Category: wildlife removal

Hungry rodents are constantly looking for ways inside Pittsburgh properties to search for food and shelter. If not properly addressed, a few nesting rodents can quickly turn into a costly, unsanitary, and widespread infestation. Instead of allowing your rodent problem to get to that point, consider rodent-proofing your Pittsburgh home with the following tips.

Tips for Rodent-Proofing Your Home

Rodent-proofing your home can help prevent an infestation. To keep rodents out, you’ll want to:

1. Look for Gaps or Holes

Gaps or holes inside or outside your home are the perfect entry points for rodents. Identifying these entry points can help keep the rodents out.

Gaps and holes can be found:

• Inside, under and behind kitchen cabinets
• Around windows and doors
• Behind appliances
• Around the pipes under sinks, washing machines, water heaters and furnaces
• Around all electrical, water, gas and sewer lines
• Inside the atticIn the basement or crawl space
• Around floor drainsBetween the floor and wall juncture
• In the roof among the rafters, gables, eaves and soffits
• Between the foundation of the home and ground

2. Seal Any Gaps or Holes

Sealing gaps and holes will stop rodents from entering your home.

To seal the gaps and holes:

• Fill small holes with steel wool and put caulk or spray foam over it to keep it in place.
• Use metal, cement, hardware cloth or metal sheeting on larger holes.
• Seal outbuildings and garages.

3. Seal Food and Water Sources Inside Your Home

Since rodents are attracted to food and water sources, sealing these areas will keep them out.

To prevent rodents from invading food and water sources inside your home:

• Keep food sealed in plastic, metal or glass containers with tight lids.
• Clean up spilled food immediately.
• Wash dishes and cooking utensils after using them.
• Put pet food away after use.
• Don’t leave food and water bowls out overnight.
• Keep garbage in plastic or metal trash cans with tight lids.
• Throw away trash frequently. Clean your trash can with soap and water.

4. Seal Nesting Sites and Food Sources Outside of Your Home

Sealing outside entry points is just as important as sealing inside ones if you want to prevent a rodent infestation.

To prevent rodents from nesting or getting to food sources outside your home:

• Clean up garbage around your house.
• Invest in a plastic or metal trash can with no holes and a tight lid.
• Keep outside cooking areas and grills clean.
• Keep composting bins at least 100 feet from your home.
• Keep bird feeders away from your home.
• Use squirrel guards to limit rodent access to bird feeders.
• Keep grains and animal feed in sealed containers with tight lids.
• Move wood piles at least 100 feet away from your home and raise them at least one foot off the ground.
• Keep your landscaping well maintained.

Contact the Rodent-Proofing Experts at Critter Control® of Pittsburgh

If DIY rodent-proofing is too much for you to handle, rely on the experts at Critter Control® of Pittsburgh. Our professional technicians are equipped to remove all unwanted rodents using non-toxic, chemical-free and humane methods. We will fortify your home by installing preventative measures to keep unwanted rodents out for good. To schedule your inspection and receive a free estimate for our fast and efficient rodent-proofing services, call Critter Control® of Pittsburgh today at 412-767-4067.

Attics and crawl spaces are two areas of the home that are often overlooked by homeowners. Because of such neglect, these cool, dark spaces become prime breeding grounds for nuisance pests and invasive wildlife. Here’s what you can do if you suspect you have unwelcome wildlife in attics, walls and crawl spaces of your property.

Signs of Wildlife in Attics and Crawl Spaces

If you suspect a pest problem is growing in your attic, watch out for the following:

• Skittering noises or squeaks, especially at night or in the morning
• Gnaw marks or grease stains around attic openings
• Gaps or cracks in exterior walls
• Small, round droppings along attic floors
• A strong ammonia smell from urine
• Torn insulation or electrical wiring

If you notice any of these signs of wildlife in your home, it’s time to take action. The sooner you’re able to remove wildlife from your attic or crawl space, the better off you and your property will be. If left untreated, wildlife infestations can lead to severe health issues for you and your loved ones. In a short amount of time, nuisance wildlife can also cause costly property damage that threatens your property’s structural integrity, as well as power and water loss and the risk of fire hazards.

