A Closer Look at the Opossum

An opossum in Baton Rouge LA - Dugas Pest ControlLouisiana is home to all sorts of wildlife and pests, but the opossum is one the most unique of the bunch. As the only living species of marsupial in North America, the opossum is in a class of its own, although it is commonly grouped in with rodents due to its appearance. While they don’t pose many dangerous health risks to humans, they can be frightening, filthy, and possibly disease-ridden. To learn more about opossums and how you can keep them off of your property in Baton Rouge, read up on the Dugas Pest Control technicians’ advice!

What Do Opossums Look Like?

Opossums largely resemble rats. They have gray bodies with white, slender faces and long, rat-like tails. They will grow to be about the size of a house cat in most cases, reaching up to about seven pounds.

There are several other habits that can help you identify opossums in your yard:

  1. Opossum mothers carry their young on their backs. If opossums are nesting in your yard, you might soon see upwards of ten young. They are capable of having three litters a year, too!
  2. When approached, opossums are known to play dead as a defense mechanism. Never approach one with intent to remove it, as it may resort to quickly biting.
  3. Opossums mainly eat grains, fruits, and insects. If you have lots of fruit trees or bugs in your yard, you are sure to attract opossums.

Are Opossums Dangerous?

Fortunately, opossums aren’t usually dangerous. They are timid creatures that only attack in situations where they feel extremely threatened. However, they have the ability to spread disease and filth in some cases. Here’s how you can prevent them from nesting on your property:

  • Seal any entry points to your shed, attic, crawlspaces, and more.
  • Declutter your yard by promptly removing any yard waste.
  • Use trash cans with tight-fitting lids to prevent them from digging through your garbage for food.
  • Call a wildlife pest control expert for professional prevention or removal services.

Wildlife Control in Baton Rouge LA

If you’re already dealing with opossums on your property, it’s safe to not try to remove them by yourself. You can rely on your local wildlife removal experts to get the job done. Our wildlife specialists at Dugas Pest Control have years of experience dealing with the specific pest problems that we face in our climate. For a free quote or more information on our services, contact us today!

Are Raccoons Dangerous Around My House?

A raccoon hanging out in Baton Rouge LA - Dugas Pest ControlRaccoons are often considered violent, aggressive, and dangerous. They forage for food in our trash cans and sneak around our yards at night, creating an unsettling environment for the fearful. They have also been proven to carry rabies in some cases. But is there truly a reason to panic if raccoons are inhabiting your yard?

While it is true that raccoons have been known to exhibit aggressive behavior, they are actually much more scared of you than you are of them. So long as you do not try to get rid of raccoons on your property on your own, they will leave you alone and keep a safe distance. If you are concerned about the raccoons on your property in Baton Rouge LA, read on to learn more about them from the Dugas Pest Control experts.

Are Raccoons Dangerous in Baton Rouge LA?

When living in the wild in their natural habitats, raccoons leave humans alone whenever possible. However, sometimes they stumble into residential areas looking for food and shelter, and when they find them, they might stick around. Trying to ward off raccoons on your own can be very dangerous—they have sharp claws, bite, and can transmit various diseases. However, they will not bite unless you threaten them.

That said, raccoons can cause a hassle by way of property damage. They have been known to:

  • Climb through chimneys and cause structural damage
  • Chew on electrical wiring, causing fire hazards
  • Damage your siding, insulation, wiring, and other parts of your home

How Can I Prevent Raccoons?

Keeping your property clean and your home sealed off will prevent raccoons from taking residence around your home. Here are some starters that you can do on your own:

  1. Clean up waste. Any food scraps, fallen fruit from trees, and other trash can attract raccoons.
  2. Seal your trash cans. Consider buying a garbage can with a latch so raccoons can’t get inside.
  3. Look for open entry points. If you’ve noticed raccoons lurking in your neighborhood, look around your house for small gaps in the siding or foundation where they could get inside your walls.

Professional Raccoon Removal with Dugas Pest Control

If you can’t get rid of raccoons on your property in Baton Rouge LA, have your local pest control company help you out. Our Dugas Pest Control wildlife specialists are trained to use safe and humane strategies that handle active raccoon infestations quickly. We also emphasize the importance of learning how to prevent raccoons on your own going forward. For a free quote on the best raccoon removal service in Baton Rouge, contact us today!

