Hear Noise in the Attic – What Should I do?

Do you hear noise in the attic and wonder what it is? Depending on the type of noise and the time of day, it could be any number of wildlife pests.

The most common attic pests are raccoons, squirrels, rodents. We will run through the habits of each to help you determine which pest is making a racket in your attic. Wildlife inside your home can pose a significant health threat and can cause serious damage. Always engage professional animal control services to remove wild animals rather than attempt to remove them yourself.

Rodents

Mice and rats are nocturnal and become loud when everything else is quiet. As a result, they are sometimes mistaken for larger animals.

Rodents make chewing, scratching and squeaking sounds in ceilings and walls. In attics they often make their nests along access panels and hatches where the temperature is warmer.

Squirrels

Squirrels are active during the daytime. They may be in and out all day dropping off food to store in your attic. You may hear nuts rolling on the floor or being stuffed down into your walls. Squirrels sleep at night and will be quiet all night long.

Squirrels use existing holes and cracks in your roof, soffit and fascia to enter. They are noisy animals capable of loud squeaking, scratching and chewing noises. They can chew electrical wires, creating a potential fire hazard.

Raccoons

Raccoons are nocturnal foragers. They leave their nests at dusk and return in the early morning.  Female raccoons also search for safe nesting ground in spring. If you hear wildlife sounds in your attic at night, chances are it’s a raccoon coming and going.

Raccoon noises can range from light thumps to full on destruction. They are capable of ripping basketball sized holes in roofs. Most often they enter by tearing through a vent or soffit along your roof.

Fighting sounds in the early spring may mean you have raccoons breeding in your attic. Chattering sounds, especially during the day, may mean you have baby raccoons nesting.

Birds

Chirping sounds in your attic or ceilings are a sure sign that birds have gotten into your home. Baby birds may chirp all day long and be an unwelcome nuisance. Fluttering and banging sounds are also common. They can run into walls and supports when confined. This can often lead to dead birds in your attic.

Birds can also find their way into vents and will nest above bathroom ceiling fans. A wildlife removal expert can humanely remove birds from these difficult areas.

How to Get Rid of Animals in Your Attic

Wild animals are dangerous and unpredictable. Your best option to safely remove wildlife from your home is to hire a professional. Most wildlife specialists like Pestcheck Pest Control offer a full range of services:

  • Attic Cleaning
  • Crawl Space Cleaning
  • Insulation Removal
  • Rodent Waste Removal
  • Disinfecting & Sanitizing
  • Animal Proofing
  • Rodent &Wildlife Removal
  • General Pest Control

So if you hear noise in the attic, don’t let those unsettling scratching noises in the attic go on another day. Call or contact Pestcheck Pest Control for a licensed technician who knows how to safely remove animals from your home and how to fortify it against future intrusion.

When do Raccoons have Babies? Raccoon Baby Season!

In answer to the question; When do raccoons have babies? Spring time is raccoon baby season. Raccoons mate in late winter and baby raccoons (kits) are typically born around spring between April and May. However, if the mother’s first baby raccoons did not survive, she may give birth to another one in June.

Tell Tale Signs

Raccoons have gained entry to your home:

  • Visible entry points on the exterior of the building – often you will see bent siding, damaged soffits/roof vent or other obvious signs of animal entry.
  • Thumping and rustling – because raccoons are large animals we hear them moving around and preparing their nest.
  • Baby’s cries/chirps – much like their human counterpart, baby raccoons are very vocal in during the early days. You will hear them crying regularly throughout the day (and unfortunately nights). See video below this section to hear an example of what baby raccoons sound like.
  • See the mother hanging around the property. She will not wander too far while her kits are young and helpless.

Another reason you want to avoid having these animals give birth on your property is that the following year, the female babies will return to the same location to have their litter. And each subsequent year that follows the young females will attempt to return. Don’t let the cycle get started.

 

How long do they stay?

It takes roughly three months for baby raccoons to be able to move around on their own. Before the three months are up, you’re unlikely to see any baby raccoons in your home; they’ll be nestled away in the insulation while their mother goes out to forage. A litter will contain between 1 and 8 kits, with the typical size being 3-5 babies. The mother has to wait till they are all mobile.

