Know The Fall Wildlife Pressure Levels on Your Home

I spent the day today cutting down an apple tree in our back yard that was well past its “prime”. It no longer flowered or bore fruit, the branches were starting to rot and fall to the ground and it was far too close to the pool and I lived in fear of it toppling in and shredding the liner.

As I was cutting branches and hauling them to the 20 foot wide fire pit on our farm, I was coming across remnants of vacant homes from local fauna and decided this was a great fall topic to write about.

If your family is anything like mine, you have fall chores leading into winter that usually consist of removing dead trees, cutting back ornamentals, trimming back perennials, and pulling the annuals out of your gardens.

Before you get super motivated and get to gettin. Let’s take a minute to recognize some potential wildlife issues that may arise.

Birds

Though there are not many, some species (such as mourning doves) can have young in their nests even late into summer and early fall. Make sure before trimming or removing trees that you inspect for occupied nests. If the nests are too high or unable to be inspected, taking a small inspection mirror such as this one (https://amzn.to/2FFs0rM) can help you see inside the nest without disturbing any possible occupants.

Squirrels

Along with being concerned about disturbing occupied bird nests, it is important to determine if you have active dreys (squirrel nests) in the tree. This time of year, the drey may be for either nesting, or could be serving as a cache of accumulated food resources for the squirrel to use through the winter. Know that removal of the drey from the squirrel’s habitat WILL cause a hardship and make the squirrel look for other nesting and cache locations. In the frantic search to make up for lost reserves before the cold hits, the squirrel could likely enter your home through your soffits, facia, or even your attic vents. We recommend installing vent guards on all of your attic vents as they are likely only made from stamped aluminum and are no match not the sharp teeth of a grey squirrel. You can purchase consumer grade vents on Amazon at ( https://amzn.to/3mxqVT). You can also hire Huntsman wildlife to install professional grade attic vents that come with a ten year warranty and guarantee against animal intrusion.

Snakes/Lizards

When the time comes to trim back the perennials, especially perennial grasses, be aware that you may be altering the habitat of one of the many non venomous and beneficial snakes in our region. These spots are also a favored feeding location for Cincinnati’s infamous “Lazarus Lizards” Before trimming back any plant material growing near the home. Make sure the door sweeps, utility entrances, and window seals are in good order with no missing sections or damage. If the door sweeps are needing replacement and you take away the snake habitat, they may just find their way into your home to spend the winter without you knowing it. Let’s prevent that by replacing or repairing any sweeps, seals, and caps as necessary. Huntsman Wildlife provides a “Fall Wildlife Home Inspection” to see if you have any weaknesses in your home’s security that wildlife may take advantage of. Click on the “Contact Us” button above to get on our schedule before the wildlife pressure on your home starts.

Rats/Mice/Chipmunks

The second potential nuisance wildlife concern with your gardens are the rats and or mice that have been calling your gardens home for the past summer. Just like the snakes and lizards, once you start modifying their environment, taking away food sources, and removing the protecting leafy cover from hawks and owls, these rodent rascals will look for other places to call home for the winter. Don’t let it be the inside of your home. You likely will not see the mouse or rat during your fall shores like you would a snake or a lizard, but the presence of droppings, and small holes the size of a quarter leading into the soil of your garden are strong signs the mice and rats were enjoying your summer garden as much as you were. Huntsman Wildlife can come out and perform weekly trappings for the month of october to remove the exterior rodent populations in order to keep them from becoming INTERIOR rodent populations. Our rodent trapping plans start at $235 for 30 days and have no additional trip fees or per animal fees. Reach out to us for more information.

So there you have it. Before you start those fall chore/honey-do lists, you can now go confidently with your gloves and tools at the ready, knowing there may be a secondary result to your fall clean up activities and now you know how to prevent them.

Till next time… see ya folks.