Critter Control of Harrisburg

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Pennsylvania’s capital, Harrisburg, is the hub of a broader urban area that includes many suburban towns as well as Hershey, best known for its chocolate factory and amusement park. The Susquehanna River serves as the city’s western border. Despite the hustle and bustle of city life, many species of wildlife call the river and the woodlands of the Susquehanna Valley home, including raccoons, rodents, and other small mammals.

Riverside cities and towns typically have recreational areas for residents and tourists to go on hikes and unwind, taking in the scenery. What many don’t realize is how quickly wildlife moves into neighboring residential and business areas looking for food, water, and shelter. While paved city streets, roadways, and highways like Interstate 81 and Interstate 83 do limit the access wildlife have to neighborhoods, they also make it difficult for these animals to make it back to their natural habitats, forcing them to settle where they are — like a home’s basement or attic.

A growing and vibrant urban area, Harrisburg has ranked among the best places to live and retire in Pennsylvania. It has a young, active urban population that supports amenities such as river cruises, music festivals, and more. City Island, in the middle of the river, is a large tourist attraction, including both a baseball and football stadium, a beach club, miniature golf, and playgrounds. These attractions, though, provide wildlife with easy and continuous access to food.

Critter Control Wildlife Removal Process

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.
STEP 1

Wildlife Inspection

During the inspection we try to ascertain how many animals there are, where they are located, and how they got in. Based on what you have seen, heard and smelled, we start the inspection where you have noticed signs of animal activity. Evidence of animals inside your home include nests, dens, feces, and animal tracks. We investigate the exterior of your home looking for possible entry points, any evidence of animal damage, tracks, fur, animal waste, or rub marks.
STEP 2

Removal

We use several methods to humanely remove the animal from your home. 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.
STEP 3

Exclusion and Repair

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.

Raccoon Removal

In their natural habitat, raccoons are excellent climbers and use the cover of trees to protect themselves from predators. They tend to make their homes up high, which is why they usually take up residence in attics and chimneys. These areas of a house are ideal spots when winter sets in, especially in an urban environment that offers little to no trees. Raccoons may seem cute, but many people don’t realize that they’re also quite destructive.

These critters are strong and will use their hands to tear a hole in the roof of a house to gain entry. Once inside, they usually tear through the home’s insulation and gnaw on wood and wires. Raccoons aren’t very small, so you’ll likely hear them banging around if one moves into your attic. They can become fierce when confronted, especially if there are kits (or baby raccoons) with them. Trapping to relocate raccoons is not allowed in Pennsylv

Inspection

Inspection

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.

Raccoon Trapping

Raccoon Trapping

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.
Repairs

Repairs

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.

Squirrel Removal

Like raccoons, rats, mice, and bats, squirrels also like to live in attics and chimneys. There are five squirrel species living in Pennsylvania, but the gray squirrel is, by far, the most populous. It’s also the one that most often lives in urban and suburban areas.

Squirrels in attics are a common animal nuisance problem in Harrisburg. These rodents are amusing to watch at a park, but they are not fun to find in your attic or crawl space, where they have been known to make a mess and cause electrical fires. Because a squirrel’s teeth continue to grow, it needs to gnaw to keep them at a manageable length.

Carriers parasites such as ticks, mange mites, fleas, and internal parasites, squirrels leave feces and urine behind that can transmit leptospirosis, salmonellosis, and tularemia. Trying to capture these agile creatures is difficult and can be dangerous if they become aggressive. Critter Control has the experience and equipment to rid your premises of squirrels effectively and humanely.

Inspection

Inspection

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.

Squirrel Trapping

Squirrel Trapping

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.
Repairs

Repairs

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. 

Rodent Control

Although small, rats and mice will cause significant damage to your home or business. Rodents are also responsible for the spread of disease, which tends to happen when their urine or feces contaminate food. This is especially dangerous in homes with children or in restaurants and athletic facilities where cleanliness and diligence are a necessity.

Rodents can squeeze through the tiniest of gaps in doors and windows and the space around your gas pipes or vents. Once they make themselves at home, they will gnaw on wood and wires, creating a risk of electrical fires. They also reproduce all year round, so they can quickly create a large infestation.

Because rodents are mostly nocturnal, you might not realize there’s a problem until an infestation occurs. That’s why it’s important to watch for signs of rats and mice, like rodent feces on kitchen counters and in pantries, greasy smudge marks along walls where they travel, and scampering noises at night in walls and the attic. To get rid of rodents completely, it’s best to let a wildlife specialist develop a custom plan that not only includes rat and mouse removal but exclusion techniques to keep them from returning.

Inspection

Inspection

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.

Rodent Trapping

Rodent Trapping

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. 
Repairs

Repairs

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.
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Bat Removal

Nine species of bats live in Pennsylvania, two of which are on the federal endangered species list: the northern long-eared bat and the Indiana bat. In addition, more than 90% of Pennsylvania’s little brown bats and northern long-eared bats have succumbed to white-nose syndrome, a fungal disease.

All Pennsylvania bats are insect-eating and serve a beneficial purpose. Under normal conditions, they can eat 600 to 1,000 mosquito-sized insects per hour! While they are great at ridding our yards of unwanted insects, they’re not welcome guests when roosting in an attic, chimney, or behind shutters. Despite their benefits, the feces (or guano) that bats leave behind is a potential danger for diseases such as Histoplasma fungus.

Bats give birth each spring to a single pup. Pups remain helpless during the spring and summer months and are weaned by fall. It is at this time that bats can be removed from an attic without harming the young. Critter Control does this by installing a bat valve or one-way door that lets the bats fly out at dusk but doesn’t allow them to re-enter. Once gone, Critter Control can begin to clean up the guano and urine and sanitize your space.

