Critter Control specializes in wildlife pest control. After a thorough home inspection, we create a custom wildlife control strategy to humanely remove the nuisance animal from your home and ensure the animal cannot return.
Safe, humane removal of nuisance animals and pests from your home or property.
Reliable prevention from future animal intrusions in your home.
Professional and permanent repairs to entry points, insulation, and damage from animal urine or feces.
As it continues to grow, the Kansas City metropolitan area attracts a variety of wildlife pests. Lush landscapes watered by the Missouri River and an influx of residents mean animals can find water, food, and shelter in abundance in local neighborhoods.
Adaptable and clever, raccoons have no trouble thriving in Kansas City. Attics and chimneys make ideal den sites raccoons. Raccoons can wreak havoc trying to gain entry to your home and cause significant damage creating a den in your attic. They can cause a mess of garbage and destroy home gardens and birdfeeders. Because they are nocturnal, you’ll most likely hear a loud thumbing at night if you have a raccoon in your attic.
During the inspection, we determine the severity of the raccoon infestation. We look for physical evidence like footprints in or around the home, stains from raccoon feces and urine. On the exterior of the house, we look for damage like scratches on boards, broken vents and screens, ripped apart shingles, destroyed soffits, and every possible entry point.
Live trapping is one of the most efficient ways to get rid of a raccoon. Depending on the situation, a one-way door or excluder valve can be installed. An excluder valve works by allowing the raccoon to leave but blocks its reentry. The choice of device is largely dependent on the season and location of the raccoons on your property. Direct capture is not commonly used because raccoons are a rabies vector species. If we must trap, we place traps strategically to safely catch the raccoons and we check traps frequently, based on state laws
We provide a wide range of repair and restoration services. We can repair raccoon damage like broken screens on vents and chimneys and broken boards on decks and porches. It is essential to apply cleaning agents and ectoparasite treatments on areas inhabited by raccoons.
Opossums are more of a nuisance than a real danger. They are very common in urban and suburban settings and will eat practically anything. Known for foraging through trash, opossums will return to unsecured trash cans. Opossums will use attics, crawlspaces and the areas under sheds and porches as dens.
Opossums can be found inside attics and basements or outside under decks and sheds. Common signs include unique paw prints and feces. Opossums are docile and usually easy to spot.
Opossums can be lured into cages for live capture. If it is maternity season, we follow all guidelines for removing mother and newborn opossums. We will seal entryways into the building to prevent opossums from reentering in the future. Opossums can be kept from getting under sheds and decks by installing fencing around the bottom edges and burying the fence underground.
Broken screens on chimney and roof vents are replaced with sturdier materials, and we properly seal all entry points, including crawlspaces. We clean and deodorize areas of opossum activity. Exclusion may include eliminating sources that attract bugs, like nighttime lighting, stagnant water, and livestock poop.
Squirrels can live in almost any habitat, including urban areas like the Kansas City metro. If a squirrel moves into an attic or wall void, it can become a serious issue. Squirrels may create loud thumps and scratching noises for hours a day. In addition to these annoyances, they also chew through insulation and wiring, leading to costly damage and even fires.
Wildlife specialists look for signs such as chewing on, in, or around your home, small openings leading to the attic or the crawl space, droppings, and debris like nuts or nesting material. Beams, wires, pipes, and insulation may all show signs of damage from squirrels.
Live trapping or one-way doors are the most effective and humane ways to get rid of squirrels. One-way doors should never be used during birthing seasons (Spring & Fall), so our specialists will decide which is the best tool for the job. If we have to trap, we place traps strategically to safely catch the squirrels and check those according to state laws.
We can restore your home or office by squirrel proofing all entry points after we have removed the offenders. We can also clean-up the nesting sites and remove any debris, food, feces and soiled insulation.
Attics are a popular roosting site for bats because they tend to be dark, quiet, and safe from predators. Colonies are active in the evening as they hunt for food. Bats can be identified by shuffling and squeaking noises in your home or business. Bat waste collects quickly, leading to foul odors and potential health hazards. As a protect species, special consideration must be made for bat control in Kansas City.
We perform a full interior and exterior inspection and search for signs such as rub marks, guano, a strong scent of ammonia, and small openings. The most common sign is the accumulation of guano (feces).
The most effective and humane way to remove bats is by utilizing a bat valve in conjunction with a full home exclusion. A bat valve allows for bats to exit your home but not re-enter. We follow all local ordinances for humane bat removal. We will never abandon flightless pups in your attic.
After removing the bat valves, we seal the entrance hole(s) so bats can no longer enter your home. If there is substantial guano in your attic, you should consider taking advantage of our attic remediation services to remove the soiled insulation and replace it.
The large population of the Kansas City metropolitan area draws scavenging coyotes that will dig through trash or search for a meal in your backyard. Though naturally wary of humans, these animals can adapt to live in cities. Coyotes rarely bite people or larger pets, but they may turn hostile if cornered or threatened.
Critter Control offers safe and humane solutions to wildlife issues in your home or on your property.
During the inspection we try to ascertain how many animals there are, where they are located, and how they got in. Based on what you have seen, heard and smelled, we start the inspection where you have noticed signs of animal activity. Evidence of animals inside your home include nests, dens, feces, and animal tracks. We investigate the exterior of your home looking for possible entry points, any evidence of animal damage, tracks, fur, animal waste, or rub marks.
We use several methods to humanely remove the animal from your home. Depending on the species, the number of animals, and the condition of your property, we develop a custom wildlife removal plan. Humane wildlife removal strategies include animal traps, one-way doors, and repellents. Once we guarantee all animals are gone, we implement exclusion techniques. Exclusion techniques provide a safe, long-term solution to nuisance wildlife in your home. We create barriers to prevent animals from getting to resources. We only apply exclusions once we are sure all animals are gone from your home.
Wildlife will damage your home. Exclusion techniques repair any damage the animal causes getting into your home. Inside your home, animals build nests and dens out of readily available material. They will create runs through the insulation. Rodents will gnaw on anything including electrical wires and pipes. Animals can also spread diseases. We apply sanitation agents to clean up feces and urine. Mammals can host pests like fleas, ticks, and mites. Ectoparasite treatments exterminate those pests so you don’t become their next host.
We tend to primarily deal with squirrels in attics, raccoons, mice, birds, bats and then digging animals around houses and yards. In that order.
We certainly have more calls in the spring and summer for non-hibernating animals and for reproduction, but our call volume is more tied to short bad weather occurrences and major holidays and school-related vacation times.
Noises, smells and debris from the animal activity are common signs. Critter damage at the entrance point is also a common sign.
We occasionally give DIY advice for things like rabbits, or seeing snakes in the yard, but if it is our typical animal damage/entry we recommend professional help. Animals generally access homes through louver vents, soffit roof interface gaps, fascia gaps, roof vents, power fan vents, general foundation construction gaps, foundation vents and open chimney flues. Make sure any related issues are addressed promptly.
The sooner, the better!
