Do you remember the old Looney Tunes cartoons where the coyote and roadrunner battled it out? No matter what the coyote did to try to outsmart the roadrunner, his efforts always failed. The roadrunner came back time and time again. Have you been trying to outdo wildlife on your Rome, Georgia property? Does it seem like no matter how hard you try, and no matter what you do, they just keep coming back to plague you? This can lead to a lot of problems. Let’s take a look.

• Wild animals can be dangerous. While most will leave you alone if an animal has rabies, is cornered or threatened, or is protecting young, it can attack you.
• Wild animals can spread disease. Many animals, especially rodents, raccoons, and bats, can spread diseases. First, they come in contact with decaying, bacteria-laden things; then, they bring them into your home via their fur or excrement. The CDC lists the following diseases that can be spread by wildlife: roundworm, brucellosis, giardiasis, hantavirus pulmonary syndrome, herpesvirus simiae, histoplasmosis, tuberculosis, rabies, and tularemia.
• Wild animals can damage property. Rodents will chew on everything. Moles will dig up your yard and gardens. And raccoons and other animals can strew trash all over your yard and cause structural damage to your home and outbuildings.
• Wild animals carry parasites. Most wild animals do not come alone but will bring ticks, mites, and fleas with them. If they have infiltrated your home, they likely will spread these parasites around.
• Wild animals can contaminate food. If they have been roaming in filthy areas, and they then get into your kitchen and pantry areas, they can cause foods to become contaminated.

While there is no guaranteed way to completely eradicate wildlife from your property, these steps will go a long way toward helping you keep Georgia wildlife such as raccoons, squirrels, moles, opossums, and snakes at bay.

• Seal all exterior trash. And make sure they can’t be tipped over.
• Don’t leave food outside. Put away pet food after mealtimes, clean up after cooking outside, and remove all fruits and vegetables from the ground after harvesting.
• Use wire mesh or chicken wire to block off areas under your deck, porch, patio or garage.
• Keep windows locked to keep raccoons out.
• Install fencing around garden areas to keep burrowing animals away. Make sure to place the fence into the ground several inches so animals cannot burrow underneath.
• Trim back tree branches from your walls, so animals do not have access to your roof areas.
• Place wire mesh in downspouts so rodents cannot climb up.
• Be aware that lattice and exterior pipes can give access to your roofline and upper windows.
• Declutter your yard to remove hiding places for animals, so they will be less likely to come in close.

If you need help keeping wildlife off your property, or out of your home, don’t be like the coyote who always went it alone. Let the wildlife experts at Active Pest Control help. Give us a call today to learn more.