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WILDLIFE CONTROL & EXCLUSION

Revised 6/13/19

 

A dangerous or bothersome animal that comes too close for comfort becomes a wildlife control problem. If it makes its way into a structure, it can cause serious problems other than just keeping the customer awake at night. These critters can chew electrical wires and cause fires, they can chew through water pipes and cause floods, and they damage just about anything they can sink their teeth into. Many can also carry harmful diseases which can be spread in many different ways.

 

When it comes to wildlife control, exclusion is the humane approach. Techniques are applied to remove intrusive animals and prevent future use of the structure by wildlife. Rather than trap and relocate animals (which is usually illegal), it is much better and safer to determine how an animal is getting in and seal points of entry without trapping the animal inside. The solution motivates the animal to leave the property and reduces the likelihood of other animals getting in.

 

A thorough site inspection is the foundation of an effective approach to wildlife control and exclusion. Failure to spend enough time on the initial visit can result in hours of additional work and could prevent us from properly understanding the problem.

 

Exclusion requires knowledge of animal behavior and a bit of common sense. Each animal might require a different approach, but the goal is always the same – to eliminate avenues for wildlife pests to enter a structure. One necessity with exclusion is to make sure they are all out of the structure before avenues are closed – you don’t want to strand wildlife inside the structure. Exclusion is ultimately more effective, more economical, and far more humane than most other wildlife control services.

 

Excluding wildlife from an area of a structure being damaged can be the best approach to long term wildlife control. While trapping a nuisance animal solves current animal infestation issues, it does not address future wildlife invaders. By locating all points of animal entry and implementing repair and exclusion techniques, the chances for future animal infestation and damage are greatly reduced.

 

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6 STEPS OF SERVICE

 

Following the 6 Steps of Service:

  • Meet the homeowner or tenant and listen to any concerns.

  • Inform the customer of your general inspection plans.

  • Let them know what you expect to be inspecting for and what the scope of services moving forward will include.

  • Explain what they can expect from the inspection.

 

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SERVICE INSTRUCTIONS

 

Inspection:

 

The first thing to do in excluding wildlife is to find the source of the customer’s problem. That means you need to understand the type of damage and how bad it is. You have to identify the culprit. Also, look for clues that will help you figure out what attracted the problem animals to the site. Remember the two key enticements – food and shelter.

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  • Prior to conducting any inspection, ensure all equipment and materials are available for job completion.

    • Ladder for high area inspecting.

    • Flashlight.

    • High-intensity spotlights (at least 500,000 candle-power). Standard flashlights are adequate when you are close to the target but are useless when inspecting a space from a distance. Use a high-intensity light to illuminate dark spots around eaves and gables. If a hole exists, it will remain dark when a light shines on it. If the building surface is intact, light will reflect back to you.

    • Telescoping mirror (made from a stainless steel plate or traditional glass mirror). This tool is essential for looking around corners and above fireplace dampers. You can also shine a light into the mirror to illuminate your target.

    • Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) – coveralls, gloves, safety glasses, respirator, etc.

  • Look for signs of wildlife presence by using your knowledge of animal behavior.

    • Visual sightings – this is one of the easiest ways to identify a species. If nocturnal animals are seen often during the day, the animal may have young and is feeding more often, or the local population is high, especially with rats and mice.

    • Sounds – listen for various squeaks, growls, cries, hisses, chitters and screeches, gnawing or clawing, scampering, or climbing inside the walls, above the ceiling, between the floors, or underneath cabinets. The sounds of adults are different from those of their young.

    • Odors – you may smell the droppings, urine, or body oils of wildlife that are living indoors. The odor of a house mouse is different from that of a rat. Dens of other animals, including raccoons and others also have their own scent.

    • Droppings – these may be found along runways, near shelters, in piles near an entry hole, or in other places often used. Fresh droppings are shiny and often soft, while old ones are dry, lighter in color, hard, and crumble easily.

    • Urine – you can see rodent urine using an ultraviolet light – urine glows blue-white. Unfortunately, other materials also glow, which can be confusing until you become familiar with the typical background fluorescence of a home or office. In regular lighting, you may notice discoloration on building materials in attics or crawl spaces, usually caused by large amounts of urine.