Removing Wildlife in Attics

There are several ways to remove wildlife in attics or crawl spaces, including:

• Scare them off: Despite their presence in your home, most wild animals are more afraid of you than you are of them. Scare them off with motion-activated lights or by playing a radio around their nesting areas.
• Use strong scents: Many nuisance wildlife, including rodents, raccoons and bats, have a strong sense of smell that they rely on to find food or shelter. Use this to your advantage by placing strong scents, such as peppermint oil, cayenne pepper or mothballs, around your attic or crawl space. Their sensitive noses can’t stand the smell, and they’ll run off in search of another place.
• Consider traps: Most retailers will sell snap traps or poisoned bait for pest removal, but they often cause more problems than they solve. Several at-home removal methods involve strong, toxic chemicals that can put you and your loved ones at risk if not handled properly. Additionally, many of these methods are inhumane, resulting in a slow and painful death for the critter.
• Consulting a wildlife removal professional: Ultimately, the best way to remove wildlife in attics safely and humanely is relying on a wildlife removal expert. An animal removal professional will have access to the necessary tools and techniques to remove nuisance animals while keeping everyone’s health in mind.

Professional Pittsburgh Wildlife Removal Services

For safe and effective wildlife removal, rely on the licensed, trained and experienced experts at Critter Control® of Pittsburgh. Our team will work quickly and efficiently to remove invasive wildlife and their nests from your property and keep them from returning. To schedule your inspection and receive a free wildlife removal estimate, call Critter Control® of Pittsburgh today at 412-767-4067.

As the Greater Pittsburgh area grows and expands, an increase in wildlife infestations can be expected. When land is cleared for urban development, critters’ homes are destroyed. Displaced local wildlife will often migrate into residential neighborhoods or commercial buildings in search of food, water and shelter. However, constant wildlife problems don’t have to be an ongoing issue. Here are some ways you can maintain a pest-free Pittsburgh property while coexisting with your local urban wildlife.

Types of Urban Wildlife

“Urban wildlife” is a term that identifies animals that once lived in forest areas but have migrated to urban environments and created artificial habitats in populated towns and cities. Common types of urban wildlife in Pittsburgh include:

• Bats
• Raccoons
• Rats
• Mice
• Squirrels

The Dangers of Wildlife Infestations

As these animals suffer habitat loss, they’ll often seek shelter in homes or businesses. This can pose a severe health risk to humans because certain wildlife carry diseases such as meningitis, encephalitis or rabies. Animal droppings can often host bacteria and parasites, which can lead to respiratory illnesses. As they make their home within your home, urban wildlife will often cause property damage that puts the structural integrity of your property at risk.

Dealing with Urban Wildlife Infestations

While at-home animal control methods may seem temporarily effective, they often do more harm than good. And using dangerous traps and toxic chemicals to hurt or kill displaced animals is inhumane. Fortunately, there are safe animal control measures to help deal with urban wildlife infestations. The best way to coexist with local critters while maintaining a pest-free property is by partnering with the animal control professionals at Critter Control® of Pittsburgh.

Professional Pittsburgh Animal Control Services

At Critter Control® of Pittsburgh, we pride ourselves in using eco-friendly and humane methods to permanently solve your wildlife problem. Our four-step CritterSafe method includes:

1. Inspection: Our wildlife removal expert conducts a thorough walkthrough of your home’s interior and exterior to determine the size and extent of the problem.
2. Removal: We use low-risk, low-impact and non-toxic methods to safely and humanely remove all unwelcome animals from your property.
3. Restoration: Any damage to your property caused by the infestation is cleaned and repaired.
4. Exclusion: Entry points are sealed to ensure the solution is permanent.

