10 Effective Ways to Rodent-Proof Your Home and Yard

10 Effective Ways To Rodent-Proof Your Home And Yard

Rats, mice, squirrels and other rodents will often seek shelter inside residential Pittsburgh properties to escape bad weather and predators; however, they’ll stay inside once they’ve found a warm place to nest near your home’s food and water supply. Once nested, rodents will breed and spread contamination throughout your property, posing serious health and structural risks to your family and home. Therefore, rodent-proofing your property is a necessary line of defense to keep unwelcome critters away from your home. Here are 10 ways to strengthen your property against invasive rodents.

Top Rodent-Proofing Strategies

Most rodent-proofing strategies are common home maintenance tasks that are easy to implement. Here are 10 ways to boost your home’s defense against rats and mice.

  1. Seal Entry Points: Rodents can squeeze their bodies through small cracks and holes to make their way inside. Look for any potential entry points, such as gaps around utility pipes, attic vents and your home’s foundation. Fill these gaps with stainless steel mesh or steel wool and caulk.
  2. Repair Door Sweeps: Door sweeps are an effective way to protect your home from the elements and rodents. To keep out unwanted guests, check the weatherstripping around the bottom of your exterior doors to ensure it’s tightly sealed and extends across the whole door.
  3. Safely Store Food: Open bags of perishable goods inside your kitchen pantry are a huge attractors for rodents. Tightly seal open food in glass or metal containers, and clean up crumbs and messes as soon as they happen.
  4. Secure Your Exterior: Rodents often access homes through openings on the roof. To prevent rodents from getting inside, secure your roof’s vents and pipes with metal flashing, a durable material that is difficult for rodents to chew through.
  5. Protect Your Shed: If you have a backyard shed, it’s important to apply these same rat-proofing techniques to make sure rodents don’t use your storage space as a second home.
  6. Clean Nesting Sites: Rodents love to nest in cluttered spaces, such as attics, garages, and basements. Keep these areas as organized and clutter-free as possible to discourage rodents from getting too comfortable.
  7. Tidy Your Yard: An unkempt yard full of thick vegetation, wood piles and debris provides cover for rodents to sneak through. Keep the pests away from your home by pruning back bushes, trimming trees, and clearing away any trash piles near your house.
  8. Use Natural Repellents: Rodents rely on their sense of smell to guide them to food. Use their sensitivity to your advantage by placing scents around your home that overwhelm their senses. Peppermint, pepper, garlic and vinegar are easy-to-find ingredients that rodents can’t stand.
  9. Scare Them Off: Rodents are naturally skittish and tend to flee in fight-or-flight situations. Motion-activated lights or sprinklers are good deterrents that keep them away at night.
  10. Humane Traps: Most home improvement stores sell humane traps that can take care of minor problems. Make sure to release trapped rodents as soon as possible, and let them go at least five miles away from your property.

Professional Rodent Removal Services in Pittsburgh

While DIY rodent removal can be effective, it shouldn’t be your only line of defense. Instead, trust the licensed, trained and experienced experts at Critter Control® of Pittsburgh to safely and humanely remove nuisance rodents from your property. To schedule your inspection and receive a free rodent removal estimate, call us today at 412-767-4067.

What Is the Best Way to Get Rid of Groundhogs Under Shed?

What Is the Best Way to Get Rid of Groundhogs Under Shed?

It is important to address and eliminate any pest infestations you find on your property as soon as possible, especially if you are dealing with groundhogs. As the burrowing rodents dig underground, they will destroy your lawn, cause damage to your plumbing, and disturb the foundation of your home and other outdoor structures, like your shed. To help reduce costly damages, here are some of the best ways that you can effectively evict groundhogs from under your shed.

Best Way to Get Rid of Groundhogs Under Shed

  • Ammonia –Groundhogs hate the smell of ammonia, so a cheap and easy way to deter groundhogs away from your property is to purchase ammonia and pour it in any holes or mounds you find near your shed. If you don’t have ammonia on hand, vinegar works just as well.
  • Noisy Groundhog Deterrents –Groundhogs tend to avoid noisy areas or those that experience heavy vibrations. To scare off groundhogs, you can try installing ultrasonic devices that emit high frequency pulses that only rodents can hear. Hanging wind chimes or setting up a small radio near groundhog mounds around your property can also create constant noise and movement that may disturb the groundhogs and encourage them to leave.

