State Wildlife Trapper – Nuisance Wildlife Removal Inc.

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Bee Removal in Sarasota

Bee swarm under window sill Sarasota Florida

Bee Trapper Saves Home Owner From Potential Danger

Nuisance Wildlife Removal received a call from a home owner in south Sarasota that was very concerned about a huge hive of bees that showed up outside, under her window. She was not even aware that she had a problem. Her neighbor next door noticed the swarm and notified her.

A Quick Response Was Needed

Both the neighbor and the homeowner were extremely concerned because the neighbor has a four year old little boy and the homeowner is highly allergic to bees.

Bee Hive Gone For Good

We responded and took care of the hive. It had just begun to build and the bees had found a small crack just under the window. We returned 72 hours later to see if clean-up of any hive / honey were necessary. Neither was present so we then sealed off the crack to prevent future entry from pests.

July 24, 2012
Raccoons in Bradenton Chimney

Homeowner Calls For Help!

Baby Raccoon in Chimney

This morning we received a call from a homeowner in northwest Bradenton. He was slightly panic stricken because he had been out of town for several weeks and came home to noises coming from his chimney. He was apprehensive about opening the flue himself as he wasn’t sure what was going to pop out.

Onsite Inspection Reveals The Problem

Upon inspection we could hear a slight noise coming from the chimney area but nothing that allowed us to determine what it was. We opened the flue and at first saw nothing. We assumed that it was probably just chimney swifts and we had scared them and they flew out. However, we could still hear faint scratching sounds. We investigated a little further and saw something tiny move. It was back down and behind the flue door. It turns out to be two juvenile raccoons. We saw momma up towards the top of the chimney but we spooked her and she left.

Glad To Fix The Problem

The homeowners were relieved and could not believe such a thing could happen.

CALL 866-263-WILD (9453)

July 19, 2012
Raccoon Tore Open Orlando Roof

Raccoons Mean Business

Raccoons can do a lot of damage to a home. An attic is a raccoon’s playground and just like a kid, they can be destructive at times. They frequently tear apart the HVAC system, tear through wiring, and destroy the integrity of a home’s insulation by throwing insulation everywhere.

Most often a raccoon gets into an attic at a roof joint where the soffit is weakest and easiest to remove. Their raiser sharp claws and ability to use their thumbs to grab things makes these weak points and other areas of concern very easy to get through without proper preventative work by a knowledgeable wildlife technician. And as one Orlando customer learned the hard way, if the animal is not dealt with properly and all precautions taken, a much bigger problem may arise.

Taking Action

I was called out to a home in Orlando that had been having an issue with raccoons getting into the attic over the last few months. It’s never a good sign when someone knowingly allows any animal problem, especially a raccoon due to their immense strength and size in general, to go on for that long. The longer a raccoon stays in your attic the greater the chance of damage occurring to the home. Also, the longer the raccoon is in the attic the harder it is to evict them without using traps.

The raccoon feels comfortable and is more inclined to stay since they’ve already been there so long, especially if they’ve had babies during this period. That was this customer’s issue. He had tried getting rid of the raccoon several times by scaring it away with lights and noise in the attic, vinegar and ammonia sprayed in the attic, and finally by sealing the raccoon out once he saw it leave at night. This was a big mistake. He did a very good job sealing the entry point but completely neglected, simply out of not knowing to check, to completely assess the situation.

The Wildlife Expert Gets Involved

This is where our technicians are so important at Nuisance Wildlife Removal. It turned out the raccoon he excluded from the attic was a mother raccoon with babies still trapped in the attic. At this point, there’s usually not much that can keep them out. Just like any mother with her babies in danger or cut off, this raccoon did everything to get them back. It tore straight through the roof to get back in.

Now, not only does the customer have to worry about getting rid of the raccoon again, but will have to have some substantial roof repair done. Another example of why a professional wildlife technician should always be called out to deal with nuisance animals. Give Nuisance Wildlife Removal a call at 1-866-263-9453.

Raccoon Damage

CALL 866-263-WILD (9453)

July 17, 2012
Bee Hive Infests Orlando Home

Bee Allergies Compound The Problem

A swarm of bees near the entrance to a home is annoying at a minimum and in certain cases, as it was today, dangerous.

A home owner in Orlando called us out to exterminate a volleyball size swarm of bees this morning just under the edge of the mobile home. No big deal normally. I go in with my beekeeper suit, spray the bees and surrounding area, and come back the next day to make sure there are no bees left. This time, the owner happened to be highly allergic to bee stings and the bees were only about eight feet from the entrance to the home. Once the bees are sprayed they become highly agitated, swarming around stinging at everything in the immediate area. Not a good thing for someone allergic to bees. The homeowner decided to stay with family until the next day to avoid being locked up in his house all day.

Keeping New Bees Away

The next issue that needed to be dealt with was cleaning out the hive after all the bees are dead to prevent another swarm of bees from recolonizing the hive. A lot of times an explanation and a couple of suggestions is enough for the owner to be able to clean out the hive themselves and save a little bit of money. However, if you’re allergic to bees, a dead bee is still a possible danger as the stinger is still intact and the muscles that deliver the venom are still functional for a short period of time postmortem. Also, any pressure on the bee or stinger from something like a hand brushing it away could potentially cause the venom to be injected. So, I’ll be back tomorrow to clean out the hive if there is no more activity.

