Don’t Leave Food Accessible

Raccoons don’t usually spend much time on a property if there is no easy food source for them. If you want to discourage the animals from becoming comfortable on your property, don’t leave food easily accessible for them. Since they’re scavengers who will eat just about anything, there are a few common food sources that you need to be aware of:

• Garbage – Raccoons will root through your trash and tear open garbage bags to get to your scraps. Make sure that your trash cans are securely closed. You may want to use a bungee cord to keep the lid on tight, as these clever animals can take the lids off or will simply knock the can over in order to get to what’s inside.
• Pet food – If you leave a bowl of food on your back porch for your cat or dog, you should consider bringing it inside at night, when raccoons are most often out hunting for food. The little thieves will help themselves to your pet’s food, and you’ll have them visiting your home regularly–if they don’t simply choose to move in somewhere on your property.

Do Seal Off Easy Entrances

Raccoons like to make their homes in dark, cozy areas, and they often will build nests in attics or under porches. Make sure to block off easy entrances to these areas. Check your attic for gaps in the roof or siding, and put some trellis around the bottom of your porch to keep these animals out.

Don’t Try to Trap Them Yourself

Above all, don’t try to trap and relocate a raccoon by yourself. Raccoons can get very aggressive when they’re cornered, so raccoon removal in Atlanta should be left to the professionals. These animals can carry a lot of diseases, including rabies, so the last thing you want is to be bitten while trying to relocate a trapped raccoon.

If you need professional raccoon removal this summer, contact Mayday Pest Control. We’ll get the animals off of your property so that you can enjoy those summer nights without worrying about any masked critters crashing your party.

The post Essential Summer Raccoon Control Tips: The Dos and Don’ts first appeared on MayDay Pest Services.

Squirrels

As cute as they may seem, squirrels can wreak havoc on your attic. Squirrels can chew through wood and electrical wires, which can often result in a fire hazard. Removal of these creatures is best achieved through capturing and relocating them, then closing off all entry points. We recommend the following tips to get rid of squirrels:

• Traps: Use repeater live cage traps or one-way exclusion door traps with peanuts or peanut butter inside as bait.
• Repellants: Ultrasonic repellants, radio sounds, flashing lights, or commercial repellants can be used to convince the squirrels that your attic is no longer the ideal place to live.
• Professional Pest Removal: Consulting a professional is hands down the best option for squirrel removal.

Bats

If bats have taken refuge in your attic, you’ll know very quickly by the pungent odor of their droppings. Bats create a serious health problem that must be dealt with immediately. Bat removal depends on your location. In areas that experience a cold season, the bats will migrate as the temperatures drop, allowing you to seal up all entry points. However, in most cases, bat removal is best left up to the experts as it is illegal to poison them and very dangerous to trap them yourself.

Mice

Mice would rather associate with humans than live out in the wild. Because mice breed so quickly, one mouse can turn into a full-blown infestation in a short amount of time. The following are some of the best ways to get rid of mice:

• Traps: There are several different types of mice traps, including glue traps, zap traps, live traps, snap traps, and poison traps.
• Professional Pest Removal: The only way to guarantee effective mice removal is by consulting a professional pest removal company.

Rats

Rats are the most common type of pest found in attics and also the most difficult to remove. The most effective rat removal methods include the following:

• Traps: The best rat traps are wooden snap traps. Leave them in an area of rat activity for one week, then bait and set them.
• Professional Pest Removal: Because it can be difficult to lure rats to traps and properly seal all entry points, consulting a professional pest removal company is the best way to ensure complete extermination.

The post Tips on Getting Rid of Pests in the Attic first appeared on MayDay Pest Services.

• • Plan your events accordingly. Mosquitos tend to be the most active at dusk and dawn. If you’re outside during this time, plan on having plenty of insect repellent on hand. DEET or products containing Picaridin will all drive mosquitos away and keep you and your guests from being bitten. You could also light citronella candles around your outdoor space to ensure that pesky bugs don’t bother you.
  • Keep all food and beverages covered, even when in the trash. Yellow jackets, raccoons, mice, and rats will all come running (or flying) when they smell something tasty. Keep all drinks and food in sealed containers and coolers to prevent attracting them. When it comes time to throw things away, use a garbage can with a lid. This keeps the smell from wafting towards unwanted critters and prevents them from getting inside to take a snack.
  • Walk your property regularly and check for holes. Critters are looking to beat the heat just like you are. If they can find away into your air-conditioned home, you can bet they will come inside. Make sure that there are no holes in your crawl space or access points to your attic. If you do find that you’re the victim of an infestation, call in a professional to make sure that those pests don’t get too cozy.
  • Drain any standing water. Pools, bird baths, and fountains are all beautiful water features to have in your yard. While they might be serene, they are also the perfect places for mosquitos to breed. Warm, standing water attracts mosquitos and other bugs. To prevent bugs buzzing around your yard, drain any standing water quickly after using it.
  • Serve food inside. If you’re worried about bugs infesting your potato salad, leave it inside. Bugs, mice, and rats are all attracted to the smell of food. Serve your food inside and then give your guests the option of eating it outside. This limits the exposure to bugs and prevents pests from landing on your bowl of fruit and other food.

Your summer season should be enjoyable. If you find yourself overwhelmed by bugs, pests, and critters, it’s time to call in the professionals. Pest and
rodent control companies know exactly what to do to ensure that your summer isn’t ruined by the creepy-crawlers outside.

The post How to Avoid Summer Pests first appeared on MayDay Pest Services.