At three months of age, baby raccoons will begin to forage on their own, branching out into the attic space at large and the outdoors. However, raccoons won’t necessarily vacate the premises after the baby raccoon season has finished. If they’ve found a safe, warm, and comfortable space, they’ll continue to return to that space over time. This is especially true if the raccoons were living in your attic prior to mating season.

Another reason you want to avoid having these animals give birth on your property is that the following year, the female babies will return to the same location to have their litter. And each subsequent year that follows the young females will attempt to return. Don’t let the cycle get started.

Potential damage if left untreated

If these pests are left unattended for any duration of time in your attic, the damage can (and will) be devastating. Contact a wildlife professional immediately. A day or two wasted trying to do-it-yourself is all the time they need.

Types of damage most often afflicted by raccoons during mating season:

  • Contamination of attic space (urine, feces, nesting, birthing process).
  • Damage to the building – soffit, siding, roof vents, etc.
  • Damaged, ineffective insulation.
  • Damage to structural beams, air ducts, electrical, etc.

The costs associated with repairs and remediation of wildlife inhabitation will often run into the thousands of dollars. It’s in the homeowner’s best interest to quickly and humanely evict the unwanted guest as soon as possible.

What you need to do

One of the very worst ways you can deal with this issue is by sealing the raccoons in the attic. While it will prevent them from wandering throughout your home, the mother and babies will starve to death in your attic space.

Raccoons mean no harm by living in your attic; the raccoon mother is simply trying to find a warm place for her babies. Contact a wildlife removal service immediately to deal with the issue. Raccoon removal should only be done by professionals.

Our Burnaby pest control technicians, Richmond pest control technicians, Coquitlam pest control technicians and North Shore pest control technicians are trained and certified to perform humane wildlife removal service for our clients!

More resources:

Raccoons vs Vancouver

Fall Pests Tips: Create a Defense Plan Unwanted Visitors

Do you want to prevent mice, spiders and other pests from getting into your home? You bet you do! Shore up your lines of defense with these effective fall pests tips.

If unwanted pests are waging war on your house, it’s time to fight back. We’ll give you fall pests tips on how to close the entryways that let pests in.  Also how to evict them if they manage to get past your defenses.

Tips & Advice for Inside Your Home

  1. Screen attic vents and opening to chimneys. Also, mail slots and pet doors may be exposed to pests.
  2. Keep basements, attics and crawl spaces ventilated and dry. Moisture ants are attracted to moist areas in your home. Moreover, using a dehumidifier in basements and garages will help keep these areas dry.
  3. Seal cracks and crevices on the outside of the home using caulk and steel wool. Pay close attention to where utility pipes enter the home.
  4. Keep your kitchen counters clean. Store food in airtight containers and take the garbage out regularly. Crumbs and a build up of garbage attract ants and rodents scrounging for food.
  5. Replace weather stripping and repair loose mortar around the foundation and windows. Not only are these easy ways to keep out pests but also cold air out of the house. Great way to spend less on your heating bill!
  6. Install door sweeps and repair damaged screens. Torn window screens and cracks under doors are an ideal entry point for pests. When you open your door, you could be letting in more than just fresh air!
  7. Avoid leaving pets’ food dishes out for long periods of time. Pests don’t discriminate between people food and cat food. If you leave your pet’s food sitting out, you are only enticing the insects and rodents to come in to your home.

Did you know mice can fit through a hole the size of a dime?

Tips & Advice for Outside Your Home

  1. Inspect items such as boxes of decorations, package deliveries and grocery bags before bringing them indoors. Pests can find creative ways to get inside your home.
  2. Store firewood at lease 20 feet away from your home and trim back your plants and trees. Removing areas where pests can hide near your home can reduce the chance of them finding a way in.
  3. Have a proper outdoor drainage system. Installing gutters or repairing an existing system will help draw water and moisture away from your home. Ultimately, preventing any leaks or build up that might attract pests.

The best way to protect your home and prevent any type of pest infestation during the winter is to follow these pest control tips in the fall when the temperature begins to drop.

If you have a pest infestation, give us a call. Our Burnaby pest control techniciansRichmond pest control techniciansCoquitlam pest control technicians, West Vancouver pest control technicians, Vancouver pest control technicians and North Vancouver pest control technicians are trained and certified to perform humane rodent removal service for our clients!

