Typical Wildife Problems in Decatur
GET RID OF NUISANCE WILDLIFE PROBLEMS IN THE DECATUR AREA
Residents of Decatur, AL, enjoy humid summers, mild winters, access to several lakes, and numerous lush parks and forests. Unfortunately, all these features also draw mammalian pests such as rodents, squirrels, and raccoons to the area.
Rodent Removal
Mice and rats are some of the most common rodent pests and thrive wherever humans are present. They contaminate food supplies and spread diseases like Hantavirus and salmonellosis.
Squirrel Removal
Decatur is home to three species of squirrels—grey, fox and the Southern flying squirrel. Squirrels hang out in residential lawns, construct nests in the attics of homes, and gnaw on electrical wiring, which puts households at risk of electrical fire. Squirrels often like to den in warm chimneys and attics. Please be extra careful if you happen to find squirrels inside your home during their breeding seasons, which run from December through March and June through August. Mothers raising young squirrels could become hostile if forced out of their shelters.
Inspection: In addition to inspecting your chimney and attic for squirrel nests, your Critter Control specialist will make a note of any chew marks left by squirrels looking to gain access into your home or business.
Removal: Your technician will most likely set up a one-way door or trap to remove squirrels from your property, two of the most humane methods for handline nuisance squirrels.
Repairs: We will clean up all feces, urine and debris and seal all points of entry to ensure squirrels stay outside where they belong.
Raccoon Removal
Whether in the city’s rural hills and caves, suburban backyards or urban residential areas, the pests will make use of available resources to find food, water and shelter. Intelligent and dexterous, these animals are well-known for seeking out reliable food sources such as trash cans. While it may be tempting to chase raccoons away from your trash, please leave removal to a Critter Control specialist. While it is extremely rare for Decatur’s wildlife population to carry rabies, please keep in mind that raccoons can become aggressive when threatened.
Inspection: Your wildlife specialist will make a note of disturbed trash bins and pet food. In addition, we will inspect your attic, chimney and porch to locate any raccoon dens.
Removal: We will use a humane raccoon trap to safely remove raccoons from your property.
Repairs: Our technician will seal up all entry points. Please leave the clean-up and disinfecting to our specialist as well. A large percentage of raccoons carry parasitic roundworm eggs in their feces. Touching or accidentally ingesting them by placing your hands in your mouth while cleaning up after the pests is one of the most common ways humans get infected.
Bat Removal
There are 15 species of bats in the state of Alabama; several of these, including little brown and big brown bats, may be found in residential homes and businesses. In Decatur, bat problems fall into one of three categories: roosting bats, a lone bat in the living area of a home, and bats flying around the house. If a bat is identified in the living area of the home, it can be legally be trapped and removed.
Inspection: Our specialist will inspect your attic and crawl space and look for evidence of bat feces, or guano.
Removal: Never try to remove a bat yourself. Contact with the bat’s saliva through even a small wound may transmit the rabies virus to people. Instead, allow our specialist to install a one-way valve to remove all bats from your property.
Repairs: Once all the bats have left your property, we will seal up all entry points and clean up the guano left behind. We will also apply a disinfectant to the affected area.
Opossum Control
Opossums are common pests in the Decatur area. Roughly the size of a house cat, opossums are the only marsupial native to North America. They have gray to white fur and rat-like characteristics, including a long snout, beady eyes and a long, furless tail. In Northwest Alabama, these animals tend to keep to themselves and forage for food in the dark. However, they sometimes startle residents when they visit yards, garages and homes.
Inspection: Opossums can leave quite a mess after they search for food. Our specialist will take note of disturbed trash cans or torn-up gardens and inspect your property for opossum tracks and droppings. We will also note where there are entry points in your walls and attic.
Removal: Opossums can carry diseases like leptospirosis, tuberculosis and spotted fever; therefore, please leave the handling to a specialist who will use a humane live trap to remove the opossum(s) from your property.
Repairs: Your specialist will seal up access points such as entrances to attics as well as gaps in walls or siding.
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.
Mosquitoes
Northwest Alabama is home to a thriving mosquito population that’s capable of transmitting life-threatening diseases to humans and animals alike. For example, the Zika and West Nile viruses are passed through bites inflicted by invasive Asian tiger mosquitoes.
If you suspect you have a wildlife intrusion on your residential or commercial property, contact our professionals at Critter Control of Huntsville today!
How Professional Wildlife Control Services Can Help You
Encountering nuisance wildlife is an unwelcome experience for many homeowners and business owners in the Huntsville area. Whether you found a raccoon in your attic, opossums digging up your garden or mice in your kitchen, property owners should always contact a trained wildlife specialist. How can we help?
- You and your family will stay safe. Removing an animal yourself without the proper training and equipment can be very dangerous.
- A trained specialist knows how to conduct a full inspection. We know where the animals like to hide.
- Animals can leave behind lots of destruction and unsanitary conditions. Wildlife specialists know how to properly clean up and disinfect the property so that everyone who lives there stays healthy.
Why Choose Critter Control
- We restore order quickly and professionally. Dealing with a wild animal on your property is an unsettling experience that can lead to panic. Critter Control specialists will remove the animal safely and put your mind at ease.
- Our work doesn’t end as soon as we trap and take away the animal. Critter Control technicians will ensure your property is properly repaired, so you will not have to worry about more unwelcome visits.
- We only use the most humane removal methods. From risky raccoon removal to basic bird control, Critter Control specialists conduct each job under the highest of humane animal-handling standards.