CALL 866-263-WILD (9453)

July 16, 2012
Raccoon Staredown

Raccoon Spotted in Attic

Raccoon Looking Back Is Oh So Creepy

A raccoon staring you in your face in a dark attic is something you never quite get used to, no matter how many times it’s happened. There’s just something about being in a dark attic, nothing visible but what’s in front of the beam of light coming from your headlamp when, as you’re sweeping back and forth with your light, all of a sudden you shine on a couple large green raccoon eyes like a giant pair of headlights.

Raccoons In The Attic

Today was another instance of that. A customer in Orlando had been hearing a loud noise in their attic at night and called us out to determine what it is. I spotted a piece of soffit crushed upward in the roof joint, a pretty good sign of raccoon entrance. So, having a pretty good idea of what I was dealing with I hopped in the attic with my predator scent, lights, and other things to confirm that it was indeed a raccoon keeping the customer up all night and to scare it off with the predator scent. About halfway through the attic, up popped those headlights, raccoon eyes staring right at me. It was tucked in a far corner towards the edge of the attic in the soffit. I watched it for a minute or two, snapped some pictures, sprayed the predator scent in a fashion as to scare the raccoon out, but not make it feel trapped, and finished inspecting the rest of the attic that wasn’t immediately in the raccoon’s vicinity in order to not make it feel threatened. We’ll be back in a couple of days to see if we scared it away or to set a raccoon trap. An exclusion will be necessary next to prevent reentry.

CALL 866-263-WILD (9453)

July 13, 2012
Wild Animal Safety

Wild Animal Home Safety Tips

As the owner of a home, you take pride in your property’s appearance, as well as its ability to keep you and your family safe. When you think about your home’s safety, you probably feel like you have a comprehensive handle on all of the potential dangers that could affect your family. You have equipped your home with the proper fire safety equipment, and you have probably trained your family so that everyone is aware of the appropriate procedures in the event of a fire or other catastrophe. Like many homeowners, you have probably installed a home security system (like LifeShield or something else), as well, in order to prevent the possibility of a burglary or break-in. While human intruders are usually intimidated by such a system before they even consider entering your home, those that proceed are eventually caught and put into jail where they belong. Unfortunately, there are some other types of intruders that are much more difficult to stop.

Urbanization Brings Curious Visitors

Wild animals can be attracted to your home, especially if you have built your house recently in an area that once belonged to nature. Animals need time to develop their migration patterns, and when a house springs up where they once were able to roam freely, they can become confused and try to enter the home. Other wild animals see the homes in your neighborhood as symbols of opportunity. Your home offers shelter, warmth and food, and these things are extremely attractive to animals. As a result, your home can become a cozy living space for a number of uninvited guests. Since most security systems are unable to prevent the intrusion of animals into your house, it is important to know the steps you can take to ensure that your house shelters only you, your family and your invited guests.

Prevention Is Key To Keeping Wild Animals Out

The best way to keep your home safe from animals is to prevent them from entering. This may sound simple, but it requires some effort. First, you should make sure that doors and windows are not being left open unnecessarily. This is one of the most common ways for animals to gain access. Secondly, you should seal any cracks or holes that may be inviting to creatures from nature. Some of these openings may seem far too small for animals to use, but you may be surprised at how easily some creatures can squeeze into cracks if they are motivated to enter your house. Thirdly, you need to make sure that your house and property is kept clean and sanitary. Animals and other pests are attracted to rubbish and dirty conditions because they know that food is available. By denying them the type of environment they prefer, you can keep pests away effectively.

If You Need Help Call A Professional

If you have done all you can to prevent animals from entering your home, but you still have had problems, you will need to remove the creatures as soon as possible. You can certainly use poisons and commercially-available traps, but these methods can lead to problems. It is better to call on the services of a professional trapper or exterminator instead. By hiring a professional, you can ensure that your home is free from the dangers of wild animals and other pests. It may take time and money to make your home safe again, but the associated costs are worth the safety and well-being of your family.

CALL 866-263-WILD (9453)

July 12, 2012
Bat Infested Orlando Home

Just Another Day For The “Bat Man”

Yesterday was another example of why it’s so important to remove nuisance animals as soon as they’re noticed in a home or building. I went out to an Orlando house yesterday infested

with bats in the attic. I hoped the homeowner had just noticed them and it was a fairly small problem still as we would not be able to remove them for several months. In Florida, we cannot interfere with bats’ living area from April 15^th to August 15^th. This is the bats maternity season. The only thing we can do is prevent them from moving to another part of the house by excluding those areas. The area the bats are entering now must be left alone until the end of this season, not a pleasant bit of news for the homeowner.

