Struggling With Nuisance Wildlife Around Your Southern Maine Business?

Five Practical Wildlife-Prevention Tips

Now that you understand what you're up against, we can turn our attention toward dealing with these pests. These five tips could provide all the protection you need. Wild animals are only motivated by food, water, and harborage. You can control these factors, and in turn, control potential wildlife pests.   

1. Remove Food Options: Wild animals eat many things. When considering food sources, you need to know all of the food sources these pests may eat. Here are some tips for removing food as an attractant for wildlife pests.

• Store garbage in covered receptacles that cannot be easily knocked over by a mid-sized animal, such as a raccoon, opossum, or skunk.
• Move bird feeders well away from your exterior walls. Many animals eat seeds.
• Stay on top of cleaning up nuts and fruits that fall from trees.
• Protect garden vegetables and berries with protective fencing materials.
• Reduce bugs and bug habitats. For example: blow leaves out of your landscaping, remove dead branches, and move wood piles away from your exterior. 

2. Address Water Sources: Animals need water and are strongly motivated to drink water to stay hydrated. Any water source on your property can be utilized by animals that can reach them.

• Address gutter clogs. Squirrels can drink water right out of your gutters, and the spillage of water over the side of your gutters can cause perimeter dampness and puddles near your exterior.
• Remove objects that collect rainwater. These objects are like a water dish for a pest animal.
• If you have a pond, birdbath, or some other water source that can't be removed, you'll need to consider deterrents, such as motion-activated lights that flash when animals come near.

3. Remove Hiding Places And Harborage: When animals come onto your property in search of a location to create a nest or den, it is best not to give them one.  

• Trash piles, junk, construction materials, scrap metal, and other objects can provide perfect places for animals to hide. Remove unnecessary clutter to remove places for animals to hide.
• Some animals get into the voids underneath structures. It is best to seal these voids by applying fencing material.  

4. Seal Entry Points: The last place you want animals to create a nest or den is on the inside of a structure on your property. They can do this in sheds, storage lockers, barns, garages, and your main business structure.

• Use expanding foam for a cheap fix. Expanding foam is perfect for sealing certain gaps and holes.
• Use a caulking gun for a long-lasting and better-looking fix. When you're concerned about curb appeal, this is the product to use.
• Use metal flashing and hardware cloth to bolster your defenses when animals are scratching or gnawing to get inside.
• Make sure all protective materials are in place and in good condition, such as weatherstripping, door sweeps, screens, and vent covers.  

5. Remove Routes: Some animals need a route to get inside your business. Here are a few ideas to help you remove potential routes.

• Trim tree branches away from your roofline.
• Insert wire mesh into the downspouts of your gutter systems to allow water to run out and keep pests from running up.
• Remove vines, lattices, and other things pests can scale to reach your roof.
• Put spikes on wires that touch your exterior walls. Squirrels use wires like a superhighway. Those spikes will stop them in their tracks.

Do you see how it works? These natural methods work to naturally deter pests from being active on your property and keep them from getting into structures on your property without any need for wildlife control products. When wild animals get into your property or create lots of trouble in your yard, it is best to get professional wildlife removal.