How to Detect and Keep Pests Out of Your Attic

During the warm weather months, you can shout yourself hoarse trying to get your kids back inside once you’ve determined play time is over.

During the winter, that challenge is far less daunting, especially extreme cold and blustery conditions prevail.

Well, at least in this one regard, animals are just like your children. They’re fans of the great outdoors by nature, but once winter rolls around, they too seek warm surroundings. Here, the kind of animals we’re referring to is the pest variety – you know, like mice, rats, squirrels, raccoons, and the like. Here’s something else you should know about these backyard species: they are highly skilled at working their way indoors, and often in ways, you wouldn’t have thought possible.

Of course, when pests like raccoons and squirrels find their way into your attic, they do more than luxuriating in the sudden warmth and comfort of your cushy insulation. They store food, for example – one of the numerous means by which animals make themselves at home. They cause other forms of mischief too, including:

• Deposit small parasites, such as fleas and ticks
• Chew through your insulation
• Chew up electrical and telephone wires
• Defecate and urinate
• Raccoons can tear holes in your roof

If you suspect there are pests residing in your attic due to noises you’re hearing from above, foul odors working their way downstairs, etc., don’t poison them, partly because they can die inside your walls – talk about foul odors and difficulty in extricating these uninvited guests! Instead, contact an animal control specialist and allow them to do the dirty and, at times, the semi-dangerous job they’re trained and equipped to perform.

That’s one half of the equation. The other half is resolving to make your attic pest-entry-free. One very effective way is to install metal screens at and near all possible attic entry points. Even the most determined of pests can’t chew through them. Your pest removal service will recommend other ways to prevent future pest invasions that are unique to the style and condition of your home and attic.

If at any time you discover that your attic insulation has been soiled or eroded, no matter what the cause, contact the attic insulation experts at Conway Services. We’ll assess the damage and give you our best advice on how to refurbish your insulation or, if necessary, replace it. Contact us today for a free and no-obligation in-home quote.