Dealing with a Raccoon Infestation
If you've ever been woken up at night by sounds of a critter scurrying around in your attic, you know the feeling of dread that comes along with the experience. What the heck is up there? And what kind of damage is being done? With the colder weather setting in, now's the time when homeowners are likely to experience uninvited house guests such as rodents and other unwanted mammals. This week, we're talking raccoon infestations. Read on to learn about how raccoons can find their way into your home, the damage they can cause, and how to get rid of them.
Common signs that raccoons might be on your property include noises on the roof or in the attic or chimney. If you notice droppings, tracks or signs of feeding in your home, it's likely that you have raccoons. Because they're nocturnal, you'll typically see them out at night, especially around food sources, like your trash cans.
Raccoons and Roof Damage
Roof damage is often the result of raccoons searching for a place to nest. Female raccoons are known to tear off roof shingles and ventilators to gain access to the attic for a nesting site. Also, raccoons damage roofs during their attempts to break through metal vents and climb into chimneys.
Inside, they might also make space for their nesting by tearing out insulation. When raccoons nest in houses, their accumulated waste quickly destroys insulation and saturates woodwork. Their feces spread raccoon roundworm, which is a serious health hazard for residents repairing raccoon damage to homes. In addition, fleas and ticks in raccoon fur can transfer to people or pets.
Getting Rid of Raccoons
If you've got raccoons in your attic, you likely are dealing with a nesting situation. This almost always involves an adult female and a litter of baby raccoons. The nest of baby raccoons must be found & removed, and the mother trapped. Here are the general steps for removing raccoons from an attic.
Step 2: Enter the attic. This is crucial. You might see the adult female.
Step 3: Search the attic carefully, and find and remove the litter of baby raccoons by hand, and place in a box. Beware of attacking female.
Step 4: Use a trap divider and place the live babies as "bait" to lure the female into the cage trap. This is difficult, and must be done just right.
Step 5: Relocate the whole family together.
Step 6: Repair the entry holes with pro-grade repairs, and fix other damage in the attic.
Step 7: Clean the attic, removing all feces, and spray with enzyme cleaner.
Call on the Professionals
It's not recommended to try to attempt raccoon removal on your own, as these creatures can be dangerous, and their waste hazardous. If you find yourself with a raccoon infestation in your home's attic, give us a call at Best Pest Control. We'll come out, determine where these pests are getting in at, fix the problem areas, and capture the critters safely to remove them from your home once and for all. Knowing that you have a trained professional taking care of your raccoon problem will put your mind at ease. Give Best Pest Control a call today.
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