Wildlife Watch: Summer Animals to Look Out For!

Animals can enter the home anytime, not only during winter when they seek shelter from the elements. The main difference between the seasons is the type of animals most likely to enter attics and walls. That’s why finding the right way to eliminate nuisance animals and insects is crucial. Otherwise, the animals will return to the same place year after year until you break the cycle.

Here’s a quick list of the animals to watch out for this summer, and if you need humane wildlife removal, we’re standing by to help deal with the problem once and for all.  

Animals can enter the home anytime, not only during winter when they seek shelter from the elements. The main difference between the seasons is the type of animals most likely to enter attics and walls. That’s why finding the right way to eliminate nuisance animals and insects is crucial. Otherwise, the animals will return to the same place year after year until you break the cycle.

Here’s a quick list of the animals to watch out for this summer, and if you need humane wildlife removal, we’re standing by to help deal with the problem once and for all.  

#1 – Raccoons

Without a doubt, it always seems like the mighty raccoon is the king of the nuisance animals because they can stealthily enter the home year-round. You might not even know a raccoon is there until it has babies and must come out of hiding. Still, there’s a higher risk of an intrusion happening in the summer when these animals start to feed and mate before winter settles in.  

Not only that, but they also tend to gather in groups. If you see one raccoon, its buddies probably aren’t very far away, especially if there is an abundant food source nearby like open, lidless trash cans. The good news is that an animal control franchise like Skedaddle can remove raccoons and their little ones humanely without outright killing them.

#2 – Rats

Like raccoons, rats are active all year long and feed in summer just the same. The difference lies between the specific species in your local area. Some may prefer to nest in homes, while others are content to nest elsewhere. Either way, a single rat can give birth to over a dozen pups approximately every three weeks. When that happens, it doesn’t take long for the problem to get out of hand. The solution is to trust a wildlife control franchise to do the job right so that critters and pests like rodents never return.

#3 – Snakes

If you have a snake problem, it can be one of the hardest things to solve because snakes don’t need much space to penetrate a home. Usually, snakes prefer to stay hidden since it helps them hunt prey, but if cornered, snakes will bite in a fraction of a second with frightening speed. A familiar hiding spot is a garage because there are many small spaces where they can coil and stay out of sight. Making matters more complicated, snakes also like to go inside during the middle of the day because they’re cold-blooded animals, meaning they can’t generate their own body heat. They’ll die if they get too hot and don’t cool down quickly.

The catch is that species differ widely, and certain snakes may be more likely than others to try to get into the home in the first place. Snakes don’t usually like to be around humans because we’re a threat to their safety. If you find one, don’t try to remove it on your own without a pest control franchise specializing in humane removal. You may not know that you’re dealing with a dangerous venomous animal until it’s too late, so let us make that determination for you.

#4 – Termites

So far, we’ve gone over the nuisance animals to look out for, but what about the insects? Your home is at risk of an infestation during summer simply because insects like termites thrive during that particular time of year. Termites go underground during winter to escape frigid temperatures, but when they come out in the spring, they start to swarm and find a food source and a warm place to nest.

Termites are a destructive pest because they can literally eat away at your home’s wooden frame and weaken it to an unsafe degree. When that happens, repairs can cost thousands of dollars just to make the structure safe to live in. The key to avoiding this problem is to call a home protection franchise once you see a few termites because they never live alone. A swarm is likely nearby if not already inside the home.

#5 – Stinging insects

Lastly, stinging insects can be more of a problem during summer than fall or winter. These types of bugs include bees, wasps, and hornets. If you’re allergic to their venom, it can trigger a severe allergic reaction requiring immediate medical care. Even worse, these insects can swarm if they believe their nest is in danger and can sting you multiple times.

Bees can only sting once, but wasps and hornets can keep repeatedly stinging until you pull them out of your skin. Even then, the stinger can remain under the skin and keep delivering venom to the bloodstream until you remove it. You may not know that you have an infestation until it’s too late. Certain species of hornets and wasps, for example, make their nests underground and attack from the bottom up when it’s threatened. But stinging insects can also make nests high up in the trees to stay away from predators.

Indeed, other pests can penetrate the home in summer, but these are the most common. Contact us to learn more about a pest control franchise for sale.