Spring brings warmth and sunshine, and it gives everyone a pleasant reward after a harsh winter. But the season also brings more pests as insects, rats, raccoons, and other critters start bothering you now that the cold is gone.
Animals in the winter
Winter is a tough time for many animals. The freezing weather and abundance of snow make it hard to find food, so many animals have to plan their winters if they want to survive.
Some animals go into hibernation. Others might migrate to somewhere warmer. Yet many others stockpile food and hide in their burrows until it’s all over.
Animals in the spring
When winter ends, the hibernating animals wake up, the migrating animals have another long flight home, and the stockpiling animals finally leave their dens and move on with their lives.
Searching for food
Most animals will be hungry at the start of spring. Their sleep, travel, and exhausted food supply make them eager to hunt and scavenge for food.
So the animals peek their heads out of their nests. They start exploring, going farther than ever before, and entering areas they previously feared to go into. All in the hopes of finding something to eat.
One place they enter is your home, as it’s full of food and will keep the creatures happy for a long time. That’s why it’s common to see raccoons and rats entering your home during these times. If these pests have made their way into your home, hire a pro like Virginia Professional Wildlife Removal Services, LLC to get rid of them for you.
Mating season
Spring also offers the animal the perfect time to mate. It’s going to be warm and there’s lots of food to be found. Any offspring born in the spring will also have time to grow and mature by the time winter hits again, so it’s the perfect time for animals to get busy.
But having kids means the animals need a warm and safe place to raise them, so animals spend a long time looking for such a place. This often leads them into your home, where there’s plenty of warmth.
Raccoons are especially notorious for this, as the female raccoon frequently climbs into people’s attics to raise their young.
Avoiding pests
With animals having so much interest in your home, it seems impossible to avoid them in the spring. But there are actually a few things you can do to mitigate them.
Taking care of the garbage
Garbage is one of the main reasons animals are drawn to your home. The scent of discarded food travels a long way and is picked up by animals with a keen sense of smell.
These pests use the scent to find your home, where they’ll be rewarded with an abundance of food and warmth. Once they find the place, they’ll have no reason to leave it.
You can prevent this from happening by frequently throwing out your garbage. You should also secure your trash can, as it prevents animals from rummaging through it.
Preemptive trapping
If you’re worried about pests, it’s a good idea to set some traps in a few key areas of your home, like the attic or other common entry points. The point of this is to stop the first few rats and mice from entering your home. Also, learn what the best rat baits to use are.
Even if it doesn’t stop all the rodents, the traps can still warn you when you have an infestation on your hands.
Professional help
If the animals are persistent, they might get into your home and start creating a mess. This brings with it the risk of disease and physical harm.
You can put a stop to these pests by calling a professional. Experts have years of experience and will quickly remove the animals from your home and return things back to normal.
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