    If you don’t want to spend money on new backyard devices, sending out your dog or cat to scare the groundhogs can also have a similar effect.
  • Groundhog Traps –Groundhog-specific traps can be purchased online or at your local hardware store. While baited traps may be a more direct method for groundhog capture and removal, they require you to handle the critter and there are risks involved when handling a wild animal without proper training and equipment. Instead of attempting to remove and relocate a groundhog on your own, the best way to get rid of groundhogs under shed is to rely on the groundhog removal services provided by the licensed, trained, and experienced wildlife control experts at Critter Control® of Pittsburgh.

Effective and Affordable Groundhog Removal Services

At Critter Control® of Pittsburgh, we are dedicated to providing you with efficient and safe groundhog removal services that will remove groundhogs from under your shed quickly and permanently. To schedule an inspection of your property and receive a free estimate for our groundhog removal services, call Critter Control® of Pittsburgh today at 412-767-4067.

How Can I Repel Groundhogs Naturally?

How Can I Repel Groundhogs Naturally?

If you have a groundhog infestation on your property, there are many different ways that you can approach it. Traditionally, deterrent methods like chemical repellents and traps have been used; however, these days, many of those things are considered inhumane. As a humane alternative, natural methods of repelling groundhogs have been becoming more and more popular. Here are some ways to repel groundhogs naturally.

Ways to Repel Groundhogs Naturally

  • Spread Hair Clippings in Problem Areas

The idea behind spreading hair clippings around a mole hill is to convince the groundhogs that a human is nearby at all times and, therefore, encourage the pests to relocate. While it may seem a little odd, simply collect a bag full of hair clippings from your next haircut and scatter them where moles persist. It is a cheap, harmless, and potentially effective way to get nuisance moles to vacate. 

  • Send in the Pets

Pet urine is another great option to ward off the burrowing rodents. Groundhogs are just as afraid of dogs and cats as they are of people. By having your pets urinate near active groundhog burrows, the overwhelming ammonia-like stench will likely force the critters to leave.

  • Consider Using Castor Oil

Certain oils produce pungent and aromatic scents that rodents find putrid. Castor oil is one such scent that groundhogs strongly dislike. The best part is that you only have to use a small amount; just mix a few drops of castor oil with water in a spray bottle and spray the mixture in areas of your property where moles are present.

While the above methods may prevent groundhogs from infesting your property, they are rarely effective at removing the pests once they’ve nested or preventing the property damages they can cause. To put an end to a growing groundhog infestation, rely on the wildlife control experts who have the expertise and experience needed to remove groundhogs in ways that are both safe for your property and the animal.

Repel Groundhogs Naturally with Critter Control® of Pittsburgh

If nuisance groundhogs are infesting your Pittsburgh-area yard, rely on the effective and affordable groundhog removal services provided by the licensed, trained, and experienced technicians at Critter Control® of Pittsburgh. Our wildlife removal experts are highly trained and equipped to remove and repel groundhogs naturally with our safe, humane, and environmentally friendly groundhog control methods. We can even implement preventative measures that will evict the unwanted pests without disrupting your yard or the plant life on your property.

To schedule an inspection of your property and receive a free estimate for our groundhog removal services, call Critter Control® of Pittsburgh today at 412-767-4067.

5 Effective Ways to Get Rid of Groundhogs for Good

5 Effective Ways to Get Rid of Groundhogs for Good

As a Pennsylvanian, you are likely familiar with a certain famous groundhog from over in Punxsutawney, or you have probably even seen your fair share of the critters around the Greater Pittsburgh area as the groundhog is one of the most common wild critters in Pennsylvania.

While cute, groundhogs can cause serious damage to your Pittsburgh residential or commercial property. Therefore, it’s important to recognize the signs of a groundhog infestation and understand some of the effective prevention methods to help get rid of the burrowing pest.

Dangers of a Groundhog Infestation

Groundhogs, like most critters, are constantly on the prowl for food and shelter. In their search for nourishment, they will rummage through and destroy your yard, garden, crops, and landscaping. To make a shelter, groundhogs will dig an underground tunnel system for them to nest in and travel through. In doing so, they will create multiple holes in your lawn that will serve as tripping hazards for you and your lawn equipment to get stuck in. If they dig deep enough, groundhogs could also sever underground cables, destroy plumbing and sprinkler systems, and ruin the foundational strength of your home.

