Best practices
for nuisance
wildlife control operators in New York State
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Best practices |
Home | Wildlife control | NYS DEC | CCE | NYS IPM |
Animal-proofing is the best way to prevent damage to buildings, gardens, livestock areas, and valuable agricultural fields. Before you start, there are a few things you need to consider.
You don't want to trap animals inside because that can lead to worse problems. If you're not sure whether an entry site is active, monitor it for at least two days.
Place a "soft plug" over the hole, such as newspaper, cardboard, or duct tape. Or sprinkle flour on the floor. If you don't see any signs of an animal trying to force its way through the plug, or any tracks in the flour, then you can be reasonably certain there's no wildlife inside—except during the winter. Many animals are less active then, and may not go out on a daily basis.
In winter, many animals, such as bats, woodchucks, raccoons, chipmunks, skunks, and snakes are inactive for long periods. You may think that an entry hole is inactive only to be unpleasantly surprised in the spring, or during a warm spell.
| The downspout was removed so the one-way door could be installed right in the animal's travel route. Great idea! But if there are young inside, that female will be very motivated to find another way back into the house. She might damage the building to return to her young. |  |
During the spring and summer, the presence of young animals can complicate exclusion. Listen for their sounds, such as high-pitched squealing or chirping, in such places as walls and fireplaces. Another sign, if you can get close enough, is the condition of the female's teats: they're usually bigger and free of hair when she's nursing. Do your best to avoid creating wildlife orphans. Special care is needed to remove young from buildings.
The durability and effectiveness of an exclusion technique varies by species and situation. For example, bats usually can't chew or claw their way through most exclusion materials. But they're very good at finding tiny, overlooked holes. Raccoons and rodents, on the other hand, are often able to chew or claw through a hasty repair job, or break in by creating a new hole. Be sure your methods are appropriate to the situation.
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| Can you see the bird exclusion product? The thin spikes are barely visible along the curved ledge. Pigeon droppings would certainly detract from the looks of this historic building far more, and are acidic enough to damages sculptures. |
Some customers will be concerned about choosing options that don't detract from the looks of the building. But don't sacrifice effectiveness just for the sake of attractiveness. For example, if something's chewed a huge hole through a piece of woodwork, just putting up fresh woodwork may not solve the problem. Covering the new wood with metal might be a better, though less attractive, choice (you can disguise the metal by painting it).
Remember the issues discussed in chapter four? You might want to limit roof work during the winter, for example, or seek assistance from someone with needed skills or equipment.
Building codes, fire codes, and other local ordinances are important to keep in mind when deciding how to exclude animals. For example, many homemade chimney covers do not meet legal safety requirements, and some communities ban fences or limit their heights. The legal fence may not solve your customer's problem.
Most exclusion work can be done with general carpentry tools such as hammers, staple guns, screwdrivers, caulking guns, pliers, and tin snips. In addition, you may want to have two battery-powered drills. Why two? First, because you want a back-up in case the battery runs low in one of them. But having two drills can make your work go faster, too. For example, if you need to attach sheet metal to a building, you could use one to drill the holes in the sheet metal and the other to drive the screws into the building. If you used only one drill, you'd have to change bits between these two tasks, which would take longer.
A foam gun (such as the Todol® foam gun) is also recommended. This tool helps you spray expanding foam insulation into cracks and cavities quickly and cleanly. It's particularly useful for bat exclusion.
Yes! There are many materials available that can be used to repair holes in buildings, to screen vulnerable chimneys or vents, or to create barriers around yards and landscape plants. These products vary in their effectiveness, cost, durability, flexibility, and attractive-ness. And, of course, some are more suitable for use with certain species.
Consider an animal's size, habits, and abilities before you choose a product. Bats, for example, would be top bets for winning a limbo contest. They can squeeze through cracks that are 1/4" wide by 1 1/2" long, which is about the size of a stick of gum. That means you'll have to search thoroughly to find all of the possible entry sites. Bats, however, would be a poor bet in a chewing contest. They don't chew holes in buildings, and they aren't likely to chew through whatever you use to plug a hole, so you can use products such as caulk or expanding foam to bat-proof a building.
Now imagine you're trying to exclude mice from the same building. They're roughly the size of some of the small bats, but their abilities and habits are entirely different. Mice could probably chew through caulk so it would be better to use something more durable, such as hardware cloth. Raccoons are strong and can tear off chimney caps that deter squirrels and birds.
NWCOs differ from many building contractors in their expertise in two areas: animal habits and wildlife exclusion devices. Even if you don't want to do the repair, help your customers understand which products to use and how to install them effectively, or recommend a knowledgeable contractor.
Here are some of the products available for excluding wildlife from buildings and landscapes.
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