More resources:

The Raccoon Nation

The Raccoon Nation in your yard can be a real problem. These urban scavengers are ravenously hungry and will happily eat almost anything. Raccoons have eaten potatoes out of gardens, fish out of koi ponds and wires out of telephone boxes. They are also primary carriers of rabies in Canada, along with several other potentially dangerous parasites.

Don’t Give Them a Reason to Visit

One of the most effective ways to deter raccoons is to simply not give them a reason to visit your home. The Raccoon Nation are almost always out hunting for food to eat, so keeping them away starts with taking away their food.

Bring in trash cans

Trash cans are irresistible for raccoons. In the wild, these animals forage in burrows and brush for meals. To the raccoon, a trash can looks and smells like a burrow full of things to eat. Getting a trash can with a locking lid is a good first step to keeping raccoons out of the can, but they can usually still smell the garbage and come from all over. Try bringing your trash cans indoors at night. Placing them in either into the garage or a shed is a great idea. You might also want to drop empty tuna cans and other potentially attractive bits of trash into plastic baggies to contain their scent before throwing them away.

Don’t leave out pet food

Many people leave food out on their porch for the dogs and cats. As a rule, you can assume that raccoons are happy to eat anything your pets can eat. If it’s at all possible, never leave a dish of food out where raccoons can see or smell it. If you must feed the pets on the porch, set the dishes out close to midday, when raccoons are mostly sleeping, and bring them back in as soon as possible to limit the time they’re out.

Bird feeders are less of a risk, but they can still draw raccoons to your yard. Not only do raccoons eat seeds and other snacks, but they might also be drawn in by the birds hanging around your feeders. If this starts happening, consider taking your bird feeders indoors at night.

Actively Turn Them Away

If removing the potential attractions from your yard isn’t enough to stop the raccoons from coming around, you may have to take a more active role in shooing them away. Most chemicals and mechanical traps create risks for other wildlife. Fortunately, there are several less dangerous ways to actively drive raccoons away and keep them out.

If you still can’t get of the raccoons, give us a call and one of our technicians will humanely remove them from your property.  Call or text Pestcheck at (778) 903-7378.

More resources:

How to Get Rid of Skunks

Coming into close proximity with a skunk can be a stressful experience. Anyone who has smelled a skunk knows just how noxious this odor can be.

Not only do skunks present the danger of spraying you or your pet, but they also dig holes in landscapes and gardens.  Skunks may also try to forage through trash cans for food.  Homeowners who have a problem with these pests need to know how to get rid of skunks on your property.

Reinforce the Home

You, as a homeowner are not always aware you have a skunk problem until you smell the musky scent they leave behind. If a skunk becomes startled by a person or animal, they will release their fumes. Unfortunately, skunk spray features natural oils that can be terribly difficult to break up and clean.

Even though you may not have noticed any skunk smell, you may notice holes appearing around your property. If a skunk problem occurs at your home, you need to understand how to get rid of skunks on your property.

How to Get Rid of Skunk Pests

Skunks will often begin looking for shelter at the beginning of winter and then during the latter half of winter.  They will also start looking for a mate. Skunks are often found under homes, where they try to set up a shelter for mating and protecting their offspring. To ensure the skunks are not able to get underneath your home, you need to make sure you carefully seal all areas.

Skunks will also take shelter under porches, decks, and just about any other place they can gain access to.

Surveying the yard and home can allow you to find problem areas so the skunks will no longer have access to the property.

Hire the Professionals

Sometimes, a skunk problem becomes way too big to manage. When you have done everything possible to make your property unattractive for skunks, it is likely time to call in the professionals for skunk removal.

While you could take a DIY approach, there is a big risk of getting sprayed or bitten.

Call Pestcheck with any questions you might have so we can give you the answers you need. With our services, you can be free of your skunk problem.

More resources:

Raccoons vs Vancouver

Vancouverites have a complicated relationship with these “mask bandits”. On one hand, raccoons appear adorable and are embraced as part of the city. On they other hand, their population has been expanding quickly across the city. The table finally turned when raccoons started to fight for space within Vancouver residences. The question is: how do you get rid of raccoons?

Over the years, raccoon’s diet has slowly adapted to highly rely on human food. Meanwhile, they are getting more and more brazen to scavenge for trash from Vancouverites garbage bins or even break into kitchens to steal food.

