How We Solve Winston Salem Wildlife Problems
It starts with your phone call. We answer our phones 24/7, and we will carefully listen to your wildlife problem. Every case is different, so we will ask appropriate questions to help
us understand the situation better. Questions like, "do you hear the noises at night or during the daytime?" or "what type of roof do you have?" After we have a general idea of your
situation, we can provide a ballpark price range, and schedule a same-day or next-day appointment to inspect your property.
INSPECTION: Once on site, we will perform a full inspection of your home and property. This allows us to use the correct strategy and traps. If the animals are in an attic, a full building inspection is crucial, including the following:
- All ground-level areas, such as piper or A/C line entry & exit areas, A/C chase bottoms, ground-level vents, etc.
- All mid-level areas, such as dryer vents, siding gaps, first floor eaves or dormers, etc.
- We inspect the entire roof, including all plumbing stacks, ridge caps, vents, and other potential gaps or holes.
- We also inspect inside your attic, to identify animals and damage they have caused.
- If the animals are outside, we notice many subtle clues that will assist us in a successful strategy.
TRAPPING, EXCLUSION, REMOVAL: Once we understand what animal species we are dealing with, and the problem, we use the most effective means of removing the animals. We use dozens of different types of traps.
- Trapping - If trapping the animal(s) in live cage traps, trap type, set, and location are crucial to success.
- Exclusion - Oftentimes, we are able to simply set one-way doors or other exclusion devices that allow the animals inside a building to safely exit, but never get back inside.
- Removal By Hand - Sometimes we actually remove animals by hand, or with special tools like snare poles.
- The Law - In all cases, we obey state and local laws regarding wildlife, but aim to take the most humane approach.
ENTRY HOLE REPAIRS: Repairs are a crucial step in the wildlife removal process. In many cases, such as bat or rodent control, the job cannot be performed without detailed repairs, and in all cases, sealing the entry holes shut ensures that no future wildlife will ever enter your home.
- 100% of the entry holes must be found, and sealed shut, or the job is not complete.
- Our repairs are professional contractor grade, look good, and when applicable we use steel, which rodents such as rats or squirrels are unable to chew through.
- We give a written guarantee on our repairs against any future animal entry.
ATTIC DECONTAMINATION SERVICES: It may be desirable to clean your attic after we've removed the animals. They can leave behind large amounts of droppings, urine, hair, oils, food, nesting material, and so on. These remnants can attract insects like cockroaches, and the scent left behind can encourage new animals to chew their way into your house. You might experience odor problems from the waste. It's possible that mold will grow on waste areas.
- We remove or vacuum all droppings, or remove all the soiled insulation.
- We fog the attic with a special enzyme-based cleaner that destroys any organic matter and deodorizes the space.
- We repair damage, such as ductwork, electrical wires, pipes, insulation, and more.
Winston Salem, NC provides a climate conduscive to a wide variety of animal species. With hot summers and mild winters, this area of the country presents a number of animals that can be a nuisance to property owners. Animals like squirrels, snakes, groundhogs, bats, and many others can invade your personal space and cause damage to your home. If left unattended this damage can become costly so give us a call as soon as the animal becomes a problem. We service Winston Salem and surrounding cities and towns such as High Point, Burlington, Archdale, Lexington, Thomasville, Kernersville, Bethania, King, Lewisville, Rural Hall, Walkertown, and others. Allow us to solve your pest and wildlife issues in a professional and timely manner.
Other Winston Salem animal pest control topics:
How to Kill a Squirrel
Mole Prevention Tips
Pigeon Repellant
Rat Trapping
To learn more about our services, visit the Winston Salem wildlife control home page.
This month's wildlife how-to article: How To Get Pigeons Off Your Roof
Pigeons are birds that have originated from domestic species of birds, and they are naturally attracted to urban and suburban areas where they will naturally be at their best. However, where the pigeons are most successful they can often be a massive pest to humans, and this can be in open spaces, roofs and any spaces where they can make a nest. Not only can they cause a nuisance by scavenging in garbage and stealing food, they can also spread disease because of their droppings, which they will drop indiscriminately across the whole area where they fly.
What Kind Of Roof Is Most Likely To Have A Pigeon Problem?
It is fair to say that pigeons can land or roost in most roofs from time to time, but the most traditional slanting roof is not a particularly hospitable place for a pigeon to land or to roost. Roofs which have an overhanging ledge or shelf underneath the edge can be a place where the pigeon can land is more likely to suffer with a pigeon problem. Flat roofs and those which have a trough in the design will be particularly likely to have pigeons because they can nest there with no fear of their nest falling from the roof.
Clearing The Pigeons From Your Roof
The first thing to do if you intend to try and deal with the problem yourself is to ensure that you are suitably prepared to climb on the roof, and that the roof can actually support an adult’s weight. This can be particularly problematic with flat roofs, which should be treated with caution. If you have any doubts at all then you should call a professional who will have all of the necessary equipment and expertise to deal with the issue.
Once you do climb on to the roof, the pigeons themselves will usually fly away as they will have a natural wariness of humans. The next step then is to identify if there are any nests presents, and if there are then these should be removed. If the pigeons are simply perching and there aren’t any nests, then you will only need to install pigeon deterrents, which will help to solve the problem permanently.
Anti-Pigeon Measures
There are a number of different types of deterrents that can be used to prevent pigeons from landing and nesting on your roof. If it is a flat roof or a trough that is particularly causing the problem, then installing a fine mesh netting that the birds cannot get through may be an idea worth considering to physically stop the pigeons from getting to this area.
However, in many cases this solution may not be a practical or realistic to install, and there are a number of other solutions available. One of the most common solutions is to install pigeon spikes on any flat surfaces on the roof where the pigeons are likely to land. There is also a bird proof gel that can be installed which will cover the ledge in a sticky substance that will be too uncomfortable for the bird to want to remain there.
If you have a large number of pigeons roosting on the roof, you may need to arrange for a professional to trap all of the animals and remove them before installing the anti-pigeon measures.
Pigeon Repellents
There are a number of different repellents that are often touted as an effective solution to a pigeon problem, but the reality is that these are generally ineffective. There are a number of ultrasonic sound emitters which claim to be able to repel the pigeons, and there are also products including ammonia or mothballs that claim to deal with the problem. Unfortunately, the only solution to dealing with the problem is to install pigeon deterrents on the roof, otherwise the pigeons will keep returning to the roof.