Wildlife Exclusion – The Secret Weapon in Pest Control

Raccoons can be avoided in your Baton Rouge LA home with wildlife exclusion services from Dugas Pest Control.Whether you live in rural Louisiana or near an urban area, one thing that we all have to deal with is wildlife. Even in cities and suburban neighborhoods, the south is full of animals like possums, raccoons, squirrels, and other rodents that don’t mind being around people. The bad news is that because these pests are so used to people, they are also frequently found trying to make a home inside your home. In order to get them out, and prevent them from doing it again, wildlife exclusion is the key. This pest control method provided by the experts at Dugas Pest Control ensures your property is not suitable for nuisance wildlife invasions. Read on to learn more!

What Exactly Is Wildlife Exclusion?

Wildlife exclusion is an essential part of keeping nuisance wildlife away. It involved sealing your home to the animals using preventative measures such as sealing holes in your roof, installing screens over windows and doors, and more. A professional wildlife control expert will thoroughly inspect your property to look for vulnerabilities that could lead to animals making their way in through your crawl space or attic. The most common wildlife problems we face here in Baton Rouge include:

Why Do You Need Wildlife Exclusion Services?

While it’s completely normal to see wildlife out in nature, you likely don’t want to share your home with them. Here’s why wildlife exclusion is so important:

  • First, they can cause major damage to your home. When these animals make nests in the crawlspace or attic, they can ruin electrical wiring, plumbing, or foundational material with chewing and other behaviors. By nesting to protect litters, rodents like these can cause damage to your home.
  • These pests can also present a danger to your family, especially small children who might not know better than to approach these animals, and anyone who tries to capture or “shoo” them out on their own. That is because many of these animals carry diseases. They can also attack if they feel threatened, which can cause serious injury.
  • Finally, these animals also present a danger to your pets for the same reason. If one of these animals feels threatened by a dog that has rooted them out, or if they feel like your cat, prowling through the attic for mice, presents a threat to their food source, they may attack and either injure your pet or pass on a disease.

How Dugas Can Help

If you want to avoid a wildlife problem on your property, Dugas can help. We’ll do a thorough inspection of your home, the foundation, the roof, and other access points, and find the areas where these animals got inside. After blocking off these entrances, we’ll show you how to make sure your home stays wildlife-free. Working with a local pest control company like Dugas means you can rest assured knowing your safety is our top priority. Get in touch with our wildlife control team today to learn how we can help!

Wildlife Exclusion: What you need to know

Dugas Pest Control provides humane wildlife trapping service in New Orleans and Baton Rouge Louisiana Do you enjoy keeping your house warm and cozy? Most of us do, unfortunately, wildlife will be drawn to your home for the same reasons you enjoy being in it. Though some of them will seem cute and fuzzy from afar, they can pose a real threat to you, especially if they manage to enter your home!

Here’s what you need to know about wildlife in our local area, and how you can prevent them from wreaking havoc in your home.

Dangers of Wildlife

You may already be familiar with common wildlife like raccoons, squirrels and opossums. But did you know that they carry diseases and bacteria that can cause harm to you, your family, and your pets?

For example, raccoons can spread diseases like rabies and canine distemper. While the raccoon only exhibits signs of rabies during the final week of the disease, they can show signs of the disease at much earlier stages. Their droppings also carry diseases like raccoon roundworm, leptospirosis, and Giardia lamblia.

Many people are also unaware that the ubiquitous squirrel can carry the bubonic plague with them, as well as the tularemia bacteria and leptospirosis, all of which are spread through coming into contact with their feces. Contaminated drinking water that has been infected by the squirrel is also a common way of contraction.

Opossums are also carriers of distemper, rabies and other diseases, though relatively rarer than the first two animals. However, they are often flea-infested, and can readily spread bacteria and diseases via those pesky flea bites.

How to Keep Wildlife Out of Your Home

Look out for any openings or holes that a pest can squeeze through easily. Comb your entire property, starting from the foundation of your house and moving up from there, while watching out for small tunnels or chewed wood.

Any holes you find need to be sealed up with caulk or low-expansion polyurethane foam. Chimneys and flues can be sealed with aluminum flashing or high-temperature caulk. For holes or tears in screens and vents, replace or repair them as necessary.

Pests are attracted to moisture, so it’s important to fix any leaky pipes in walls or under sinks. Ventilate those areas to dry them out, and use a dehumidifier for any other areas that tend to be damp. Make sure any leaks on your roof are also repaired.

Next, it’s important to make your home a lot less attractive to these pests by removing accessible sources of food. Spray your trash cans with ammonia or bleach to deter them, and keep any pet food neatly stored away. Seal any food bins tightly.