    • Runs – look for smooth or worn trails next to walls, along fences, or under bushes and buildings. Runs within structures may be well-polished trails that are free of dust. Trails through insulation are common.

    • Smudge marks – these are often are seen in an animal’s run where it rubs against a surface during its travels, leaving behind dirt and oil from its fur. Look for these on pipes, beams, walls, and the outside edges of holes.

    • Tracks and claw marks – footprints, tail marks, and wing prints may be found in dusty surfaces, sand, soft soil, and snow. If the surface doesn’t show tracks well, you can sprinkle nontoxic tracking dust (such as chalk powder or unscented talc) in a likely area, and return later to look for tracks. You may also find claw marks on woodwork, trees, or in dust.

    • Gnawing – look for evidence of chewing (wood chips, tooth marks, holes, shredded fabrics, frayed wires). Some wildlife will gnaw to enlarge a crack or enter a space. Wood chips may be seen near baseboards, doors, basement windows, kitchen cabinets, furniture, and stored materials. You may also find shredded clothing, or tooth marks on pipes. Rodents and raccoons often chew on the insulation around wires.

    • Access routes – walk around the exterior and try to imagine the route an animal might use to gain entrance to the structure. Are trees or utility lines near the roof? Could the animal have crawled under a porch, up a chimney, or along a downspout? Is there an attached garage that may have been left open? These clues will point to likely culprits.

  • Wild animals usually provide many signs of their presence. The clues you gain from your site inspection and customer interview should help you identify the species, estimate the number of animals present, and find the areas where they’re most active.

 

Exterior Site Inspections

 

Animal control inspections should begin from outside the building. Generally, it is easier to identify access points for wildlife from the exterior, and your control efforts usually are done from the outside. Avoid setting traps inside a building because you become dependent on the schedule of the client. Wildlife problems are typically better dealt with from outdoors.

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  • As you approach the location, consider the neighborhood and the habitat it contains.

    • What are the ages of the buildings?

    • Are buildings in good repair?

    • Is the neighborhood tidy and neat?

  • Observe the structure.

    • Is it in good repair?

    • Are tree branches hanging over the building?

    • Are the gutters clean?

  • What shelter and sources of food for wildlife can be identified?

  • Stand far enough from the structure so you can see the roof line.

    • Observe all vents, chimneys, and other structures on the roof.

    • Animals typically enter where a break has occurred in the underlying structural materials.

  • Look at the gutter line.

    • If you can see the fascia board behind the gutter, the gutter inspection is simple. Otherwise, try to inspect it from below.

    • Use binoculars if necessary.

  • Inspect the roof line.

    • Ridge vents, eaves, and gables are vulnerable to entry by animals.

  • Inspect the chimney.

    • Chimneys are a special concern because customers may believe their chimney is capped, but in reality, the chimney may have no cap, or the cap could be damaged, allowing wildlife to enter.

    • Vents also need careful inspection to ensure that the mosquito netting or window screen is intact.

    • Inspect flues from the top. Shine a light down each flue, looking for broken cobwebs, smudge marks, and the eye shine of animals. Listen for sounds.

  • Exterior sites or locations wildlife typically uses to enter structures.

    • Roof ridge vent

    • Chimney flue tile

    • Roof vents

    • Dormers

    • Dormer eaves

    • Roof vents

    • Gutters and downspouts

    • Soffit and weep vents

    • Bathroom vents

    • Fireplace

    • Pet doors

    • Under garage door

    • Front stoop

    • Sill plates

    • Under decks

    • Window wells

    • Dryer vents

    • Fireplace/chimney cleanout

 

Interior Inspections

 

Effective interior inspections include looking at unfinished portions of the home. Attics, crawls spaces, and utility rooms should be the main focus.

 

  • Attics

    • Wear PPE and practice safe attic entry.

    • With a spotlight, look along the eave line. Check the vents for mosquito netting or window screen. Is the material intact?

