Effective Wildlife Control Strategies: Protecting Your Jacksonville Property And Environment

Keeping your property in good condition and looking its best isn’t always easy. There’s always a chore to do or a project to complete, but maintaining your home’s value and making it a safe and happy place for your family is worth the effort. 

If wildlife gets onto your property, it will become much harder to keep your home in the condition you want it to be in. Jacksonville is home to many different types of wildlife, but one thing they all have in common is that they are destructive. To get wildlife off your property, you need wildlife control in Jacksonvilledone by experienced professionals. You also need to know some effective wildlife control strategies to protect your home and family. Find out more about the common wildlife in Jacksonville and what to do to protect your property from them.

Understanding Nuisance Wildlife: Common Species And Their Behaviors

Knowing what wildlife species are common in Jacksonville can help you better identify an issue when it occurs on your property. You don’t have to be a wildlife expert to be able to quickly identify the type of wildlife on your property and where it is spending time. Knowing how to do this can help you more quickly get rid of the offending animals. The following wildlife are all commonly found around Jacksonville homes and businesses.

Bats

Bats are wildlife that we need in our environment. These flying mammals play an important role in our ecosystem by eating a huge number of insects each night and by helping pollinate plants and disperse seeds. Without bats, we would have to spend billions more each year to combat pests and protect crops. 

Although bats are a much needed animal in Jacksonville, one place we don’t need them is in our structures. Because most bats prefer to roost in tight spaces, if they can find a way into your home, they’ll often take up residence in your attic or wall voids. They’ll spend their days resting inside and their nights outside hunting for food.

Opossums

Opossums are the only marsupials in the United States. With long, bare tails, they somewhat resemble large rats, but they are not part of the same family. Opossums have long, pointed faces that are usually white and gray fur over the rest of their bodies. As nocturnal scavengers, they go out at night to look for food.

Opossums are not particularly friendly or social, and unless they are mating or raising young, they are most often found alone. They prefer dark, quiet areas in which to hide during the day. While they would rather spend their time outdoors, they may invade your garage or basement or hide out under your deck when they aren’t looking for food or water.

Raccoons

Raccoons are nature’s bandits, with little black mask markings covering their faces. What do they steal? Usually, it’s your food or garbage. Raccoons are opportunistic feeders, and if given the chance to get into your trash cans or dumpsters, they’ll be more than happy to find their next meal there while making a mess in the process.

Although quite cute, raccoons are animals that should not be trifled with. They can become dangerous and aggressive when feeling threatened or protecting their young. They are most active at night and often spend their days resting in secluded dens. If they’ve made their way onto your property, they may build their dens under decks or patios, in wood piles, or in other similar areas. 

Rodents

There are a lot of different species of rodents, but the two most common in our area are mice and rats. Rodents all share the characteristic of having incisors that never stop growing. To keep these teeth at a shorter, more manageable length, rodents have to continually chew and gnaw on things to wear the teeth down.

Of all the wildlife you might find around your property, rodents are one of the most frequent home invaders. Mice and rats can fit through extremely small holes, which makes it easy for them to exploit an opening in your house. Once inside, they’re most likely to nest in your attic or basement or in other areas with plenty of coverage, such as cluttered storage areas or under appliances.

Snakes

Snakes are one of the most feared animals in Jacksonville. Even the relatively harmless garter snake can make you jump back in fear and surprise when you encounter it. However, when you add in the fact that several venomous species of snakes reside in Jacksonville, it’s easy to see why you should be cautious when encountering any snake.

While snake infestations are often found in outdoor locations, such as in wood piles or under outbuildings, these reptiles can also find their way inside your house. If they do, they’re most likely to be found in your basement, garage, or wall voids.

Squirrels

Squirrels can be fun to watch. They seem like such happy creatures, bounding along the ground or across a tree branch, finding food, or chasing other squirrels. When they stay outdoors, squirrels don’t pose much of a threat.

If squirrels find their way into your house, they move from a fun creature to watch to a harmful creature that needs to be removed. When squirrels get into your house, they will most often take up residence in your attic or walls.

Property Damage And Wildlife: Understand The Costly Consequences

It doesn’t matter if it’s a cute raccoon or a creepy snake; you don’t want wildlife getting into your Jacksonville home or even onto your property. The problems that wildlife cause can be extensive, which makes nuisance wildlife removal a necessity when they get onto your property. What property damage does wildlife cause?

First, wildlife will damage your property with their waste. Droppings and urine can cause a variety of issues around your property. Urine is often acidic enough to corrode metal and damage other materials. Wildlife waste is often contaminated with bacteria, fungi, parasites, and other pathogens that can make you sick if you come into contact with it or if any of the pathogens become airborne. In some cases, wildlife droppings can build up over time, becoming heavier and heavier until they collapse ceilings. This has been known to happen with bat droppings.

Damage also occurs as wildlife come and go around your property and build nesting sites in or around your house. The greatest damage is done when animals get inside your home. From pulling out pieces of insulation to use for their nests to damaging your belongings and food stores, wildlife can do a lot of damage in a short amount of time. They have been known to chew through electrical wires and plumbing fixtures, which puts your house at risk of fire and flooding.