You must have seen a squirrel, shrews, raccoons, or rabbits on your property. You may even look forward to seeing these backyard guests as they scavenge in the nearby grass in search of food, allowing you to shoot photos of them from the secure position of your living room window.
Sadly, these wild guests are only interested in the bird feed or apples in your home outdoors. They often search for shelter, and your home is just as comfortable for them as it is for you.
At first, it might not seem like a huge concern. However, these creatures can be destructive. Many may carry rabies or fleas and ticks to transmit disease. They may bite or destroy your property.
Therefore, you must protect your home against their invasion. Contacting the wildlife pest control service in Ohio or following the tips in this article is an excellent idea.
Identify the Wildlife Invading Your Property
Investigate enough to determine what wildlife you are dealing with as a first step. You can prepare the most effective line of protection for your home and yard by being conscious of your furry adversary. Deer, bunnies, gophers, shrews, squirrels, skunks, raccoons, and chipmunks are typical offenders.
Animals who come to your garden searching for food leave behind broken fruit, torn stems, chewed foliage, and entire sections of plants they cut down to the ground. They also aim your property and nearby structures as potential shelters.
When animals build a den, damage such as ripped insulation and damaged roof shingles may occur. You can maintain your farm-to-table way of life if you figure out who and what leaves evidence behind.
Deer will leave behind shredded tree bark and soil-covered footprints. They can also bite off large plants. Rabbits frequently leave pea-sized droppings, neatly ripped leaves, and uniformly clipped plant growth nibbles in their trail.
Squirrels and chipmunks frequently consume fruit, and they do it at dawn and twilight. Raccoons often wreak havoc on yards and house structures. Additionally, they tend to disperse the trash.
Understanding these wildlife’s specific behaviors helps you determine which one is invading your home and better prepare for how to chase it away.
Identify the Entry Points
Examine your home outdoors for possible entry points to assist in controlling wildlife pest infestation, or hire an expert to do it for you. Check for paneling that has aged or suffered from weather damage. Find all the cracks and holes. Several animals can fit through small gaps. Some of these creatures can even enlarge narrow passages to fit through.
Look for cracks and evidence of animal activity as you stroll around the perimeter of the base of your home, where pipes, wires, and vents exit the building. Wild animals often explore the basement vents as entry points. To deter animal access, replace cracked vent screens and consider adding vent covers to the vents.
Every year, look for defects in the roofing structure, soffit, drainage system, and fascia. When searching for wildlife pest entry spots, pay close attention to where the gables or windows meet the roof line. Watch out for water damage, which encourages wood decay and makes it simpler for wild animals to dig or deepen holes in your home.
Eliminate Food Sources
Keep spilled seeds away from your bird feeders, and don’t feed squirrels, shrews, rabbits, raccoons, or other wildlife.
Feed your pets inside whenever possible. Take their bowls indoors at night time whenever you feed them outside, and wipe up any food that may have spilled.
Put your trash in secure containers. To assist in keeping the lids on the outside trash cans closed, use a cable or weights.
Keep your grill clean. Keep food leftovers out of your garden. Cover and protect any compost heaps, and avoid adding leftover meat or oil.
To help keep hungry creatures like raccoons, bunnies, gophers, and even larger wildlife like deer away from your garden beds, consider building a fence around them. Additionally, avoid dumping mature fruit on the lawn. Remove any fallen fruit and discard it appropriately.
Install Automated Outdoor Lights
It’s easier to keep your home secure if it has good lighting. Nocturnal animals enjoy the cover of the night. You’ll also be able to see where you’re going and less likely to frighten animals.
You can connect automated outdoor lighting fixtures to motion sensors that turn them on to scare away nearby animals.
Remove Potential Shelters
Animals can maximize garbage in your yard, such as leaves, wood for fire, or grasses longer than usual, to build their own homes. After some time, they may decide that these regions are not good enough for them and may move into your house.
You may prevent wildlife invasions by raking up leaves, hiding firewood, and trimming the grass.
Remove Water Sources
A bird bath can draw animals like bird feeders or similar feeders do. It may be pleasant to see a bird or squirrel sipping water or taking a bath outside your window, but this is only an invitation for them.
Taking away the birdbath may sound harsh and severe whenever there is a water shortage, but it is one way to keep them away.
Construct Barriers
Using walls is one of the simplest and most efficient ways to stop wildlife from consuming your garden or entering your home. Protecting edible plants and maturing fruit-like berries is simple by using plant coverings, chicken wire, and mesh.
The best defense is a fence, which is why your house insurance will cover them. It is highly effective if you pick the correct one for the species you’re attempting to dissuade.
Deer, who may leap very high, require higher fences. A fence to repel a deer should be at least four feet tall. Barriers that are around three feet tall are necessary for rabbit protection. Ensure to extend the fence underground approximately a foot deep to deter burrowing creatures like gophers and woodchucks.
Protecting Your Home Against Wildlife Invasion
It’s good for the environment to have wildlife. However, the presence of too many could result in harm to your property or landscape. Know that damage caused by larger animals like raccoons and deer is typically covered by your house insurance coverage if you encounter wildlife. Squirrels and other tiny rodent damage are not covered.
It’s acceptable to want to make restrictions for your home and yourself and to not feel completely at one with wildlife. Use some of the preventive measures in this article to guard your property against animal damage. Be careful of how your actions impact other people’s homes as you proceed because you share your neighborhood with them.