Whether you have an existing wildlife problem or want to prevent one from starting, rely on the experts at Critter Control® of Pittsburgh for all your wildlife removal needs. To schedule your inspection and receive a free estimate for our fast and efficient wildlife removal services, call Critter Control® of Pittsburgh today at 412-767-4067.

During the summer months, nesting season hits its peak for several animals including rodents, squirrels, raccoons and groundhogs. While these baby critters may look cute, they are not something you want living on your property. Fortunately, there are ways to conduct humane wildlife removal when young animals are involved. Here’s what to do if wild animals give birth in your home or business.

Nesting Wildlife Infestations: What to Do

A wildlife infestation involving babies must be handled with care, especially if it’s a protected species. While you should act fast, it’s important to assess the situation first. If you suspect there are nesting wildlife on your property, follow these steps:

1. Check for signs: Nesting animals tend to prefer dark spaces with as little human interaction as possible. Regularly checking your attic, crawlspaces and basement for signs of wildlife will help prevent a growing infestation.
   
2. Check for injuries: It’s natural to want to care for baby animals, even if they’re infesting your home. Before trying to rush to their aid, however, it’s important to check to see if any of the animals appear injured. That way, you can report these injuries to a trained wildlife professional.
    
3. Call a professional: You may want to jump into action immediately to help the mother and its young, especially if they seem to be in distress. However, that can often cause more problems than it solves. Baby wildlife must be handled with extreme caution, and the parents may lash out if they feel you’re threatening their young.

There are also legal protections that regulate the removal of certain species, especially during nesting season. Therefore, it could be illegal for you to trap or relocate a protected animal without proper licensing. Instead of trying to resolve an infestation on your own and potentially worsening the situation, rely on the effective, safe and humane wildlife removal services provided by the licensed and experienced professionals at Critter Control® of Pittsburgh.

Humane Wildlife Infestation Removal Services in Pittsburgh

At Critter Control of Pittsburgh, we recognize that all wildlife infestations require their own specialized removal strategy. That’s why we’ve developed our four-step CritterSafe® method that incorporates eco-friendly and safe techniques to remove unwelcome critters safely, legally and permanently. Our process includes:

1. Inspection: Our wildlife removal expert will conduct a thorough walkthrough of your home’s interior and exterior to determine the size and extent of the wildlife infestation.
2. Removal: We’ll work with you to develop a wildlife removal plan following your budget and needs while employing our humane wildlife removal techniques.
3. Restoration: Property damage caused by the critters is restored to its original condition.
4. Exclusion: Located entry points are sealed to ensure invasive wildlife can’t return.

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

Nothing is worse than an unexpected house guest, be it the in-laws, solicitors, or worse, nuisance wildlife. Even the newest houses on the market are vulnerable to visits from hungry pests. The only surefire way to prevent wildlife infestations on your property is to take the following necessary precautions to make sure the great outdoors stays outdoors.

How to Prevent Wildlife Infestations

1. Maintain a clean property.

Animals are constantly on the lookout for food. Any piece of trash in your yard could be seen as a gourmet meal for hungry critters. In order to prevent wildlife infestations from taking over your property, always make sure to keep your exterior free of any potential food sources.

Some of the most common residential areas that attract wildlife include garbage cans, gardens, grills, bird feeders, and pet food bowls. To keep animals out, be sure to clean and remove any of these food sources as well as any debris that wildlife can nest in. Also trim back overgrown vegetation, and purchase trash cans with secure, lockable lids or coverings.

2. Keep up routine repairs.

Some of the easiest ways for animals to find their way onto your property are through sections of your house that have fallen into disrepair. Animals such as rodents and raccoons are more flexible than many people suspect, with some rodents being able to fit through holes as small as a quarter, and bugs through even smaller gaps. Such pests can instinctively find their way through small imperfections that form in your home over time. To prevent wildlife infestations from forming, make sure you’re maintaining key infiltration spots by:

• Repairing any holes in the house’s foundation.
• Filling weeping holes in brick structures with metal screening.
• Using caulk to block any remaining holes and cracks.
• Conducting routine inspections on any repairs made to keep the critters at bay.