Inspection

Inspection

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).

Bat Removal

Bat Removal

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.
Repairs

Repairs

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.

Bird Control

 

The Harrisburg area is purportedly a great area for birdwatching, including on City Island. There are even peregrine falcons nesting on the 15th floor of the Rachel Carson building downtown! Some bird species have become nuisances around Harrisburg, though, including pigeons, starlings, blackbirds, geese, and even bluejays.

Nuisance birds overrunning your building or property is not a situation you want to find yourself in. Their droppings and loose feathers can clog pipes and vents. Nests in chimneys become fire hazards. They can also transmit diseases and parasites, make lots of noise when roosting in flocks, and damage your property with their feces and urine.

Birds are nearly impossible to catch and remove effectively, and even if they’re caught and released, there’s always a chance they’ll fly right back inside. In addition, many are protected by the Migratory Bird Act, so removal by excluding them is the only effective method for getting rid of birds. There are many DIY products on the market designed to scare them off, but those only work for a short time. Critter Control specialists are experts in effective bird exclusions.

Inspection

Inspection

We thoroughly inspect the area for things that attract birds, like harborage and loafing areas, as well as food and water sources. Also, we look for where birds may be entering your home or business. We also inspect for damage caused by birds, whether it's by nesting, or by droppings.

Trapping & Removal

Trapping & Removal

After identifying the bird species, we may start by physically removing the species in question. In rescue situations, such as chimneys or basements, birds can be released on-site if the entrance has been secured properly. Occasionally, live traps will be used, especially if flocks of birds are involved. For persistent birds and larger flocks, several advanced techniques may be applied simultaneously including netting, spikes, ledge products, scare tactics, misting and more. The most effective method of bird control is prevention and exclusion.

Repairs & Prevention

Repairs & Prevention

We can repair the damage that is allowing birds entry to your home, like broken siding, weakened gutters, rotted soffits and fascia. We can also install protective screens on chimneys and vents. We can also remove nesting materials and accumulated droppings, then clean surface stains. We can use netting over fruit and vegetable crops and water basins. Netting can also be used in car ports, building overhangs and food courts. We also install a large number of different types of roof ledge barriers too.

Professional Bird Control

The three birds that most often become pests in the U.S. in urban areas are pigeons, house sparrows, and starlings. Hundreds of bird species exist in Pennsylvania, both native and non-native. Pennsyvalnia's most common backyard birds include sparrows, starlings, bluebirds, bluejays, woodpeckers, and blackbirds. Birds seem harmless until you start paying for repairs like removing stains from bird droppings, fixing broken roof ledges, unclogging gutters that led to water damage, or cleaning out nests in chimneys that are fire hazards.

In particular, Critter Control’s Philadelphia-based specialists often receive calls to remove woodpeckers, which may peck holes into house siding looking for insects to make nest cavities, or to communicate with other woodpeckers.

Birds, especially in swarms, do more damage than you may think. These "pest" birds tend to roost in large numbers, putting too much weight on parts of your home's structure. They also breed in large numbers. Colonies can mean large amounts of waste and a lot of noise.

Most birds are protected under the 1918 Migratory Bird Act, making exclusions the only way to get rid of nuisance birds. Wildlife technicians are experts in exclusions.

Inspection

Inspection

We thoroughly inspect the area for things that attract birds, like harborage and loafing areas, as well as food and water sources. Also, we look for where birds may be entering your home or business. We also inspect for damage caused by birds, whether it's by nesting, or by droppings.

Trapping & Removal

Trapping & Removal

After identifying the bird species, we may start by physically removing the species in question. In rescue situations, such as chimneys or basements, birds can be released on-site if the entrance has been secured properly. Occasionally, live traps will be used, especially if flocks of birds are involved. For persistent birds and larger flocks, several advanced techniques may be applied simultaneously including netting, spikes, ledge products, scare tactics, misting and more. The most effective method of bird control is prevention and exclusion.

Repairs & Prevention

Repairs & Prevention

We can repair the damage that is allowing birds entry to your home, like broken siding, weakened gutters, rotted soffits and fascia. We can also install protective screens on chimneys and vents. We can also remove nesting materials and accumulated droppings, then clean surface stains. We can use netting over fruit and vegetable crops and water basins. Netting can also be used in car ports, building overhangs and food courts. We also install a large number of different types of roof ledge barriers too.
Get them out.
Keep them out.®
Call For A FREE Inspection
Click to call

The Critter Control Difference

Guaranteed Work Your satisfaction is always guaranteed. Critter Control® takes great pride in providing quality workmanship resulting in customer satisfaction.
Trained Experts At Critter Control, our technicians start training on day one and receive continual training throughout their careers with us through a combination of field training and online studies. The company continually keeps up with changing laws, regulations, and safety methods, as well as evolving techniques.
Residential and Commerical Invading nuisance wildlife can wreak havoc on property. If left unattended wildlife and pests can cause costly property damage. Whether a residential property, apartment buildings, retail stores, office buildings, industrial plants, medical facilities, or warehouses, our trained professionals can handle any wildlife removal problem.
Safe Wildlife Control Critter Control places a high priority on keeping both humans and wildlife safe. The wildlife control services company uses humane methods to eradicate animals and adheres to all laws and ordinances to avoid interfering with wildlife mating seasons or endangered species. Most nuisance wildlife is removedd using one-way doors in which they can leave but cannot return, live traps, except for rats or mice in which a custom plan is created according to the specific situation.
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