DIY vs Professional Wildlife Exclusion

Raccoon hiding near house

If you live in the Atlanta Metro or the surrounding area, you likely know the importance of wildlife exclusion. The best way to prevent larger pests and nuisance wildlife from nesting in your home

Raccoon hiding near house

is to keep them from getting inside in the first place. And maybe you’ve been doing enough research to think that you can handle this level of work on your own. You might own a caulk gun and some chicken wire. Why not do the work yourself and save some money?

There are certainly forms of DIY wildlife exclusion you can do on your own. At the same time, there are aspects to this line of work that you definitely need to leave to a professional. At Active Pest Control, we’re trained in all forms of wildlife exclusion, control and management. But before you call for our services, let’s explain how we can help you and your household.

Benefits of Professional Wildlife Exclusion

There’s more that goes into wildlife exclusion than covering entry points. In many cases, the calls we get for exclusion are only placed after some nuisance wildlife has already gotten into the home. This is where the skill set of the Active Pest Control team comes into play. If you have squirrels in your walls or skunks in the attic, removing them on your own could be frustrating, if not potentially dangerous. You don’t want to risk scratches or bites that could transfer disease. Our team has all the protective gear needed for the job, as well as years of industry experience that can apply to nearly every situation.

And when it comes to covering possible entry points, our experts can find vulnerabilities that an untrained homeowner might miss. While you can cover open vents and chimneys, you can count on us to find anything in the more hidden areas of your property. With our help the work done will be more comprehensive, protecting your household from pests big and small.

Wildlife Exclusion: What You Can Do

Even though we suggest leaving the majority of wildlife exclusion work to professionals, that doesn’t mean there’s nothing you can do yourself. If you regularly check for cracks and holes, you can cover them or seal the openings. And you can take measures to make your home inhospitable to wildlife, such as:

  • Eliminating food sources (Pet food, unsealed garbage cans, fallen fruit from trees, etc.)
  • Trimming the trees around your property
  • Shortening climbing plants along the exterior of the home
  • Taking down bird feeders

These are all safe and fairly effective ways to deter animals from your home. And if you try all of this and still find nuisance wildlife taking up residence in your home, the best action to take is to call us at Active Pest Control. We’ve been doing this for over forty years, and we can humanely remove animals from your home while also covering their tracks to keep more from getting in. Our work is ethical and effective, and we can work so you don’t have to sacrifice your safety. To get started, contact us today!

How Wildlife Exclusion Can Help

Raccoon on a ledge feeding on scraps - Keep raccoons away from your home with Active Pest Control in GA

raccoon on fence eating a cookieFor many people, pest control in Georgia means: You have an infestation in your home, and you need an exterminator with pesticides to eradicate the problem. And in certain cases, that’s true. If you have pests like termites or cockroaches, pesticides are really the only option. But as the pest gets larger, your opinions on pesticides may change. It’s one thing to bait an ant to collapse the colony – but what do you do about a squirrel, rat, or raccoon that made its way into your home? 

Active Pest Control can help, not only in removing these larger nuisance forms of wildlife but in keeping more from taking their place. We do this with the help of what’s called wildlife exclusion.

Wildlife Exclusion: An Overview

Pests both large and small aren’t known for appearing in your home out of nothing and nowhere. The motives of a beetle aren’t too different from that of something like a bat – at their core, they both want food, shelter and safety. Your home offers all of that and more, and the main goal of wildlife exclusion is to implement physical barriers to keep any pests from taking advantage of your resources.

The way we go about applying wildlife exclusion depends on the state of the property. After an initial inspection, an Active Pest Control technician will know exactly what measures need to be taken to suit your home best. You may need a sheet of mesh wire placed over your attic vent to keep bats from roosting, new shingles on the roof to keep rats out, or cracks and gaps in the foundation filled in with caulk. It could be that you need all of that and more, which isn’t a bad thing. What matters is that we do what needs to be done to separate your home from the Great Outdoors.

Keeping Things Moving: Benefits of Wildlife Exclusion

It’s easy to think about what you and your household can personally get out of wildlife exclusion. No rats in the walls or raccoons in the attic is good news for most homeowners in Georgia. And the right exclusion techniques will work in the long term, as most animals will move on and won’t come back once they’ve established that your home is not a candidate for habitation. This works in your favor, but also in the favor of the ecosystem as a whole.

The animals that try to get in your home ultimately are making a home outside their intended environment. And, by closing off access to your space, you’re guiding them back to what they’re meant to be doing. In Georgia, we need squirrels to disperse nuts and promote plant growth. Moles promote soil growth and aeration, and even something as unpleasant as a skunk is almost as effective at pest-control as we are. Every animal that is meant to be here is here for a reason, and by investing in wildlife exclusion you’re making sure that balance is maintained for a long time to come.