Famous Words “Maybe They Will Go Away”

The homeowner had first noticed the bats entering an eave on the house around the beginning of the year but kept putting it off thinking they would eventually leave on their own. No such luck. The bats had made it their home and weren’t going anywhere. I figured there were a fairly large amount of bats in the attic as I could smell the guano when I walked up to the front door. I prepared my camera, respirator, and headlamp to see just how bad it was from inside the attic. Sure enough, the attic near the exterior entrance was filled with bats and their guano. As the attic light came on they started scampering away into corners or under boards.

Proof Is In The Pictures

I was able to get pictures of quite a few before they could move to hiding. For now we’ll have to prevent further movement and come back in August to remove the bats and begin cleanup of the attic.

CALL 866-263-WILD (9453)

July 12, 2012
Baby Raccoons Ousted

Raccoons Love The Attic Places

Baby Raccoon

There are a few reasons a raccoon wants to be in an attic. The safety and cleanliness of the attic. Being a closed structure both keeps the elements and predators away. Safety is always a prime concern for any animal and an attic is the perfect hideout from coyotes and other predators.

Raccoons also tend to stay close to their food source, so if abundant food is near an accessible attic it’s a natural place for the raccoons to live. Another big reason raccoons like to enter an attic is to give birth and raise their young. Again, it provides safety and an environment protected from the weather.

Raccoon Rescued From A Dreary Attic Again

Today we finished removing a mother raccoon and her babies from a customer’s attic in Orlando. A few days ago we got a call from a customer complaining of a lot of noise in their attic at night. I went in the attic and saw the tell-tale signs of raccoons: feces, urine, and insulation thrown around. As I made my way across the attic I started hearing a raccoon growling. It was down in a wall and didn’t want me any closer, a good sign there are babies.

So, after letting the homeowner know what was going on I set a trap and left. The next day we caught the mother. I went back into the attic to try to find the baby raccoons if there were any. I found three at the top of the wall I heard the mother raccoon growling at me from. I looked around and didn’t find any others or hear any whining anywhere. Assuming we were done, I sealed up the exterior of the house to prevent another raccoon from getting in. However, the next day we got a call for the same Orlando residence. The customer was hearing a whining noise from the attic. The customer walked me around the house to the area they thought it was coming from. It seemed to be coming from the soffit. I slid a piece out of the way and there was the last baby raccoon, holding onto the piece I had slid over.

CALL 866-263-WILD (9453)

July 12, 2012
Black Snake Removal

Black Snake Caught In A Bush In Orlando

Sometimes snakes can be a pain to find. A lot of times they will make their way under a slab of cement, shed, or other obstacle. Sometimes, like today, they’re just really well hidden. I was called out to a house in Orlando. The customer had been seeing what he was pretty sure was just a common black snake. He didn’t really mind snakes but wasn’t a fan either and decided it was time for it to go. I got there and started looking for the snake around the back pool cage where he had been seeing it. I looked and looked and looked for an hour or so and couldn’t find it. I sat and watched for a little while as I’ve noticed sometimes they’ll pop out of wherever they’re hiding if left alone. Still no snake. I started looking again through all the bushes and trees as I occasionally find them there. Sure enough, I spotted a little bit of black movement in the middle of a bush. I watched it as the snake slowly moved upward towards the top of the bush and popped its head out. Finally, I had found it.

Black Racer In Bush In Orlando

Black Snake In Bush Orlando Removal

Black Snake Removed From Orlando Shrub

June 18, 2012
Raccoons Escaped

Raccoons Escaped

We were called out today to find out what was running around in a customer’s attic. I pulled up to the house and immediately had suspicions of it being an issue with raccoons in the attic as I could see a large hole in the soffit at the roof joint. I went through my usual routine of trying to find out how long the animal has been there, what the customer is hearing, when they hear it, and any other interesting details.

People have described what they’re hearing in a lot of colorful ways but this was probably my favorite.

The customer said, “every night it sounds like someone is bowling in my attic.”

I couldn’t help but laugh. She went on to describe how it sounds like a really heavy ball rolling across the ceiling to the other end of a room or the house and slamming into something. Then it would go another way, over and over. It definitely sounded like she had raccoons in her attic. I grabbed my camera, flashlights, and respirator as I prepared to check the attic out for damage and to confirm that it was raccoons she was hearing. Sometimes they’re still in the attic when I go in but unless you corner them or get near their babies, they stay clear.

The Raccoon Search Begins

I popped open the attic access and instantly heard something scamper across the attic and out of the hole in the soffit I saw earlier. I walked outside with my camera to try and find the animal and after a couple minutes spotted two juvenile raccoons behind the house fifteen feet or so into the tree line. I walked a little closer to get clear of the brush and limbs to get some pictures. One of them took off deeper into the wooded area. The other stayed put, clung to a tree, as raccoons are great climbers. I snapped a couple pictures and went back to finish the attic and exterior inspection.

Luckily, the raccoons hadn’t done any damage to the HVAC system or wiring in the attic. You could definitely see where they had been “bowling” though. Insulation was thrown everywhere as they ran back and forth, playing just like dogs do with one another.

Juvenile Raccoon in Tree

Orlando Raccoon in attic found nesting in tree

June 8, 2012