Before you start thinking Huntsman Wildlife has no place in wildlife control if we are not going to do a thorough inspection INCLUDING the attic, let me give you the top three reasons we will decide not to inspect the attic at that time.

Animals Are In There

As I approach my 18th year in this industry I hold a vast knowledge of the speed, agility, behavior, and abilities of many of the wildlife that tends to inhabit attics. At the time of writing this article I am between six foot one and five foot 11 tall depending on which UDF store I am exiting that day and 255 pounds. A 14 pound raccoon, or a 17 inch long squirrel, or a little brown bat capable of flying 21 miles per hour are all faster and more agile in that 4-6 foot tall attic you want me to crawl into. 

Why does that matter? Well, if I pop open that attic access panel and the animal that WAS in your attic decides to enter the living space of your home, then the problem just got much more involved, much riskier, and much more dangerous, and those three make it MUCH more expensive to resolve. Not to mention, my LEAST favorite thing to do is to try and capture a 21 mph bat flying around an “Open Concept Cathedral Ceiling 2.5 Story Foyer”.

We will inspect the attic, but AFTER we are sure the animals are no longer up there. Oftentimes that is on our last visit after the trapping and exclusion work has had time to prove to us there are no more animals inside the structure.

It’s Hot… REALLY Hot!

In the middle of summer in the Cincinnati area our outside temperatures can easily reach 90+ degrees by 11 am and hover at that point all the way into the early evening. Your attic is often 20-30 degrees higher than the outside temperature with anywhere between 45-65% humidity depending on ventilation and airflow. Short of sounding like a Bama fan, it’s not the heat that gets you, it’s the humidity so that is not the tide rollin down my forehead, that is a river of sweat.

Most of the reasons we have to inspect an attic mean we need to be wearing appropriate clothing and protective equipment such as pants, long sleeves, breathing protection, gloves, and eye protection. 120 degrees with 95% of our body covered is not a good time to be had by any.

We do perform necessary attic inspections no later than 10am from July 1st through October 1st and even then we do not spend more than 15 minutes at a time in there without having fans and other cooling measures available to us.

I Don't Wanna

Lastly, when it comes down to it, often times I just don’t want to mess with looking inside the attic space when I can glean the same information necessary to create a effective and reasonable trapping and exclusion plan from an exterior inspection of the siding, roof, property, and exterior structures.

It requires bringing MY ladder into the house (insurance will not allow me to use your ladder, clearing out the clothes, boxes, wall decor, and furniture in the area around the access panel. I have to put down a fresh drop cloth to capture any detritus, insulation, or other debris that will fall from the attic opening. I may even need to break a seal of paint, caulk, or tape that you or the previous owner applied. In one case it took almost 45 minutes for me to free the access panel due to multiple lakers of sealant and paint keeping it sealed.

The question is not “are the bats in the attic” that will help me solve your bat problem, the question that matters is “where are they getting in?” or “where could they get in in the future?” Inspecting your siding, soffits, venting, rooftop, facia, and utility entrance will give me the information I need 95% of the time.

For the 5% of the time I need more info, THEN and only then will we schedule an attic inspection at a later date.

Remember, you called Huntsman Wildlife because you are entrusting us to take care of your property, help resolve the wildlife conflict you are in the midst of, and take the necessary steps to ensure you do not have to go through all of this ever again.  Trust in our process and the years of experience we used to create that process and I assure you, once the animals are out, and the climate inside the attic is safe, and there is a need for it, we will be MORE than happy to inspect the attic to ensure there are no further repair or clean up issues needing to be addressed.

Till next time… see ya folks!