Tag: pest control

Pest Control 101 – How to Identify Common Pest Droppings

Morgan Bell Pest Control , , , , ,

Pest Control Youngstown Ohio involves managing pests’ populations to acceptable levels. Prevention is the primary goal and can involve a physical barrier, trapping, or chemical application.

Preventing pests is often easier than getting rid of them. To help, keep garbage cans tightly sealed and trim bushes and trees.

A pest infestation can quickly damage your property and threaten the health of your family. As a home or business owner, you can protect your property and your peace of mind by being proactive and identifying the warning signs. From gnaw marks and droppings to unexplained bites and strange smells, the more you know about pests, the better prepared you’ll be to take action when an infestation starts to occur.

Seeing evidence of pests in and around your property is the most obvious warning sign. Look for a variety of visual clues depending on the kind of pest you suspect: Rodents will leave pellet-like droppings, while termites and cockroaches may leave behind specks of dirt or grease. Check dark corners, secluded spaces, and drawers for these telltale stains and markings.

In addition to visual signs, you should also keep an ear out for unusual sounds. Nocturnal pests like mice and rats can be especially difficult to detect, but their quiet scratching and squeaking noises can signal their presence in your walls or ceilings.

A humming sound, often caused by insects or rodents chewing on wires, can indicate that they’re nestled in a hidden space. Similarly, the shrill noise of bees or wasps can point to a colony in or around your property.

Another clear indication of pests is gnaw marks on food packaging or other items in and around your property. Mice and rats need to gnaw on objects to prevent their teeth from overgrowing, and this behavior can cause serious damage if left unchecked.

Finally, noticing a musty or oily odor in your home can be a telltale sign of an infestation. Rodents, cockroaches, and other pests emit a pungent, ammonia-like scent that becomes increasingly pronounced as the problem gets worse.

Regularly checking your property for these signs is an effective way to spot pests early on. Keep in mind, however, that many pests are excellent at hiding, so they can be tricky to spot even when you’re vigilant. For this reason, it’s important to check your property regularly for these indicators and to make sure that all entry points are properly sealed.

Pest Droppings

The droppings of pests aren’t just gross, they can carry diseases. Spotting pest droppings early is key to controlling an infestation and keeping your family healthy. The more you know about different pest droppings, the easier it is to identify them when they appear. So, grab a magnifying glass and read on to learn more about how to recognize the telltale signs of common pests like mice, cockroaches, birds, bats, squirrels, and bed bugs.

Roach Droppings

Cockroach droppings are tiny black specks that resemble pepper or coffee grounds and are usually found in kitchen cabinets, crevices, and around appliances. If you notice a heavy roach infestation, the specks may be a darker color and contain partially digested food.

Mouse droppings are dark in color and shaped like grains of rice with pointed ends. You’ll most often find them in areas where mice frequent, such as basements, kitchens, and garages. Rat droppings are similar in appearance to mouse droppings but they’re larger and longer. They’re also more likely to be found near food sources and nesting areas. Bird droppings are lighter in color than rat and mouse droppings and have a more rounded shape. Bat guano, on the other hand, looks like small pellets or powdery stains that clump together when wet.

Snake Droppings

While they aren’t as common as rat and mouse droppings, snakes do leave behind their own version of fecal material. Fresh snake droppings are dark brown and wet, but they become lighter in color as they dry. The texture of the droppings is mushy and smooth, and they’re typically found in and around homes and structures by feeding sites.

If you’re concerned about your home’s cleanliness, consider hiring a pest control professional. They can help you clean and sanitize your space, as well as seal any openings in the foundation, walls, and floors that could allow pests to enter. In addition, they can provide tips on preventing future invasions, such as wiping spills immediately and regularly and keeping foods stored in airtight containers. They can even offer non-chemical methods of pest removal, such as natural rodent repellents and biological controls.

Insects in the Home

Many pests enter homes as a result of outdoor conditions. Insects seeking food, water and shelter often find entry points through open doors or windows, as well as cracks and crevices in the home’s structure. To prevent pests from entering, keep grass trimmed and eliminate overgrown weeds around the house. Store firewood away from the house, and clear yard debris and piles that can serve as nesting or hiding places for pests. Eliminate pet droppings and dirty litter boxes to prevent flies, mice, rats and other rodents from invading the house.

Crawling and walking pests, such as ants, spiders and centipedes, are also common indoor nuisances. They can leave behind contaminated food and contaminate surfaces with their pheromones, which attract other pests to the area. Keeping countertops clean and storing food in sealed containers can help cut off pests’ feeding sources. Similarly, removing clutter and cleaning and sanitizing trash cans regularly can reduce the number of pests attracted to the house.

