How Wildlife Choose Their Hiding Places - Blog | TPS

While summers in New York State are most notorious for their increased insect activity, that doesn’t mean that there aren’t any wildlife pests to also worry about. Keeping wildlife away from your home and property boils down to one thing: understanding why wildlife would want to come to your home in the first place, much of which is tied closely to their ability to find a place that they can turn into at least a temporary home. So how does different wildlife choose a hiding place? We have some answers.

Access to Food

In warmer months, one of the main things that wildlife are going to be looking for is access to food. For some animals, this can mean the food waste in your garbage cans, and for others, it can mean plants or personal crops that you grow in your garden. There are a few ways to keep animals out of your trash: 

• Limit the amount of food waste you’re disposing of in the trash can
• Keep your trash stored in the garage or in a shed instead of outdoors
• Use bleach, ammonia, or vinegar to cover up the smell of food in the trash 
• Regularly wash out your trash cans to limit accumulating food waste 
• Make sure to always keep lids securely placed on the top of trash cans

There are also a number of ways to decrease the chances that critters will be drawn to your garden, including: 

• Building a garden fence or using a plant tent 
• Plant garden plants in an elevated garden bed 
• Spray hot pepper sauce or milk on your plants as a deterrent 
• Use noise to ward off potential pests; wind chimes or even a 24/7 can be effective to ward off some critters
• Try using store-bought wildlife repellent
  

Shade and Shelter

Food isn’t the only thing that will attract wildlife to your property in hot months. Wildlife, like people, also want to find areas where they can take a break from the heat. In other words, any place that is shaded and cool is at risk of becoming an animal’s hidey-hole. Some common places that we’ve seen wildlife take shelter in include: 

• Garages 
• Basements 
• Beneath decks 
• Sheds 

Doing a self-inspection of your home and other structures on your property can help inform you if you have any openings, holes, or gaps that can act as an entry point for any animals. If you’ve identified any potential entry points, you can try to seal or block them yourself--or

contact the professionals to help out.

Problem Wildlife in the Summer 

So which wildlife is common in the summer months? There are a few invasive animals that stand out in their ramped-up activity, which we’ll list here: 

• Mice
• Rats
• Squirrels 
• Raccoons 
• Snakes 
• Opossums 
• Skunks 

Not all of these animals are a serious problem- for example, there are not many dangerous snakes in New York- but some of them can cause damage to structures, or burrow into your yard and cause lawn damage. And no one wants to get sprayed by a skunk! That’s where we come in. Our humane wildlife control services will get any unwanted animals off of your property without causing the animals any serious harm. Here’s how it works: 

1. Inspection- After a thorough inspection and analysis we determine the following: What is that noise? Where is it living? How is it gaining entry? What can be done? How can we prevent this from reoccurring?
   
   
2. Removal- We will rid your home of animals that have taken refuge in your attic, crawlspace, chimney flue, or have found their way inside your walls or under your home. Using industry-accepted wildlife trapping and removal methods that are practical, humane, and legal. Our paramount goal is to safely capture the critters while minimizing any distress and further damage by utilizing traps, placing deterrents, or by exclusion.
   
   
3. Repair- Once removed, we will property identify where wildlife is gaining entry and develop a custom-tailored plan to prevent a future problem. Thomas Pest Services also has the ability to clean, sanitize the area consisting of droppings, urine, nesting, and feed sites.

In need of wildlife control services? Just click here to get started on your free estimate!