BlogWildlife That's Problematic as the Weather Gets Colder

The fall season is an active time for many wildlife. With winter on the horizon, gathering food and finding warm shelter are top priorities. That’s why you may begin to notice these critters in your yard or home more than usual. Your home has just what they’re looking for: warmth, food, and water. Here are four common wildlife that are problematic as the weather gets colder:

1. Squirrels

Squirrels may seem cute and sweet, however they can cause some serious damage to your yard or home. To find the ideal shelter during the winter months, they may gnaw their way through the walls of your home, or build nests with leftover leaves. Insulation makes for the perfect nesting material, especially in an attic. Additionally, it is not uncommon to find chewed wires. Squirrels are attracted to wires and often leave this evidence along with feces and urine stains around their nesting area.

Raking leaves, trimming tree branches that are reaching your home, and installing chimney caps or covers are some ways to avoid squirrel invasions.

2. Raccoons

The fall season is the time for raccoons to start “fattening up” in preparation for winter. Because of this, they become busy at night, searching for food in garbage cans, bird seed, and more.

Installing bright lights and properly sealing garbage cans are a few ways to diminish raccoon activity. Attics and crawl spaces are also attractive areas for raccoons to nest, so it is important to cover and secure any points of entry on the exterior of your home.

3. Bats

Bats begin hibernating around October and November. During this time, they are seeking shelter with stable temperatures and protection from predators. This makes your attic an ideal habitat to roost and raise their pups. Most of the time, you may not even know that the bats are there until you begin to smell their guano or urine. Both can be quite pungent and something that you don’t want lingering around your house, so looking into bat removal ASAP is crucial. The experts at Varment Guard can safely and effectively remove bats from your home.

The best way, however, to keep pesky wildlife from wreaking havoc on your home or yard this fall and winter, is to get in touch with Varment Guard today! Our wildlife experts will provide you with the proper services for your wildlife problems, no matter what season it is.