Keep Wildlife Away Safely with Active Pest Control

At Active Pest Control, we offer the full spectrum of wildlife management for homes and commercial properties across Georgia. We work safely in removing existing wildlife and taking the proper exclusion efforts to keep your property pest-free* for the long term. To learn more or get a free quote, contact us today!

Are Bats Really Dangerous?

Many people have a fear of bats, thanks to Hollywood’s portrayal of the creepy, night-time birds. Are they as dangerous as the movies make them out to be? While the bats in and around your home in Marietta, Georgia probably aren’t quite the bloodsucking creatures you see in horror movies, bats are dangerous – particularly if you’re trying to get them out of a home or building.

The fear of bats is mostly associated with the idea that they carry rabies. Rabid bats are rare but the potential for this is why these creatures should be approached with much caution. If you have bats in your Georgia home, attic, garage, or any other structure, you should call the wildlife professionals at Active Pest Control right away. Getting bit by a bat or any other animal that is rabid can be fatal, if you do not seek medical treatment immediately.

The reality is bats are elusive and actually look for habitats that are not going to put them in contact with humans. But when a bat finds itself in a living space or is cornered when found nesting in your attic, it can become threatened and more likely to attack.

The other, more commonly experienced reason bats are dangerous to humans is something many people aren’t even aware of. If you are exposed to bat guano (bat droppings), you can contract a disease called histoplasmosis. The symptoms of histoplasmosis primarily affect the lungs, but can sometimes cause problems for other organs. If untreated, histoplasmosis is fatal.
 
Why do Bats go into Structures?

Bats go into homes, attics, garages, sheds, and other structures to avoid predators and to get out of the weather. They gain access through improperly flashed roof valleys, through vents, chimneys, gable ends, siding, and gable ends. Once inside, the bat colonies cause damage to the structures with their nests and feces. Sometimes bats will take up residence in sewers, water wells, utility, or power sheds and can cause interference with the operation of utilities or contaminate water.

Bat proofing is best done during the fall or winter when the pests are most likely to be out of the home and hibernating. Bat proofing in the summer may trap the bats inside. You can help prevent bats from getting into your home with some do-it-yourself bat proofing.:

  • Caulk any openings to your home larger than a quarter-inch
  • Use draft-guards beneath doors to attics
  • Use chimney caps
  • Use window screens
  • Fill any plumbing or electrical holes with stainless steel wool or caulking

If you already have bats on your property, don’t hesitate to contact Active Pest Control today! Our experts can help eliminate these pests safely and help protect your GA property from future infestations.

What Is Animal Control?

Many towns and principalities have an animal control department. You might even have one in your area. If a dangerous animal comes onto your property, animal control will come to your rescue. But the scope of their commission is limited, and danger comes in many forms.

Wildlife Threats

There are many types of animals and some of these threats cross over to several animals.

  • Many wild animals spread bacteria. They forage in dumpsters and travel through sewer pipes and culverts before they chew their way into your home–and eventually into your food. These bacteria cause stomach pains, diarrhea, vomiting, fever, and other flu-like symptoms.
  • Animals live in the wild, and pick up parasites while there. Creatures with fur can carry ticks, mites, fleas, and lice. Creatures with feathers can have ectoparasites like bed bugs, mealworms, and chicken mites. Some of these parasites can work their way throughout your home.
  • Many animals damage property. Rodents will chew insulation, wood beams, sheetrock, and wires. This makes them a fire hazard. Pest birds can also be a fire hazard, by nesting in electrical boxes. Raccoons and other large animals can damage siding, windows, and window framing.
  • All animals leave feces when they inhabit a man made structure. Some animal s, like the bat, can coat an attic with their droppings. Some, like pigeons, have droppings that are corrosive and can eat away at metal, concrete, and paint. But the most dangerous animals are the ones whose droppings carry diseases–pest birds, rats, mice, and bats being the most dangerous.
  • Animals get into food, dishes, and silverware, contaminating them.
  • Wild animals are wild and unpredictable. Even a creature that appears docile can turn quickly and bite. This makes them a rabies risk.
  • Some animals are known for one threat, but pose other threats homeowners aren’t even aware of. If you have a skunk living under your porch, your nose will immediately confirm that it is bad to have a skunk around. But skunks can bite, and they spread parasites as well.

If you have animal problems, you need a pest control company that knows how to manage wild animal infestations, seal entry points, and cleanse infected areas. If you live in Atlanta or surrounding Georgia areas, see if you are in the coverage area of Active Pest Control. They are an Angie’s list 2013 Super Service Award winner, and certified QualityPro pest company. Trust your home to a company with a proven track record, and protect your family from the dangers of wildlife infestation.