Insects in the home often cause damage, and some can even carry diseases. Some, like cockroaches, may bite people and pets. Others, such as bees and wasps, can sting. Some can be a major health hazard, as they can transmit bacteria and viruses that cause illness.

To prevent pests from entering, shut doors and windows that are not in use. Seal any gaps around doors and windows, and make sure that window and door screens are in good condition. In addition, clean and sanitize the interior of your home, putting food in sealed containers and clearing counters after meals to discourage pests.

Inspect firewood for signs of infestation before bringing it into your home, such as oval or D-shaped holes in the wood’s bark. Eliminate moisture sources in your home by repairing plumbing leaks and cleaning gutters, eliminating standing water near the foundation and ensuring that bathroom vents are working properly to prevent condensation. Clean air conditioning filters, and use a dehumidifier in basements to avoid high humidity levels. Store garbage cans inside or outside until they are full, and avoid storing trash in cardboard boxes, which pests will chew through to gain access.

Increased Daytime Sightings

Despite the fact that rats are often considered pests because of their ability to carry diseases such as Salmonella, hantavirus and leptospirosis, they have an important role to play in nature. They can help to control insect populations and they are useful in dispersing seeds of wild plants. However, they can also cause property damage and make asthma and allergies worse. Their droppings and body parts contaminate food, damage homes and can even cause fires.

Rats are nocturnal creatures but floods and other natural disasters can flush them from their shelters, causing them to emerge during the daytime. This has led to an increase in daytime call-outs for rat catchers, according to the National Pest Technicians Association (NPTA).

The best way to prevent infestations is by using integrated pest management methods that include a mix of physical controls such as exclusion or quarantine, and chemical controls such as trapping, spraying, drenching, or baiting. Biological controls, including parasitism, herbivory and predatory behaviour, can be used to control pests by introducing their natural enemies into the environment. This can be done either by releasing more of the enemy in small batches or introducing whole new species that have not been present previously in the area.

It is important to monitor pests in order to decide whether their numbers are great enough to warrant control and what kind of control is required. Monitoring can be done by scouting, examining traps or observing the effects of the pest on vegetation or building materials. Insects, mollusks and vertebrates are monitored by trapping or scouting, while weeds, fungi and pathogens are surveyed by visual inspection or disease symptoms. Continuous pests are those that are nearly always present and require regular control, whereas sporadic or migratory pests can be controlled more easily and at less cost on an as-needed basis.

When the decision has been made to control a pest, suppression is the primary goal. The aim is to reduce the population to a level at which it causes acceptable harm and then prevent it from increasing again. This may be achieved through a combination of control measures and the use of appropriate chemicals, with consideration for the environmental effects and health risks.

How to Prevent Raccoons From Invading Your Property

Morgan Bell Pest Control , , , ,

Raccoons can cause substantial property damage and spread diseases. They often invade homes, where they scavenge and destroy insulation and drywall.

Several steps can be taken to limit the occurrence of these animals on your property. These include securing trash cans, removing food attractants and closing access to roofs. Contact Raccoon Removal Service Texas now!

Raccoons are attracted to food, water and shelter, all of which you can prevent by eliminating attractants around your home or yard. Keeping garbage cans tightly closed, removing bird feeders and cleaning up fallen fruits and vegetables are some simple steps to take to remove the food sources that bring these nuisance animals close.

You can also install motion-activated sprinklers to scare raccoons away from your property by activating them at night with bright lights or loud noises. This is one of the most effective ways to scare raccoons because they are naturally wary of anything that gets them wet or frightens them. The sprinklers will spray water in their direction when they come near your home or yard, which is enough to make them leave.

Another way to keep raccoons away from your home is to install an electric fence around the area you want to protect. These fences will shock the raccoons when they try to cross them, which is enough to deter them from returning. You can find these fences at most hardware stores or online.

The most important thing you can do to prevent raccoons from accessing your house is to inspect your roof and the areas where they might be gaining entry into your walls or attic on a regular basis. If you spot loose or missing shingles, get them repaired immediately. The same goes for any holes in your walls or attic where raccoons might enter.

You should also clean up your garden regularly, removing vegetables and fruit when they are ripe to stop the raccoons from eating them. If you have a vegetable or fruit-bearing tree, consider building a good fence to keep the raccoons from reaching your crops.

It is possible to wait it out and hope that the raccoons will move on, but this only works for a short amount of time. They will return to their original sites once they realize they can continue getting food there and they will start again seeking out a place to live.

It is also possible to poison raccoons, but this is an extremely dangerous endeavor that should be left to the professionals. Poisoning a raccoon can lead to a number of problems, including death and the spread of disease to pets or humans.

