As urban sprawl replaces rural areas, squirrels, raccoons, bats and skunks have been forced to find new living quarters. This urban wildlife will try to find entry into your home, warehouse, restaurant, store, production plant, or any facility that could potentially provide food and shelter. They need somewhere safe to have and raise their offspring and are extremely crafty in locating entry to a new home. They look for any opening or weak point in your home’s foundation, chimneys, roof vents, gaps around windows and doors, etc. and can find living quarters in attics, fireplaces, garages and wall voids.
Although not normally considered dangerous, these wildlife pests can be vicious when they are cornered or feel threatened by humans or pets — especially when it comes to protecting their young. However, danger to your home is much more likely. Once they achieve entry, they can cause significant damage to the structural integrity of your home, leaving you in an expensive and dangerous situation. Professional wildlife removal and complete wildlife control is imperative in keeping your home and family safe from these pests.
As these critters are wild animals, they can also carry some dangerous travelers in the form of diseases and parasites. Raccoons are common carriers of rabies, roundworms and leptospirosis. Skunks are common carriers of the rabies virus as well as leptospirosis. Squirrels can be common carriers of ticks and fleas. The most active season for wildlife issues is typically Spring through Fall. So, taking extra precaution after the Winter season by inspecting your home for any weak points, gaps, or cracks that can act as entry points can be a good start to your pest and wildlife control plan.
Although taking preventative action is something you can do, animal removal and animal control is not something the average person should undertake. There are many legal restrictions to the removal process that must be adhered to, and we certainly recommend you seek out experienced professionals to effectively manage your humane wildlife control program for your property.
Abell is not only in the business of pest control. We have many specialties, including an array of humane wildlife control services. Whether it’s raccoon removal, skunk removal, squirrel removal, full exclusion or preventative control, we have professional technicians with the right tools and training to tackle even your most difficult wildlife control needs.
The first important step is a full inspection of the property to assess where vulnerabilities could be for possible entry points. Whether it’s for a current issue with an animal or family that have made entry, or preventative action to keep critters out, this step is imperative. With a strong understanding of wildlife behavior and habits, our professionals know exactly where to look in identifying entry points and ideal living quarters. In general, chimneys and vents should be capped or sealed, holes in walls and roofs should be repaired, windows should have screens, and doors into garages and sheds should be kept closed as much as possible.
Sanitation is also very important to prevent wildlife from infesting your property. Just covering a garbage can with a lid would pose no challenge to any wildlife looking for food. Only heavy plastic or metal garbage cans should be used. These cans should have lids that fasten tightly and are secure from capsizing. Also, keeping your property free from lumber, garbage and other debris will discourage the presence of wildlife on your property.
When it comes to the removal portion of our services, Abell only operates in complete accordance with local regulations, and always services humanely. Euthanizing nuisance animals is NEVER an option for us. We operate with a strategic combination of humane relocation and exclusion to ensure the animals are not harmed nor stripped from their family, but also cannot re-enter our client’s property.
As both a pest control and wildlife control company, we have the skills, experience and genuine care for your nuisance critters to take on animal control services for your home or business.
Wild animals need food and shelter, just like any other species. If they find an attractive place that has access to food and safety from external conditions, they may just move in permanently. They are attracted to such things as garbage, birdseed, and pet food. If possible, they will move into garages, sheds, basements, attics, wall voids, etc.
These critters are crafty – squirrels only need 1 ¼ inches of space to enter, and raccoons only 4 inches. This creates many opportunities around the home for entry, such as gaps around windows and doors, roof vents, cracks in exterior foundation, soffit and roof intersections, chimneys. It does not take much, and that is why ensuring these potential entry points are sealed up come springtime is extremely important.
Unfortunately, wildlife can be very destructive to your home or business. Once they achieve entry, they can and will cause damage by chewing through siding, insulation, drywall, electrical wiring. For example, squirrels have lower incisors that grow continuously, and need to be controlled. They can do this by grinding their teeth, but if there is material that they can chew or gnaw on, that becomes an even better solution for them.
All wildlife can cause significant and very expensive damage to your home. They can also carry disease and parasites such as ticks or fleas that can be dangerous to your home, pets and potentially your family.
The most common nuisance critters that we provide control services for are raccoons, skunks and squirrels. We also do quite a bit of work with little brown bats and big brown bats, chipmunks, opossums and sometimes groundhogs and snakes.
However, we perform unique services all the time. Our different branches have different local wildlife needs, and some may service for certain animals that others do not. If you have any sort of wildlife issue, give us a call to learn more about how we can help!
Knowing that their mother won't retrieve them if they're cold, Abell Technician Adam turned his cooler into a thermal heat source for a pair of baby raccoons removed during an exclusion to keep them warm.
This Coopers Hawk managed to get itself into trouble while chasing after some small birds and couldn’t find its way out of a building.
This Peregrine Falcon got into a little bit of trouble on a rooftop in Windsor, Ontario.
We had a client who was having some trouble with a family of squirrels and one of our Wildlife Technicians, Corey, went out to inspect.
One of our Wildlife Technicians, Corey, was curious as to why the usual pigeons were not showing up at one of his client’s property.
Every year Kitchener's famous swan residents, Otis and Ophelia, must be relocated from Victoria Park to Stratford for the winter months.
Excluding the nuisance animals is always a significant part of the battle. We can always remove and relocate, but what’s to stop them from returning?
Exclusion is significant aspect of our wildlife management.
When our Route Manager, Chantelle was making her rounds to check the exterior rodent stations at a client’s property, she came across a big hole in the soil leading under the foundation.