Mice

You will rarely find only one mouse in your home. They multiply quickly. One female mouse can have 5 to 10 litters each year, and each litter consists of 3 to 14 mice. Breeding occurs throughout the year and a mouse requires only about nineteen days per gestation period. This means one female mouse could have several litters each year. If you find mice in your home and simple traps don’t take care of them, contact a professional in rodent removal in Atlanta before the problem gets out of hand.

Rats

Like mice, rats reproduce rapidly and substantially. After only 3 or 4 months, a rat is sexually mature, and a female rat could mate five hundred times within her 6-hour period of receptivity, which occurs fifteen times each year. If their mating goes unchecked and they have no predators, a pair of rats could breed as many as two thousand young during the course of a year.

Squirrels

Squirrels do not mate throughout the year. Depending on the species, squirrels typically mate about twice a year, and the mating season only lasts a couple of months. Female squirrels are only receptive for less than a day during that mating period, but the female may mate with several males during that time. The gestation period for squirrels is longer than that of mice and lasts for about forty-five days. Each litter usually numbers from 2 to 4 young, but it could have as many as 8 babies. While squirrels are not as threatening to your home as mice and rats, if you assume they’re harmless and let them breed unchecked, you could quickly triple the number of squirrels in your home.

Voles

Voles, like rats, form colonies, and they multiply quickly. A single female can have ten litters each year, and each litter may consist of 3 to 5 young. Vole populations have natural booms every 3 to 5 years, and if your home is invaded by voles during one of these peak seasons, your small vole problem can quickly turn into an infestation.
If you notice any of these rodents in your home, take action. Contact a professional in rodent removal, and take care of the problem immediately. One rat may be harmless, but an entire colony can quickly destroy your home.

The post How Quickly Rodents Can Spread in Your Home first appeared on MayDay Pest Services.

What Squirrel Removal Looks Like

There are different means of removing squirrels from homes, and most of them involve some kind of contact with the squirrel. Whether you trap them, evict them (essentially allow them to exit but not reenter your home), frighten them, set traps for them, install repellents, or use some other form of removal, you run the risk of encountering your furry housemate.

Safety First

Since your safety and the well-being of your home and family should be your top priority, it is better to be safe than sorry when dealing with wildlife. Handling traps, equipment, and wildlife should be left to the trained and experienced professionals, especially since the right tools and the right protection are needed for the job.

Squirrel Diseases

Any wild animal can carry diseases, and in the case of squirrels, you need to be cautious around their droppings. Salmonella, Leptospirosis, and other bacteria can be found in squirrel droppings, so you should always be cautious in a home with a squirrel infestation.

Getting the Job Done Right

In addition to the safety and health-related consequences that can come from attempting your own squirrel removal, you also run the risk of not doing the job properly. If entrances are not sealed tightly enough, not all the squirrels are removed, traps are not set correctly, and the job is not done effectively and thoroughly, your squirrel problem will continue to worsen with time. Wire damage from chewing, ripped up insulation and sheetrock, and other damage can be common with squirrels, since they can chew through just about everything but metal.

Prevention Going Forward

The best way to prevent squirrels from entering or reentering your home is to make sure all the entrances are sealed. Check for holes, even ones that seem too small for squirrels to pass through, and seal any openings you may find. If they cannot easily slip in, then your problem will be solved before it ever starts.

We always encourage a professional to go through your work to make sure your squirrel “access points” are secured. Please feel free to contact us via phone (770) 592-0331 Or use the “Get A Quote” form on the side of this blog page.

The post Why Squirrel Removal Should be Left to the Professionals first appeared on MayDay Pest Services.

One of the tell-tale signs of rodent infestation are the smudge marks that result from oil and dirt rubbing off their fur along their travel routes. Or, at dusk, invading rats can be heard running around in the attic or through the home’s air ducts. If a rat problem is suspected, it’s time to contact an Atlanta expert in rat removal who can assess the situation, remove the rodents, and help secure the home against future infestations.

Rodents are responsible for more than 35 different diseases worldwide, spread through direct handling or through contact with the rat feces, urine, or saliva. We’ve listed the most common health risks associated with direct or indirect exposure to rodents in the U.S.

Leptospirosis

According to the Georgia Department of Health, Leptospirosis is under-diagnosed in the U.S., so there are probably more human cases than the low number reported in Georgia over the past decade. The disease is passed from infected rodents (or other infected wildlife, like raccoons) through the urine, but the bacteria can live for a long time in damp soil, fresh water, mud, and vegetation. Humans can be infected by coming into contact with the disease, but pets can also be infected through food or water bowls that have come into contact with an infected rat’s urine. Leptospirosis is treated with antibiotics.

Allergens

Many people are allergic to rat droppings, their dander, or their hair. Because rats shed about 500,000 body hairs and release around 25,000 rat droppings per year, those people who suffer with allergies could suffer adverse health effects if there is an infestation in the home.

Fleas, Lice, Ticks, and Mites

Rats can transport fleas, lice, ticks, and mites into the home. If a rat is infected and is bitten by one of these parasitic insects, that insect can in turn bite humans and infect them.

Food Contamination

Rats can contaminate food through their urine, feces, and hair. It’s estimated that each year, at least 20% of the world’s food supply is contaminated by rodents.

Fire Hazard

Rats like to chew on the electrical wiring and cable in homes due to the sodium content in the wires. The damaged wires can cause a major fire risk.

An experienced professional in rat removal can safely and humanely remove the rodents from your property, and secure your home from future invasions. Please feel free to contact us via phone (770) 592-0331 or use the “Get A Quote” form on the side of this blog page.

The post Potential Health Risks Rats can Cause in Your Home first appeared on MayDay Pest Services.