5 Ways to Get Rid of Groundhogs

  1. Make some noise. Groundhogs dislike loud noises and vibrations. Placing noisemakers, wind chimes, pinwheels, and any item that emits a sonic output around your property and near their burrows can work.
  2. Turn to your spice rack. Believe it or not, groundhogs hate the scent of garlic and pepper. You can spread these spices in and around their burrows or around your garden to deter them.
  3. Enlist your pets. If you have pets, save some of their fur after a grooming session to place around your property to drive groundhogs away. Their intimidating presence outside can also scare groundhogs away.
  4. Install fencing. Construct some deep fencing around your garden or crops to keep groundhogs from digging under them.
  5. Hire groundhog removal professionals. When it comes to the most thorough and effective way to get rid of groundhogs, your best bet for complete removal, exclusion, and prevention is to contact wildlife removal experts.

Safe and Effective Groundhog Removal Methods

Groundhog removal is a task not recommended to be taken on alone, and store-bought DIY methods and materials aren’t effective or safe enough to truly get rid of groundhogs. Fortunately, the trained specialists at Critter Control® of Pittsburgh utilize a humane four-step CritterSafe® strategy to permanently get rid of nuisance pests that includes: 

  1. Inspection
  2. Removal
  3. Prevention
  4. Restoration

Get Rid of Groundhogs With Critter Control® of Pittsburgh

The experienced pest removal technicians at Critter Control® of Pittsburgh will quickly and safely remove nuisance pests and wildlife from your Pennsylvania property and keep them from returning. To schedule your inspection and receive a free estimate for our humane and efficient groundhog removal services, call Critter Control® of Pittsburgh today at 412-767-4067.

How to Get Rid of Groundhogs and Keep Them Away

How to Get Rid of Groundhogs and Keep Them Away

Generally associated with their namesake holiday on which they predict a longer winter or an earlier spring, groundhogs are small, furry, brown mammals that love to dig for food and shelter. Unfortunately, their digging can destroy gardens, lawns, and structural foundations—not exactly what you want happening around your Pittsburgh home. Fortunately, there are several ways to rid your property of groundhogs and keep them from coming back.

8 Ways to Get Rid of Groundhogs From Your Home

If you are having a groundhog problem on your Pittsburgh property, follow these tips to help get rid of the destructive critters:

  1. Target their home. You can flood or fumigate the groundhog’s home to make it less conducive for living and to discourage further occupancy.
  2. Use repellents. Pesticides used for other rodents will work just fine when placed at the entrance of a groundhog’s hole.
  3. Trap and release. Cage type traps are best as they allow for an easier release of the groundhog in a more appropriate location, but be sure to check your state’s rules on traps before using one.
  4. Scare them away. Using devices like solar stakes that release ultrasonic pulses can scare the groundhogs away from their homes.
  5. Install fences. Deep fences around your property can stop groundhogs from accessing your yard.
  6. Keep your yard clear. Constantly taking care of your yard and removing debris will reduce groundhog hiding spots and discourage them from lingering.
  7. Plant aromatic deterrents. Plants with strong fragrances such as lavender, mint, sage, and thyme will keep groundhogs out of your yard.
  8. Contact groundhog removal professionals. The above tips may work to reduce groundhog activity on your property; however, to permanently get rid of groundhogs and keep them away, you’ll need the equipment, experience, and expertise of the licensed wildlife removal professionals at Critter Control® of Pittsburgh.

Expert Greater Pittsburgh Area Groundhog Removal Services

At Critter Control® of Pittsburgh, our trained professionals have developed a proven, CritterSafe® groundhog removal method to help free your home from the critters in four simple steps:

  1. Comprehensive Inspection of your property
  2. Complete pest removal
  3. Repair and restoration of damage
  4. Permanent pest exclusion and prevention

If you are having groundhog problems, then keep a safe distance from the critters and contact us immediately. We will ensure that your home is secure from destructive groundhog activity and remains so for the foreseeable future. To schedule your inspection and receive a free estimate for our humane and efficient groundhog removal services, call Critter Control® of Pittsburgh today at 412-767-4067.

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