
According to the Center for Disease Control, rats and mice can carry over 35 diseases. Both rats and mice multiply quickly. If not controlled, you could have an infestation soon. Think dozens upon dozens of poop trails on your property. Let us handle the dirty work before this happens.
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.
Squirrels are suspects in many house fires, all due to their habit of chewing on electrical wires. They chew on hard surfaces, because their teeth never stop growing and they’ll continually search for something hard to gnaw on, including wiring in homes.
Squirrels found in the Augusta area include the gray squirrel and the fox squirrel. They spend most of their time collecting food and nesting materials and then storing those items. Squirrels breed twice a year, so they must find a nesting spot close to a food and water supply. Your house is as good as any.
If you hear chirping, squeaking, and scurrying in your walls or ceilings, a nest is probably inside your home. That can also mean you have damaged wiring, shredded insulation, broken roof shingles, scratched drywall, and a lot of chewed wood. Ready to get rid of your squirrel problem? Call us.
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.
There are many bat species in Georgia. Horror films may have given bats a bad rap, but they are beneficial to our ecosystem, as they eat a lot of insects. They are nocturnal and consume thousands of insects each night, reducing the need for pesticides in our neighborhoods.
So, why do you need to get rid of bats if they are so beneficial and endangered? Good question – the answer is guano (also called bat poop) and ectoparasites (bat bugs).
Bat guano that accumulates on moist soils, will grow mold spores that can be toxic to humans if inhaled. For some, it can lead to respiratory diseases like histoplasmosis. For being so small, they produce a lot of guano, which can be heavy, weighing down the boards in your attic or building. Bat guano also contains uric acid, which can erode metal and wood.
Some of the reasons to call an expert for removing a bat from your home or property include: they may carry diseases, they may carry ectoparasites, they may bite you and you may not know when, or how they may be legally excluded from your home or business. We can help.
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.
Skunks cause damage when the pests dig-up turf in search of grubs and insects. They can also cause structural damage to sheds, porches, and foundations when they burrow under them.
Removing food supplies is one of the most effective ways to prevent a skunk from entering your property. Foul-smelling skunk spray affects people, pets, and costly outdoor furniture. To avoid a skunk’s spray, rely on professional handling and skunk trapping. Skunks breed in January and February. Males typically spray during fights over females. A minor skunk problem can quickly magnify during breeding season.
In addition to noting any pungent odors that signal the presence of a skunk, we will inspect the condition of your landscaping, as skunks are known for tearing-up lawns and shredding grass while hunting for grubs and insects. We will also inspect the perimeter of your building’s foundations and under decks, to locate burrows.
Never try to remove a skunk from your property yourself. Getting sprayed is a very unpleasant experience. Furthermore, these animals may carry diseases that can spread to humans and pets, such as rabies. Our specialists will use live traps to capture and remove skunks for you, or they’ll use a one-way exclusion device to evict skunks from their harborage areas. The most effective ways to control a skunk problem is exclusion and habitat modification.
The most effective ways to control a skunk problem is exclusion and habitat modification. Methods like sealing foundation gaps, replacing and screening broken foundation vents and installing hardware cloth (rat walls) around unprotected sheds and decks are the most effective and permanent ways to keep skunks out.
We recommend keeping pet food inside and securing any trash bins.
The biggest issues you will face from wildlife is the damage they tend to do to your home. They will chew on shingles causing leaks. They will chew on fascia boards, freeze boards and vents causing rot and unsightly appearances. When they are inside the attic or under home, they will chew on wires, ducting and personal belongings, as well as bring in parasites, viruses and other illnesses into your home – not to mention other wildlife, including predators.
Spring/Fall: This time of year is when wildlife tend to start breeding. For species like squirrels, this means that they breed twice a year with a litter of 3-6 babies each time, this greatly increases the chances of severe damage to your home as babies will stay a long while after they are weaned and the mothers will continue to use the attic until they are removed.
Summer/Winter: Attics and crawl spaces provide amazing cover for wildlife during these times of year. Both areas provide warmth during the winter and coolness during the summer. We may be hot in the attic or uncomfortable in the crawl space, but wildlife thrive in these areas, because of the insulation. If your home is 67 degrees during the summer, the attic under the insulation won’t be much different.
Random noises. Odd smells. Unexplained staining in ceiling and walls. Dark “wet spots” on roofs and areas that look like paint was removed from home. Holes going under home and trees as well as digging in the yard are all common signs of wildlife activity.
Wildlife are a part of our habitat. To help keep them wild, do not feed them. Make sure to catch or clean up seeds after feeding the birds each day. Pick up your pets’ food after each feeding. Keep yard clean of debris.
Cats, dogs, mothballs, vinegar and lime do not deter wildlife.
Prevention is better than the cure: Call now to have natural openings on your home sealed prior to the infestation.
