GET RID OF NUISANCE WILDLIFE PROBLEMS IN MADISON
Warm, humid weather brought on by year-round precipitation makes Madison, AL, a prime place for pests to flourish. A population around 43,000 residents forces confrontations between people and pests on a regular basis. Most notably, individuals frequently encounter feral swine, which are known for their aggression. The area is also home to more than a dozen species of wasps that pester families at parks and build nests in residential neighborhoods. Other problematic pest animals include mice, mosquitoes, rats, squirrels, and raccoons, many of which carry serious diseases like rabies or the Zika virus.
Raccoon Removal
Raccoons are nighttime thieves. Don’t let their cute masks and striped tails fool you. All they want is a warm place to sleep and a buffet of fine foods. They will eat anything and travel up to six miles searching for food, including pet food, insects, junk food, garden crops, fruits, nuts, scraps and leftovers, and smaller wildlife.
Raccoons have nimble hands that allow them to open trash cans and bags quickly. They use them to dig holes in the ground to search for insects, climb trees and chimneys to get to your roof and break screens and vents to enter your home. Once in your home, raccoons establish a spot to poop and pee. Then they get to work ripping out insulation, ductwork, posts, and drywall.
Because raccoons can carry germs and diseases, call expert wildlife control experts to remove them from your home.
Inspection: Our experts identify signs of raccoon activity, as well as every entry point they use to enter your home. We locate signs of damage both inside and outside your home.
Raccoon Removal: Raccoons are considered game animals. We follow all local and state regulations when safely and humanely trapping raccoons for removal. We cannot relocate raccoons, but we do implement exclusion methods to prevent them from returning.
Repair: Raccoons are known to dent gutters and spouting, break screens and vents, raid gardens, dig holes in the yard, and some will cut wires in your vehicle to drink antifreeze fluids, which has a sweet taste. While we cannot fix your car, we can repair damages to your home. We exclude raccoons by sealing entry points into your house, fencing gardens, clearing debris, installing barriers on trees and rooftops, and adequately storing feed and trash.
Other nighttime thieves without manners are rodents.
Rodent Pest Control
Jumping mice, deer mice, harvest mice, roof rats, brown rats, and house mice are just a few of the rodent species in Alabama. Rats and mice are nocturnal, searching the streets of Madison, AL for food, water, and shelter. If they can find those in your home, they will move in.
Rats and mice can enter your home through cracks and holes you may not even notice. Mice can squeeze through a hole the size of a quarter and rats a hole the size of a golf ball. They build nests in your attic, ceiling, walls, and baseboards. You may hear them scurrying and chirping when you’re trying to fall asleep. You may notice nighttime rodent activity by the droppings and urine left behind on your counters, floors, and in your cabinets where you store food.
Rats and mice will gnaw wood, furniture, carpet, wires, and food boxes. Because rats and mice multiply quickly and often, it’s essential to call our experts at the first sign of a rodent.
Inspection: Our experts know the signs of rat and mice activity, even the not-so-well-known signs. We identify every possible hole or crack rodents use to enter your home and assess damages.
Removal: We use humane traps to remove rodents from your home or building.
Repair: Common repairs include fixing gnawed wires, boards and sealing all entry points. We implement exclusion methods that make your property less attractive to rats and mice. We screen vents and chimneys, and store foods properly.
Another rodent we deal with a lot in Madison, AL is the squirrel.
Squirrel Removal in Madison, AL
Squirrels are cute and fun to watch until you start noticing the damages they’ve caused in your yard, like stealing garden crops, fruits, berries, and nuts. They raid bird feeders and dig holes in your yard to store their foods, and even strip bark from your trees.
The gray squirrel, fox squirrel, and Southern flying squirrel are the main culprits in Alabama. They like to enter your home to build a nest and hoard the items they’ve collected. Squirrels will tear screens covering chimneys and vents to get in. Once inside, they will shred insulation, causing heating and cooling issues. They like to use any items available to make a nest, including sentimental items lying around.
There are ways to enjoy the squirrels without fear of damage to your home or property. Call us to provide this solution.
Inspection: Our experts locate all food sources and other attractants on your property. We find every spot that allows them to enter your home. We look for specific signs of damage known to squirrels inside and outside your home.
Squirrel Removal: Squirrels are very active and don’t spend a lot of time in their nests when they can be scavenging. While they are at work, we close access points so they cannot reenter. If you have a squirrel that won’t leave, we can use safe and humane squirrel traps that meet local and state regulations for removal.
Repair: Squirrel damage repairs often consist of fencing gardens, trimming trees branches, installing tree and roof barriers to prevent climbing, repairing damaged wires, replacing insulation and drywall, and fixing screens on chimneys and vents. Keeping your yard manicured and properly storing animal feed can reduce squirrel activity, as well as relocating bird feeders further away from your home.
Bat Removal
Whether you have one bat or a colony living in your attic, that’s too many. Bats can be heard at night. They can be smelled, too, since they leave large amounts of guano, or feces, and urine where they roost.