In addition to messing up residents’ garbage bins, raccoons cause one of the worse nuisances to property owners by producing structural damages to roofs and potentially transmitting diseases to the pets and family members. If you’ve experienced such damage, consider reaching out to a roofer burnaby for repairs. Their ability to learn and adapt in urban spaces make it extremely hard to keep them out of buildings.

Top 5 Raccoon Prevention Tips On How to Get Rid of Raccoons

Seal up openings

Thoroughly investigate your home to find all possible crevices and holes where raccoons may enter. This may include but is not limited to: Chimneys, roofs, vent screens, shingles, walls, windows, and deck areas.

Don’t leave food for raccoons around your house

Raccoons eat almost anything: fruits, vegetables, insects, bird feeds, and any other types of human food. Once raccoons discover a place with available food sources, it is highly likely that they will return for food or even build dens in your house. You don’t want to make your garden or lawn look like a kitchen to them. Pick up fallen fruits in the yard and move your pets’ food bowls or bird feeders indoor during the nighttime.

Seal garbage bags tight

Raccoons are extremely smart in opening garbage bins. Raccoons have amazing dexterity and use their front paws to pry things, turn knobs and carry things. You may want to get garbage bins that are more secured with clamps or handles. Keep garbage bins inside the building before nightfall.

Use motion detected water-spayers to scare off raccoons

This has been widely used especially for yards to make the trespassing scary to raccoons.

Never ignore a raccoon spotting but never approach a raccoon

Sighting of a single raccoon may not seem to be a big deal, however, seeing a raccoon trespassing your yard means their family might be wandering around in the area. Raccoons don’t normally go out of their way to attack human, however, they can be occasionally very aggressive, such as when a mother raccoon perceives danger to her babies. While raccoons are known to carry viruses and parasites, they can transmit diseases to people and cause health complications.

If you continue to have raccoon problems, please contact Pestcheck for professional raccoon removal services. We have helped hundreds of homeowners in the Lower Mainland in resolving their raccoon problems! Call or text.

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How to Get Rid of Skunk Smell

Although we offer skunk removal services, we can’t take away the smell! Here are some proven ways you can get rid of the smell.

Skunk Smell Removal Recipe

In a bowl mix:

The mix cannot be covered or stored because it can explode a closed container. To get rid of the leftover solution, dilute it heavily with water, and pour down the drain

CAR

Hitting a skunk or running over a dead skunk with your car is not only traumatic, but smelly. Here’s what you need to do:

Mix the Skunk Smell Removal Recipe. Use the recipe to wash your car’s carpet and upholstery. With a clean cloth, gently scrub (do not saturate) the interior surfaces of your car. With clean water, rinse your car’s carpet and upholstery. Then dry with a fresh cloth. Wash the exterior of your car as normal.

Finally, to soak up the remaining stink, place charcoal in a small plastic container. Cut a few small holes in the lid and leave this in your car for a few weeks. The charcoal will absorb lingering odors.

HOME

Avoid going inside your house after being sprayed. Going inside will only carry the smell and embed itself on anything it can.

First, open up windows. Then, run house fans if you have them. Place small dishes of vinegar around the house (out of reach of pets and young children). Heat a pot of vinegar on the stove top.

Once you remove the vinegar, the skunk smell should be gone.

PEOPLE

Mix the Skunk Smell Removal Recipe and let it sit on the sprayed spot for a few minutes – then take a shower. Keep showering until you can’t smell it anymore.

CLOTHES

You should be able to wash out the smell in your clothes with a few washes. If you want to make sure you get the smell out, soak them in a solution of one part vinegar and four parts water for several hours. Rinse with water, then wash in hot water using detergent and 1/2 cup baking soda. Set for repeat rinse. Hang dry, outdoors if possible (after the skunk is gone!)  Do not use the clothes dryer.

PETS

If a skunk sprayed your pet, don’t fret. Mix the Skunk Smell Removal Recipe. Apply the solution to your pet. Put on rubber gloves when applying the solution and keep away from your pet’s eyes and mouth.

Rinse immediately, then follow up with a pet shampoo. Tip: some pet shampoos are designed to neutralize skunk smells.