Have woodpiles outside your home? Keep them as far away from your house as possible, high off the ground and away from trees.

Lastly, getting professionals to come in and make sure your house is pest-free is an invaluable investment in your peace of mind. They are trained to spot early signs of infestations, while making improvements to any existing safeguards.

How Professionals Can Help Remove Wildlife Safely

It’s important not to try to remove wildlife yourself. Trained wildlife removal professionals can do the job in a safe and humane way. They will be able to identify the animal, recommend a plan of action, trap the animal safely, and relocate it to a suitable environment.

Whether you are already facing a wildlife intrusion or want to prevent one, Dugas Pest Control can help. Contact us today to get started!

Will a Wet Winter Cause A Squirrel Infestation?

A wet winter isn’t just a hassle for human beings, it also causes disruption to wild animals and their habitats. One of the byproducts of a stormy few months is facing the possibility of an infestation if a home or property owner is not properly prepared and defended against these rodents.

You don’t need to have a kid on a baseball team to know that it’s been especially damp lately; read on for some insight into how a wet winter affects wild animals and your home.

How Storms Affect Rodents

After a storm, the natural habitats of rodents may be destroyed. This leaves rats and squirrels to seek an alternate shelter in order to find warmth and food. Usually, houses, barns, sheds and other buildings become common targets, especially those that have been damaged structurally by a storm.

With many access points, small rodents are able to enter property easily, cause damage within, and on some occasions, even pose a health risk.

How to Prevent Squirrel Infestations

Preventing squirrel infestations is chiefly about eliminating access points into your property. You can do so by taking the following precautions:

– Check for any vulnerable areas that could be potential access points at least once a month.

– Keep areas surrounding the house and the attic clean, removing any potential foodstuffs that could attract squirrels.

– Prune the trees close to the house, to prevent squirrels from jumping onto the roof.

– Check for openings into the attic and eaves of houses and buildings, and seal them with heavy 1/2-inch wire mesh or sheet metal.

– Make it more difficult for squirrels to traverse wires and cables leading into the building by installing lightweight plastic pipes onto the cables. As squirrels use the wires as private highways, the pipe rotates, causing the squirrel to lose balance and fall. These pipes should be in 2-foot sections, measuring 2 or 3 inches in diameter. Installation simply requires you to slit the pipe lengthwise, spreading it open over cables and placing it over the wire.

– Consider using chemical repellents, such as mothballs or moth crystals, which could act as temporary deterrents. Distribute 1 to 2 pounds evenly throughout the attic. You could also use ammonia-soaked rags, a popular folk remedy.

– Set traps, by using foods like apple, cracked corn, shelled pecans, peanut butter and sunflower seeds as bait, to catch squirrels that are attempting to enter the building. Some commonly used traps include No. 0 or 1 leg hold traps, box traps and cage traps. To avoid a smelly situation, you’ll want to check these traps often.

– As a last resort you could use small-caliber firearms to shoot squirrels, away from your home of course! Check with law enforcement agencies and wildlife conservation offices for proper procedures.

How to Remove Squirrels from the Attic

If squirrels have already entered your property and have taken up residence in your attic, there are several ways to remove them. Before you take any action, first check if there is a nest of squirrels with young. Humanely removing them will involve waiting a few weeks for the babies to grow old enough to leave with their mother, as they will not be able to survive without her.

Once that precaution has been taken, you can proceed with the following steps:

– Locate the entry points that squirrels use to enter your attic. Seal all but one entry point, so that they are forced to use just one.

– Next, one option is to trap the squirrels in order to remove them. Mount cage traps right against the point where they exit their nest to forage for food. Some available traps are body grip traps, repeating live cage traps and single animal live cage trap.

– Another option is to install one-way doors. These doors have a tension flap that allow the animal to exit, but not to enter. You’ll want to take care when installing these as it is important to place them in the correct direction.

– Using commercial repellents such as sprays can be effective as well. A non-toxic way would be to leave rags soaked in ammonia or apple cider vinegar in the attic, as the smell would be able to drive them away.

– Try making loud noises, like banging on the rafters or speaking loudly in the attic, which may scare them away. You could also leave a radio on in the attic around the clock, set to a particularly stimulating station. Installing a bright light in the attic all day and night will also serve a similar purpose.

To ensure a safe and hassle-free removal of squirrels, calling in a professional will prove to be the most effective, not to mention easiest, method. At Dugas, we handle pest removal in a safe, efficient and humane way. Get in touch with us today for assistance with your squirrel infestation issues.