Barriers

One of the most effective ways to keep raccoons from entering your property is to prevent them from having access to food sources and shelter. Trash cans should be kept inside buildings, and lids that are loose should be secured with bungee cords or wire to prevent the animals from upending them and accessing garbage. Metal garbage cans should be secured with a rack or weight to prevent raccoons from climbing on the top of them and lifting lids.

A good fence will help to deter raccoons as well, though it may not be as successful with small yards and gardens since they are excellent climbers and can scale most fence types. Fences that are made of chainlink, wrought iron, picket, or wire may not be as effective as solid wood or vinyl fencing, but they can be used in combination with other barrier methods.

Raccoons often den in attics and crawl spaces, so preventing them from getting to these areas is key to raccoon removal. To discourage raccoons from entering an attic, install a membrane over the entrance. This will block the animal from leaving, and it will also allow you to check for other raccoons.

Using noise and light to scare raccoons away is another effective way to deter them from entering your home or yard. Motion-triggered lights mounted on porches and entryways can be activated by the scurrying of a raccoon, and they will turn off once the animal has left.

Mother raccoons that are raising their young in an attic will usually move the kits on their own when they are old enough. It is important to let the mothers do this so that they don’t attempt to reunite with their babies after they are relocated.

Some people use “one-way” doors to get raccoons out of attics, but these are best used by professionals who can ensure that the raccoons are not separated from their young and then killed. In addition, these devices can encourage the raccoons to evade detection by entering eaves and wall voids where they become lodged.

Trapping

If you find your garden or attic has been invaded by raccoons, the best way to remove them is to trap them. However, the process can be dangerous and expensive. You will need traps, bait, and possibly other materials that are not readily available at your local hardware store. Also, the disposal of captured raccoons may be illegal in your area. This is why hiring a professional wildlife removal company is a smart decision.

If a raccoon is just chilling in your yard, you can often frighten it away with a bright light at dusk or loud noises. You can also cover any possible entry points with a combination of 16-gauge wire mesh and metal flashing to prevent future infestations. If the problem is more serious, a professional wildlife eradication specialist should be called.

A good trap for raccoons is the Havahart humane animal trap. These traps have an easy-to-use lever that releases the raccoon without suffocating it. You can use baits such as chicken parts and entrails, fresh vegetables, cat food, corn, or sardines to lure the raccoon to the trap. Be sure to check the trap on a regular basis. It is not humane to leave an animal trapped for days on end.

You can also try to lure the raccoons to your property with bird seed, apples, or other fruits. Be careful not to place any of these items near a nest as the mother raccoon will likely return and defend it.

Another option is to scout out your neighborhood and see if you can find the raccoon’s den. If you can locate the den, you can try to scare the raccoon out with a flashlight at dusk. You can also try to lure it out with a bowl of cider vinegar or a thumping noise.

If the raccoons are living in your attic, it will be more difficult to frighten them away. The attic will have to be cleaned of feces and urine, which is an expensive but necessary step in the raccoon removal process. You will need a lot of high-strength cleaning equipment and safety gear that includes eye protection, masks or body suits, and gloves.

Exclusion

Raccoons are drawn to dark, confined spaces where they can build nests, dens and raise their young. This is why they often find their way into attics, crawl spaces and basements, as well as sheds, garages and outdoor structures like bird feeders. Once inside, they can cause extensive damage and create a health hazard with their urine and feces. Signs of raccoon activity include ransacked trash cans, ripped off roof shingles, chewed furniture and wood paneling and tracks or smudge marks on walls.

Although raccoon feces may look dry and dusty, it contains disease spores that can become airborne as the waste decomposes. If contaminated, these can cause respiratory illness in humans and pets, including cats, dogs and other domestic animals. It is best to use gloves when cleaning up raccoon poop.

To prevent raccoons from entering your home, seal all possible entry points. Install chimney caps, cover vents and ducts and caulk around foundation, siding and window openings. You can also install a one-way door or other deterrents in the attic and crawl space to help raccoons exit and not return once they’ve left.

For outdoor spaces, try putting up an electric fence around your garden or livestock pen. Also, bring in all pet food at night and don’t leave it outside for long periods of time, hang all bird feeders on hooks that can be bungeed down and purchase or make raccoon-proof garbage cans.

If a raccoon is causing a problem on your property, wildlife control experts can humanely relocate it. However, it’s important to note that since raccoons may carry rabies and are not always vaccinated against it, the health and safety of yourself, your family and your pets should be considered before relocation.

If a sick or injured raccoon is trapped, it should be humanely euthanized and tested for rabies, if possible, before being released. If you’re concerned about rabies, contact your state’s health department for further instructions on how to proceed. Raccoons are clever and resourceful, but their curious nature can be a nuisance when they enter homes or other structures on your property. If you notice signs of raccoon activity, don’t hesitate to call Smith’s for professional raccoon removal.