HOW A #2 PENCIL CAN SAVE YOU $437 (Remix)

As I was hanging the lights outside our farmhouse for the first time since moving in last December, I was noticing some cracks and crevices and voids in the roof, soffits, and fascias that I need to address to keep nuisance wildlife out of my OWN home. That reminded me of a blog post I wrote almost a year ago about exclusion and the benefit of a proactive versus reactive approach to nuisance wildlife management. 

The average wildlife removal invoice for the Cincinnati area is $437. For half of that amount and an afternoon of your time, you can insure yourself against a surprise $437 bill from me or my peers. Let me tell you our secrets.

While the trapping and removal of nuisance wildlife that has made it into your home is not something just anyone has the knowledge and ability to do and should be left to professionals for the safety of humans and animals, the EXCLUSION (read:preventative measures to keep wildlife out) is work that can be done by a majority of homeowners with basic hand tool knowledge. This article will show you the top five exclusion modifications you need to make to your home in order to protect it from invasive wildlife.

The Roofline of Your Home

Many nuisance wildlife species are fantastic acrobats and can climb, swing, hang, and squeeze themselves into positions that a cirque du soleil cast member would envy in order to gain access to your home. Ensuring the soffits, eves, flashing, and gutters on your home are in good working order and have no large gaps or voids will keep those unwelcome pests from entering your home. One of the best ways to inspect for possible entry points is to put a high output light in your attic space and go outside and see where the light is coming through. This is obviously something that would work best in a low light situation, but if you are not comfortable with being on a ladder in low light or the dark, then just take your time and thoroughly inspect these areas to see if any light is coming through. We at Huntsman like to use multiple 10k lumen bulbs in order to fully light up an attic. For $60 it is a fraction of the price you would pay once the wildlife makes it into your home. At the end of this article is a list of amazon links to all products mentioned.

Plumbing and Utility Entrances

A number two pencil, that is all the size of space needed for a mouse to gain access to your home. How many times has the cable/satellite company installed a system in your home? Each time they run new lines, in turn creating new holes in your home. When the gas/electric/water companies ran their lines or installed their meters on your home, their mind was not on the fact they were creating an easy access point for all things creepy crawly, and fuzzy to get into your home. The silicone they used to seal those holes is likely long since shrunken and dried up. That is where, armed with a #2 pencil, you will need to go around to all the spots in your home where a gas, cable, water, AC, or any other line comes into your home and see if there is enough space for access. If so, don't rely solely on silicone, buy yourself some exclusion fabric such as “Xcluder '' brand steel wool off of Amazon (link below), and fill those gaps and voids, THEN cover the exclusion fabric with silicone to waterproof it.

Doorways and Garages

The day your garage doors and exterior doors to your home were installed, the door sweeps and seals were in tip top shape and doing their job perfectly. Overtime, wear and tear, weather, corrosion, and even a possible opportunistic rodent has eaten away at the thin rubber barrier of your original sweeps and seals. Not only is it now letting that precious climate controlled air escape out of your home, but going back to the #2 pencil, it is allowing unwelcome houseguests access to your food, your bed, and your lifestyle. Replacing worn and damaged sweeps and seals are the first recommendation we make to our clients. For over 7 years we have been installing Xcluder brand door sweeps and seals as they are not only well made and designed, the added benefit of the steel wool cores prevent any rodent from wanting to chew through it to gain access. The link to how to purchase them off of Amazon is below.

Gaps in Foundation/Cement/Brick

Once again, you will be bringing your trusty #2 pencil along for this journey. Over time our homes settle, shift, and move ever so slightly, but when they do, occasionally it causes cracking of mortar joints and foundations. Those cracks and breaks end up getting moisture in them, and then inevitably the freeze thaw process happens after a few seasons and PRESTO! Easy wildlife access to your home. Don't fret, as long as the building is still structurally sound, this is commonly a simple and easy repair, but first please put down the can of spray foam. That foam is going to do nothing more than putting a paper banner in front of a varsity football team.. Yeah, it will keep a few weaker pests out, but in a short matter of time they will all come rushing through. This is another instance where filling the gaps and cracks with the xcluder fabric and covering it with silicone is your best bet.

Trees, Bushes, and Vines

I know a 2 year old with a six foot vertical leap. I know… pretty impressive right? What if I told you that 2 year old was not even a foot tall? Six feet is what we at Huntsman Wildlife like to call the “No fly zone”. Eastern Grey Squirrels have amazing leaping abilities at 6’ and under, but over 6 feet and they are not quite successful. That is why I recommend all of our clients to have a 6 foot “no fly zone” between the roofline of their home and any tree or bush limbs or vines. Ensuring this barrier is kept will keep the pests off of your roof and prevent them from gaining access through any of those holes and gaps you have not got around to sealing it.

So there you go, a couple hours on a Sunday after church and no more than $200 in supplies and you will be well on your way to keeping unwanted wildlife from entering your home.

Of course, if you are not wanting to give up your free time and would rather someone with over a decade of exclusion tactics handle your needs, do not hesitate to click on the schedule service tab to fill out a service request and have us come out to help protect your home and property. 

Till next time… see ya folks.

Amazon Affiliate Product Links

10K Lummen Inspection Bulb - https://amzn.to/2OFRZQX

Xcluder Brand Steel Wool Kit - https://amzn.to/2UFDG2D 

Xcluder Door Sweep 36” - https://amzn.to/2vd0NqF