Monday-Friday 7:30 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.
Saturday 9:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.
Sunday Closed
By County: Chatham County, Durham County, Orange County, Wake County
The Triangle region of North Carolina is rich with streams, woodlands, fields, and rocky outcrops. Animals that cause trouble for local homeowners include bats, raccoons, and squirrels.
Critter Control is here for you every step of the way in the wildlife removal process. From inspection to removal—and even exclusion and repair—we have the services you need to get rid of raccoons, rodents, and other nuisances fast. First, we identify the animal on the property, then use humane methods to remove the animal and secure weak points where more could enter. If damage has been done, we can make those repairs for a complete restoration. Contact a Critter Control office near you today.
Pest control inspections are the first step to reclaiming your home, ensuring it’s safe, comfortable, and critter-free. Our experienced team at Critter Control can help you identify signs of pests, determine what type of pests you’re dealing with, and find entry points and damage caused. We inspect over 70 different places on the exterior and interior of your house.
We use several methods humane animal control. Depending on the species, the number of animals, and the condition of your property, we develop a custom wildlife removal plan. Humane wildlife removal strategies include animal traps, one-way doors, and repellents. Once we guarantee all animals are gone, we implement exclusion techniques. Exclusion techniques provide a safe, long-term solution to nuisance wildlife in your home. We create barriers to prevent animals from getting to resources. We only apply exclusions once we are sure all animals are gone from your home.
Wildlife will damage your home. Exclusion techniques repair any damage the animal causes getting into your home. Inside your home, animals build nests and dens out of readily available material. They will create runs through the insulation. Rodents will gnaw on anything including electrical wires and pipes. Animals can also spread diseases. We apply sanitation agents to clean up feces and urine. Mammals can host pests like fleas, ticks, and mites. Ectoparasite treatments exterminate those pests so you don’t become their next host.
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. The first step is to secure all entry points to keep raccoons out. It is essential to apply cleaning agents and ectoparasite treatments on areas inhabited by raccoons.
North Carolina hosts several squirrel species. Residents of the Triangle region encounter fox, gray, and southern flying squirrels, which can den in attics as well as trees. Inside a house, these animals often gnaw on wiring, shred insulation for their nests, and stain surfaces with urine and droppings.
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.
The best squirrel control is exclusion from Critter Control. We seal and secure all current and potential squirrel entry points to keep squirrels out of your house.
If you have spotted a snake in your house or garage, then it may be time to call in the team of experts at Critter Control.
Snakes avoid detection. Typical signs of snakes in your home include snake dropping and shredded snake skins.
Snakes do not enter your home randomly. Snakes are in your basement, crawlspace, attic, shed or garage for a purpose. The snake is either hunting for food or escaping the elements.
Snakes can be a sign of a rodent infestation. During our inspection, we look for signs of snakes, rats, and mice.
When cornered, snakes will try to strike out and bite, so contacting a trained wildlife removal specialist is the safest option when it comes to snake control. The experts at Critter Control humanely capture pest snakes to ensure the safety of all nearby residents.
Preventative exclusion work to seal any construction gaps within your home will also help keep snakes out and other critters like rats, bats, and raccoons. To help keep snakes away from your property, make your yard less appealing for snakes. Snakes love sheltered areas so general landscaping will help. Trim brushes, clear debris, clean up leaf piles, cut tall grass and remove rock piles.
The only marsupial found in North America, opossums are easily identified due to their long tails, pointed faces, and large, hairless ears. Opossum tails lack hair and serve as an additional limb to help in climbing.
Opossums create numerous problems for homeowners. These notoriously nocturnal pests can sneak into yards and outbuildings completely undetected, though the effects of their presence are perfectly clear the next day. Opossums may knock over garbage cans in order to gain access to easy meals, which they also make out of unattended pet food. They will also den under sheds, especially when rearing their young. In addition, these pests carry numerous parasites and can spread disease.
Opossums can be found inside attics and basements or outside under decks and sheds. Common signs include unique paw prints and feces. Opossums are docile and usually easy to spot.
Opossums can be lured into cages for live capture. If it is maternity season, we follow all guidelines for removing mother and newborn opossums. We will seal entryways into the building to prevent opossums from reentering in the future. Opossums can be kept from getting under sheds and decks by installing fencing around the bottom edges and burying the fence underground.
Broken screens on chimney and roof vents are replaced with sturdier materials, and we properly seal all entry points, including crawlspaces. We clean and deodorize areas of opossum activity. Exclusion may include eliminating sources that attract bugs, like nighttime lighting, stagnant water, and livestock poop.
In the Triangle area, we see a lot of different critters, depending on the season.
During the winter, we see raccoons and squirrels getting into the attics, looking for shelter. During the hot months, we see bats hanging out in attics. Opossums, moles, voles and rodents are year-round problems in yards and crawl spaces.
Most critters live outside where they are supposed to. However, sometimes they decide they will be happier and feel safer inside a home or building. When a critter enters the structure, the evidence of the entry may be as subtle as rub marks on the siding, or as oblivious as siding pulled off the home by a raccoon. Usually the occupant hears strange noises inside the home that alerts them to call Critter Control.
Most critters take advantage of an existing opening when entering a home or building. The best way to prevent critters from entering, is to perform routine maintenance on and around the structure. Critter Control often installs prevention products to homes, to prevent critters from entering the home.
Homeowners should reach out to Critter Control when they hear strange noises, see holes on the home, or when a neighbor is having critter exclusion work done on their home.
