Wildlife in your backyard can be a fascinating part of your home’s landscape. However, if wild animals find your house, they may damage it and pose a health threat.
You can encourage wildlife by offering short-term food, such as seeds and grain. You can also discourage them by removing food sources like garbage, tall grass, and brush piles.
Signs of Infestation
Nuisance wildlife is drawn to our homes by the promise of shelter, food, water, and safety from natural predators. Leftover pet food, unsecured garbage cans, bird feeders, and overgrown gardens offer squirrels, raccoons, and other rodents easy-to-access food. Untrimmed trees provide a home for deer and other wildlife looking to escape predators or find mates.
Examining your yard frequently will help you find animal behavior before it becomes problematic. Look around your home for animal activity by looking for droppings, tracks, and other traces. If you notice grease from mouse trails, it could be time to set up traps around your house or call a wildlife removal winter park FL service.
It’s best to prevent nuisance animals from entering your backyard before they become a problem. Start by eliminating attracting factors, like food and water sources, storing trash in sealed cans, and trimming trees. If the problem persists, hazing tactics, such as noise or damaging stimuli, can be used to discourage wildlife from returning to your property.
Birds
In a healthy backyard habitat, birds can add beauty to your landscape. However, when they invade your home or business, it can cause a mess and lead to expensive damage. In addition, bird droppings can eat away at metal and pose health risks. Regularly checking your property for birds, their nests, and the materials used to construct them can help you spot an infestation early.
If you see birds roosting near your building or residence, it is time to call a pest bird control specialist. These experts can offer advice and services without violating laws that protect certain wildlife species.
It is vital to create a natural wildlife habitat that includes a variety of plant species. It provides flowers for bees and hummingbirds, fruit, nuts, berries, seeds, and other foods that all animals rely on. Water sources are also critical for survival. These can be as complex as a well-equipped water feature or as simple as an above-ground or below-ground pond.
Bugs
From aphids to mosquitoes, garden pests are nearly inevitable. Left unchecked, they’ll devour foliage, ruin ripening fruit, and wreak havoc on root systems. But deciphering clues to a nasty bug problem can help you save the plants that matter.
Unexplained holes in the ground indicate that critters are nesting or hiding. Slugs and snails can leave slime trails, so look out for those. If you see them during the day, they’re likely a sign of an infestation.
Regularly mowing and keeping garbage and debris out of the yard will discourage bugs. If your yard is prone to ticks, try natural repellents like neem oil or diatomaceous earth. Biological controls can be effective preventative measures, including spinosad for sawflies and milky spores to control Japanese beetle grubs. And always check yourself and your pets regularly for ticks—their bites are distinctive with a bullseye center. You can also protect your property from insects with a perimeter fence.
Rodents
Rodents carry disease-causing bacteria and cause significant damage to homes and buildings. They also chew wires, wood, drywall, and other materials, leading to costly repairs and fires from gnawed electrical systems.
They can multiply quickly, breeding up to 2,000 babies in one year. If you see signs of a rodent infestation, such as gnawed holes in walls or floors, set mouse and rat traps outside your home, your garage or shed, and near areas where food is stored.
Look for telltale rat signs in your yard, such as shiny and dark brown droppings 1/2″ to 3/4″ long with pointed ends (versus mice droppings, which are soft, putty-like, and blunt ends). You may also notice rats’ tracks, which are rounded and broader apart than mouse tracks.
You can also smell a vital, musky odor characteristic of rodent urine. When disposing of dead rodents, use gloves, a shovel, two sticks, or long tongs. Double-bag them before disposal.