Of course, we can help make the smell disappear by removing the skunk. So call us at Pestcheck today on (778) 903-7378!

Love is in the Air for Raccoons!

It’s February, and you know what that means…love is in the air! Every store is covered in pink and red with hearts, balloons, flowers, stuffed animals and most importantly, chocolate. People are celebrating Valentine’s Day. Even some animals are getting into the spirit of the month, though maybe not in ways we humans will enjoy. Love is in the air for raccoons.

The tough love of a raccoon

It is around this time every year when we start to get an increase in calls for raccoons in peoples’ attics. Most raccoons will not have babies quite yet, as the mating season starts around the beginning of the new year. A raccoon’s pregnancy lasts about two months. However, female raccoons may be looking for a safe place to raise their babies, also known as kits.

This safe place is essential for any soon-to-be mother raccoon. While raccoons do not have many natural predators anymore, male raccoons have no qualms ridding a female of her existing kits to try to send her back into heat. For males, it is all about furthering their own gene pool, and they will do whatever it takes to do so. So, unless the mother-to-be can find a place in which a male cannot easily find her and her babies, it could be bad news for her kits.

Why are raccoons in my attic?

Raccoons like to get into attics as they provide a perfect nesting/den site as attics are dry, warm and quiet. Raccoons can gain access to your attic through roof vents, loose or missing soffit or fascia. These are all perfect access points for a determined raccoon.

Raccoons are the largest animal you will come across in an urban setting. Because of their size and weight, the sounds they make are easily distinguishable as the sounds coming from a bigger animal. If you’re hearing thumping noises, it’s one of the surefire signs a raccoon is in the attic. No other urban pest is big enough to create stomping noises. Squirrels will scurry and bang around, but a raccoon literally will sound like a small person is up there.

They are very vocal animals as well, especially when babies are in the mix. When around their kits, the mother will become much more vocal. As for the little ones, they are usually crying when they are not asleep.

The experts at Pestcheck specialize in the humane removal of wildlife from your home. Trust us to get your home wildlife-free before the babies arrive!

Call us on (778) 903-7378 or

Email us at contact@pestcheck.ca.

Dog Sprayed by Skunk

Getting sprayed by a skunk is no laughing matter. But a dog sprayed by skunk sucks.

A friend of mine posted on Facebook “My dog got skunked! What should I do?” This prompted me to write about getting rid of that nasty, nasty smell.

First off, commercial products don’t work. Don’t waste your money. Here is what the experts say about tomato juice:

  • It doesn’t actually remove the skunk smell and leaves a tomato odor
  • If not fully rinsed, it may attract insects
  • Your bathroom may look like something out of a horror movie if your dog shakes off during or after your application

So what is there out there to help?   Chemist, Paul Krebaum created a simple solution to combat skunk odor on dogs:

  • 1 litre of 3% hydrogen peroxide
  • ¼ cup baking soda
  • 1–2 teaspoons liquid soap (recommended Dawn)
  • Latex gloves

Prepare an open container for the mixture. Never use a closed container or store the solution, as there is a strong possibility of explosion. Don’t start making the solution until you’re ready to apply it to the fur.

9 Steps to De-Skunk Your Dog

  1. The longer the skunk spray stays on, the more time it has to dry and seep further in. Don’t delay!
  2. If your dog is outdoors, keep him there. If indoors, get him into a bathroom immediately, avoiding contact with any furnishings.
  3. Wear clothes you don’t mind ruining.
  4. Using paper towels, soak up as much of the spray as possible. Wipe only the affected area so the oil does not spread.
  5. Mix the solution in an open container. Again, NEVER USE A CLOSED CONTAINER.
  6. If your pet’s fabric collar was also sprayed, leave it on for the bath.
  7. Apply the mixture directly to the area most affected while avoiding your dog’s eyes, nose and mouth. Allow it to sit for at least 5 minutes. If your pet has long fur, trimming it to remove the smell is another option.
  8. Rinse off the solution thoroughly with warm water and wash your dog with dog shampoo. Rinse and dry.
  9. Pour any remaining solution down the drain. NEVER store any leftover solution.

If you need skunks removed from your property, please contact us on (778) 903-7378. We humanely remove all urban wildlife.

More resources:

How to Get Rid of Skunks

How to Get Rid of Skunk Smell