3. Install additional protections.

Most houses have a few natural entryways like vents, gutters, and chimneys that can’t be blocked. These areas of exposure can allow wildlife infestations to develop. If wild animals are using these entry points into your property, the best approach is to buy specialized guards and coverings that obstruct the entryway while maintaining its standard use.

4. Contact wildlife infestation removal experts.

No matter how carefully a homeowner prepares their home, wild animals can still find their way inside. To prevent the costly damage and widespread contamination of a wildlife infestation, you should enlist the services of trained and certified wildlife removal professionals, like the experts at Critter Control® of Pittsburgh.

Rely on Professional Services to End Your Wildlife Infestations

At Critter Control® of Pittsburgh, our team specializes in the quick and humane removal of unwanted pests and keeps them gone for good through the use of safe, non-toxic, and permanent methods.

To schedule your inspection and receive a free estimate for our fast and efficient wildlife infestation removal services, call Critter Control® of Pittsburgh today at 412-767-4067.

Well cultivated gardens are gateways to nature straight from your backdoor. However, what happens when that nature comes knocking? Unexpected visits from local critters can jeopardize the safety of both your garden and your family. Here are some wildlife prevention pro-tips to keep wild animals at bay.

Wildlife Prevention Tips for Your Home and Garden

• Create barriers to keep wildlife out.

The simplest way to keep critters from snacking on your garden produce is to keep them from reaching it in the first place. Creating a safe and secure barrier around your garden is a key step in wildlife prevention and may be the best long-term option for keeping animals out.

For many, this means a fence. While above-ground height requirements will vary depending on what animals you’re looking to keep out of your garden, the fence should also extend at least a foot deep into the ground to prevent unwanted critters from burrowing underneath.

If a fence is not an option for you, raised beds are a reliable option for wildlife prevention, especially at rental properties or for smaller gardens. A raised garden provides self-contained protection for plants without disrupting the surrounding environment and can either be built from scratch or purchased at local retailers.

• Scare wildlife away.

Wildlife prevention is only needed to keep out critters that want to get in. Plenty of simple features can be added to your garden to spook animals away, such as:

• Garden ornaments
  • Faux predator decoys
  • Scarecrows
  • Motion activated lights or sprinklers
  • Strong smelling herbs
  • Reflective plates

Of course, if a critter is clever enough to get past your fence, it may learn to avoid your deterrents. To prevent this, it’s best to cycle through different methods of scaring off wildlife and moving their positions around your garden to keep the animals on their toes.

• Use natural wild animal repellents.

Natural animal repellents are a safe and humane form of wildlife prevention. The key to using them effectively is to understand what animal you’re trying to repel, as not all repellents work for every critter. For instance, certain animals can be turned away by purely organic means, such as scattering coffee grounds around your garden to keep rodents away or putting pepper flakes on the leaves of your plants to ward off raccoons. All it takes is a little research.

Be sure to consistently reapply any repellents, especially after severe weather, and avoid chemical pesticides as they can damage your crop and be harmful to pets and children if accidentally ingested.

While walls, decoys, and repellents may reduce your odds of a wildlife infestation, the best and most effective wildlife prevention strategy is to enlist the services of a wildlife removal professional.

Tried the Rest? Hire the Best at Wildlife Prevention

If you find invasive wildlife on your property, contact the wildlife prevention experts at Critter Control® of Pittsburgh. Our licensed and trained technicians use humane, non-toxic, and eco-friendly methods to remove nuisance wildlife and keep them from coming back.

To schedule your inspection and receive a free estimate for our fast and efficient wildlife prevention and removal services, call Critter Control® of Pittsburgh today at 412-767-4067.