Best practices for nuisance wildlife control operators in New York State

Home | Wildlife control | NYS DEC | CCE | NYS IPM

Ch 5: Step four: Prevent future problems

Learning objectives  and review questions for step four

1. List a dozen tips you could share with your customers to help them reduce the amount of food and shelter available to nuisance wildlife. 
2. Before you exclude an animal from an area, you should think about seven issues. Describe them.  
3. You've been hired to bat-proof a house. Name three products you could use to seal small holes. 
4. Explain the safety issue you need to consider when modifying vents.  
5. Raccoons can remove a certain kind of chimney cover. Which one? Describe the type of chimney cover you'd choose to keep a raccoon out of a chimney. 
6. Name two devices used to keep pigeons off ledges.

Review questions

1. The spider-like devices on the top of this tank are called "Daddi Long Legs"®. The steel rods move in the breeze, scaring birds away from landing on the tank. Scare devices that move are generally more effective than stationary objects.

   Which type of chimney cover is best to use if you're trying to exclude a raccoon?
   1. one that slips inside the tile liner
   2. one that bolts to the outside of the chimney
       
2. Before you modify a vent to make it animal-proof, you should:
   1. clean it
   2. check the ventilation requirements of the equipment to make sure your modification meets fire safety standards
   3. paint it
   4. spray it with a repellent
       
3. Just as there are issues to consider before you choose a removal method, there are 7 things to think about before you exclude an animal from an area. They are:
   1. practicality; legality; effectiveness of technique; safety; does the customer like the product; could there be young trapped inside; do I have to use a ladder; and is it weather-proof?
   2. Local laws; effectiveness of technique; safety; speed; cost; do I have time to do this now; how good does it look?
   3. Could animals be hibernating inside; is the technique effective; what are the chances of trapping young inside; is this legal; am I sure I removed all of the animals? Is this safe; and how will it look when I'm done?
       
4. To keep pigeons off a ledge, you could use:
   1. plastic strips and ultrasonic devices
   2. porcupine wire and electric shock devices
   3. netting or parallel cables stretched tightly across the ledge
   4. metal coils or bubblegum
   5. answers "b" and "c" are correct
       
5. To keep bats from crawling through small holes, seal the holes with:
   1. caulk, 1/2" hardware cloth, expanding foam
   2. 1/4" hardware cloth, copper gauze, caulk
   3. aluminum flashing, expanding foam, sealant
   4. answers "b" and "c" are correct
       
6. Select all of the tips you'd suggest to a customer to help them reduce the amount of food and shelter available to mice:
   ___ keep area under the bird feeder clean
   ___ maintain a foot-wide gravel border around the foundation
   ___ enclose the compost pile
   ___ rake up fruits and nuts that have fallen off trees
   ___ clean up spills of food, grain, garbage
   ___ mow the grass, and keep shrubs well-trimmed
   ___ remove brush piles, junk piles, clutter
   ___ store food in strong containers
   ___ remove pet food once they're done eating
   ___ wrap trees with tree guard
   ___ don't stack things against the foundation
   ___ store goods, especially grains, pet food, and bird seed, off the floor and away from the walls
   ___ switch to landscape plants that mice don't find as tasty
   ___ bring chickens into their coop at night
   ___ keep livestock feeding areas and grain storage areas as clean as possible
   ___ animal-proof the trash
   ___ don't leave the trash out at night
   ___ keep livestock in protected areas

Answers

1. b
    
2. b
    
3. c (answer "a" missed concerns about trapping animals inside, either because they're hibernating, young and immobile, or because you missed some while trapping. It also forgot to mention your safety. Answer "b" missed concerns about hibernating animals and some that might have been missed during your capture).
    
4. e (answer "a" is wrong because birds can't hear ultrasonic devices, so they don't respond to them. Answer "d" is wrong because bubblegum won't deter pigeons).
    
5. d (the mesh size of the hardware cloth in answer "a" is too big for bats).
    
6. Almost all of these ideas apply to mice, except: mice don't attack livestock. They're also not as likely to damage trees or landscape plants, although they might do so. It's true that mice are not strictly nocturnal, but they are more active at night, so there may be some benefit to removing trash at night.

Next Section  (Step five: evaluate success)