Witnessing wildlife can be an incredibly moving experience; watching deer sprint through the forest, hearing birdsong every morning, or even catching a glimpse of a bear as you travel down the road.
Wildlife should stay wild. Unfortunately, humans and wildlife will often end up interacting. When raccoons have decided to make your garbage bins into a dinner spot or birds have claimed your attic as a nesting place, you’ll want to get rid of them—and quickly.
Calling a wildlife control service can help—but when should you do it, how do you find the right company, and what should you do before and after calling? This article will answer all of those questions and more:
There are a number of steps you can take to discourage wildlife from going on your property or into your home. These steps include:
All of this can help prevent wildlife from visiting your property—even if you’re already having wildlife problems. Wild animals are smart, though, and even if you follow all of these steps, you might still end up with a wildlife problem.
There are a few signs that it’s time to hire a professional to remove wildlife from your property:
There are excellent reasons to call a wildlife control professional: Wildlife can pose a risk to your health as many carry diseases. You may be dealing with a species that is legally protected. You want the animals removed without hurting them or killing them. A minor nuisance can become a serious animal problem if left unchecked. The removal of raccoons and other large animals should always be handled by a professional.
This is the first question you should ask—without proper licensing, you may be dealing with a company that isn’t insured, that doesn’t use techniques that comply with local laws, or that simply can’t secure licensing.
An unlicensed company can be even more of a nuisance than the wildlife you’re trying to remove. When licences are not required in your jurisdiction, you should check to see how long the company has been in business, and what its reviews look like.
Qualified wildlife removal companies should be able to trap and relocate animals. Ethical, humane wildlife removal techniques are essential to ensure that the pest control company is compliant with local laws. Some animals cannot be killed and must be relocated; humane removal methods also help wildlife stay wild.
By understanding the level of experience wildlife technicians have, you can more easily compare between companies. You’ll want to hire professionals who have educational credentials as well as on-the-job experience. You’ll also want to hire technicians who work for a local company. Local companies have a better understanding of the wildlife in your area, and the laws they must comply with.
Removing nuisance wildlife is more complex than it might seem because certain traps can also injure or kill non-nuisance wildlife or pets. In Winnipeg, for example, the outdoor use of body hold traps and glue traps is prohibited, while the outdoor use of rat poison and other rodenticides can only be conducted by licensed pest control companies.
Live-release traps are an excellent, ethical option—and one that is frequently used by animal control companies.
Wildlife removal is the first step of the process—a good wildlife removal service will also include advice or service to help you prevent wildlife from coming back. The exclusion techniques we discussed earlier, like creating barriers and ensuring that food sources are eliminated, can all help prevent other animals from making a home on your property.
At Gilles Lambert Pest Control, we offer wildlife removal services in Winnipeg and surrounding areas. We ethically remove animals in compliance with laws and guidelines set out by the City of Winnipeg and the Province of Manitoba. You don’t need to live with the nuisance of wild animals on your property; call us.