Bats commonly roosting in Madison attics, offices, or other man-made structures include the little and big brown bats, the Brazilian free-tailed bats, and the tri-colored bats. You will rarely see them, however.
Bats are beneficial to the Alabama environment. They are great for pest control, eating thousands of insects a night. Harming them or harassing them is illegal. You should not try to remove them on your own either. Bats are covered in their feces because they poop and pee while roosting upside down. Their guano grows mold, and if the mold is inhaled, it can lead to respiratory infections like histoplasmosis.
Let our experts do the dirty work of bat removal.
Inspection: Bats are easy to locate. Our assessment focuses primarily on assessing damages and identifying food and water sources.
Removal: Bats fly out every night to feed. During this time, we can seal the holes and cracks that allowed them into your attic so they can’t return. If a bat doesn’t leave, we have safety equipment specific to bat removal.
Repairs: Repairs include removal of bat guano and urine and application of a sanitizer. Exclusion methods include reducing or removing food and water sources that attract insects. Areas with stagnant water, exterior lights, uncovered trash, and livestock manure attracts bugs that attract bats.
Like bats, skunks are beneficial to pest control but can also cause damage.
Bird Control
Birdwatching in Alabama is a great hobby. Some of the most common backyard birds to see include robins, doves, bluebirds, cardinals, woodpeckers, and finches. Some non-native species are around, too, like swallows, sparrows, pigeons, and rock doves.
All birds can be an annoyance and cause minor damage to your home, office, retail store, or other building. They roost on electrical wires, build nests in gutters and vents, and poop everywhere. Some birds cause more damage than others, like woodpeckers, which can poke holes in your siding and structural beams. We have a few exclusion tricks to reduce bird damage on any property.
Inspection: Our inspection goal is to locate nests in places that can cause damages, like gutters, spouting, eaves, and chimneys.
Removal: We remove nests from spaces where they could be a danger. Removing birds is impossible since they can fly right back. We focus on exclusion.
Repair: Exclusion techniques include installing barriers on your gutters and roof, trimming trees, and reducing sources that attract insects when possible since that is what they like to eat. We seal off eaves, vents, and chimneys with screens that prevent birds from entering those spaces. In some cases, netting is used to avoid access to trees.
Stinging Insect Pest Control & Nest Removal
We can also safely remove any stinging insect nests like wasps, bees, yellow jackets, hornets, and paper wasps. The insects might be beneficial or unwanted depending on the location. If the nest is in your home or hidden in your grass, it can put your family in danger.
Social insects such as honey bees, hornets, yellowjackets, and paper wasps live in colonies that can contain thousands of workers. They will defend their hive or nest. They can also cause property damage. Carpenter bees can create holes in wood. Hives can attract other nuisance wildlife like raccoons and rodents.
They may be beneficial or unwanted depending on where they are found.
Some bees, paper wasps, and hornets may build nests in attics, walls, under eaves, in soffits, under porches, and in tree branches. Other insects such as yellowjackets and some bees build their nests in the ground.
Social insects These insects will defend their nests.
How Professional Wildlife Services Can Help You
Hiring professional wildlife removal services can help you because they have the tools and equipment for safely removing all types of nuisance wildlife. Plus, they can
- Handle all the feces and urine removal.
- Provide quick and efficient services.
- Know the local and state regulations.
Why Choose Critter Control
At Critter Control of Huntsville, we give you:
- Access to trained and certified wildlife professionals.
- Licensed and insured technicians.
- Experts who are trained in using safe and humane trapping equipment.
Nuisance Wildlife in Northwest Alabama FAQ
What are some of the most common wildlife issues that homeowners face in Madison, AL?
Typical wildlife that will enter a home in Alabama include bats, raccoons, rats, mice, and squirrels. Skunks, chipmunks, opossums, and moles will enter your yard and could burrow under porches, sheds or the foundation.
How do the seasons affect nuisance wildlife activity outside of Huntsville, AL?
Generally, wildlife will look for shelter in the spring when its time to have babies or in the winter when they’re seeking shelter from the elements.
What are some common signs of nuisance wildlife activity?
Fortunately, if a wild animal is in your home, it will make its presence known. If an animal is in the attic, you’ll hear unusually sounds. You might hear vocal noises like: squeaks, growls, cries, hisses, chitters; or clawing, scampering, thudding. Be aware of odors from animal droppings or urine. The surest sign you have an animal is your home is if you see it.
Any prevention tips for residents in your area?
Animals are looking for food, water, and shelter. If you can limit or eliminate access to one or all those elements, you will help prevent a wildlife infestation. Additionally, trim and prune any trees so branches are not hanging over your house and roof.
When should homeowners call Critter Control?
As soon as you suspect anything! The longer an animal lives in your house or on your property the more costly it becomes to rectify the situation.
Contact Critter Control of Huntsville AL: 1.800.274.8837(800.CRITTER)