    • Look at the insulation. Do you notice droppings? Are some areas disturbed? Are there trails where the insulation has been packed down? Remove some insulation to reveal the ceiling and check for droppings.

    • Does light enter the attic? Light could indicate holes where wildlife might enter.

  • Crawl Spaces

    • Wear PPE and practice safe entry.

    • With a bright light, look along the sill plate.

    • Look at the insulation. Do you notice droppings? Are some areas disturbed?

    • Inspect stored boxes and materials. Are they damaged?

    • Turn off your light. Is any light entering the space?

  • Basements

    • Wear PPE and practice safe entry.

    • With a bright light, look along the sill plate. You may need a ladder.

    • If you can see insulation, do you notice droppings? Are some areas disturbed?

    • Inspect stored boxes and materials. Are they damaged?

    • Look above ceiling tiles for droppings, acorns, seeds, and other signs of wildlife.

    • Pay special attention to areas that are remote, or near sources of heat or water.

 

Approved Product List:

  • Exclusion Materials: hardware cloth; aluminum flashing; galvanized flashing; expanding foam; excluder wool cloth

  • Other Materials: large glue boards; 1-way traps or funnels

 

Exclusion Procedures:

  • Identify entry points.

    • Upon arrival at customer location, walk around home to identify animal entry points provided on the graph accompanying the work order.

    • After locating those entry points, look for additional entry points that may have been overlooked.

    • Look for oddities around the home that could turn into future entry points (i.e. loose gutters, degraded soffits, foundation holes, etc.)

      • May require going into basement and attic of the home.

      • May require using flashlight around the foundation.

      • May require climbing ladder to check structure eaves and roof.

    • Before beginning any repair work, take photos (“before” photos) of work to be done and share with customer.

  • Determine materials required.

    • After identifying exclusion points to be closed off, define materials to be gathered. These could include, but are not limited to:

      • Hardware cloth.

      • Aluminum flashing.

      • Galvanized flashing.

      • Expanding foam.

      • Excluder wool cloth.

      • Assorted screws, nails and staples used to attach these materials.

    • Black expanding foam is used to seal holes when they cannot be repaired with other materials.

  • Determine tools required.

    • Depending on the scope of repairs needed, a variety of tools may be needed and used to complete repairs. These could include, but are not limited to:

      • Ladders

      • Tin snips

      • Metal benders

      • Paint

      • Scissors

      • Saws

      • Drill (cordless preferred)

      • Vacuum cleaner

      • Screwdrivers, etc.

  • After exclusion is complete.

    • After completing exclusion work, take photos (“after” photos) of work done and compare with “before” photos.

    • Ensure glue traps are placed around identified entry points throughout inside of home.

    • Install 1-way traps or funnels as required by inspection and/or the work order.

  • Document exclusion conducted with photos and other notes.

    • After completing all work, ensure customer is notified of repairs and share “after” photos of work done.

    • Finalize billing and payments with customer using the PestPac Mobile App.

    • Upload photos and other pertinent documentation into PestPac.

    • Generate notes into PestPac regarding monitoring and frequency of rechecks as necessary.

 

Other Notes:

  • Prior to conducting any inspection or treatment, ensure all equipment and materials are available for job completion.

  • While providing the wildlife control treatment, examine for other pests living outside to recommend other A-1 services.

 

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6 STEPS OF SERVICE (continued)

 

Continuing to follow the 6 Steps of Service:

  • Let the customer know what was found and what was done. If the customer is not available, leave a “Door Hanger” with written notes specifying what was found, what was done, and any recommendations deemed necessary.

  • Inform the customer what to expect over the next few days, weeks, months, etc. Set clear expectations for upcoming visits.

  • Ask the customer: “Do you have any other Pest Control needs I can take care of today?”

  • If the customer does NOT already have a Home Shield service, ask them, “May I tell you about our routine service for continuous pest protection for your family?”

  • Ask the customer, “If you feel that I provided you with good service today, I’d like to invite you to give us a positive online review – we’ll make it very easy for you.”

 

 

WARRANTY – 1 Year (renewable annually)

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