It is almost December, and you have not heard any more scratching sounds above your head at night. The chipmunks, mice, or squirrels have moved on, and the house is quiet. Or is it?
The average homeowner who does not use their attic or crawl space for storage has probably not visited or inspected the area in at least five years. Most people chalk up the sounds above their head when watching TV or falling asleep as ‘critters on the roof.’ They are on the roof until they enter your home through small cracks, broken attic windows, or gaps in the siding or soffits.
Who is living in my attic?
Nuisance wildlife loves a warm attic or crawl space. We want to share a sampling of attic dwellers we highlighted from our October 2019 blog post, Who or what is in your attic? Below are some of the pests and nuisance wildlife that may be harboring in your attic:
Raccoons and Opossum
Loose roof shingles, eaves, and soffits provide openings for raccoons or opossum to enter your attic. They are aggressive chewers and can open a small hole into a wide berth in no time at all. FYI- raccoons have hands with five fingers and long, somewhat human-like hands. This makes them the greatest of entry and escape artists!
Squirrels, Flying Squirrels, and Chipmunks
Like their friend, the raccoon, squirrels, flying squirrels, and chipmunks enter the attic space the same way and damage the roofline, insulation, flooring, and walls. Traveling through the house via cable and wiring housing can cause power and utility outages.
Mice and Rats
The usual suspects of attic tenants! Their bodies are long and flexible and meant for fitting in tight spots. If their head can fit through, their ribs will bend and flex to accommodate the mouse’s choice of entry. Their scampering sound is very distinct.
Birds, Pigeons, and Bats
Bird droppings are hazardous to humans and can carry disease. The droppings can be acidic and damaging to roofing materials. Once in the attic, nests can house bird ticks, and mites and bats have fleas. These ticks, mites, and fleas infest the insulation and coupled with urine and droppings, create a dangerous environment.
Cluster flies, bees, and other pests
Cluster flies, bees, bats, and other pests can gain entry much easier than their wildlife counterparts. Hives are built on the very screening used by builders to prevent pest entry.
This image features a close-up view of an unoccupied hive or nest of aerial yellowjacket wasps hanging from a tree branch in a wooded ravine.
What is an attic cleanout?
The nuisance wildlife we mentioned has taken up residence in your attic or crawl space. These intuitive and industrious pests have used your insulation to create nests. They may have brought in yard and tree debris to provide a warm home for themselves and their young. The result of their activity is left behind feces, droppings, urine, and other pathogens.
Skilled and trained technicians will inspect the space after an infestation, and make recommendations for a cleanup and restoration if necessary.
- Sanitize the area thoroughly
- Remove damaged materials such as floors, walls, and ceilings
- Reconstruct rooms, ceilings, railings
- Restore damaged or deleted insulation
- Inspect electrical line damage from mice chewing the wires
- Remove and discard damaged/unwanted items
- Hepa vac all debris and/or droppings
When should an attic cleanout be performed?
A full inspection of the attic or crawl space should be performed at least every three years. Attic cleanouts should be performed if:
- Insulation is damaged, wet, moldy, or missing
- There is evidence of an infestation
- Signs of bat droppings, Guano, are visible
- Past entry and damages were not identified, and the damage has exceeded the ability to make small repairs.
Our team will evaluate the structure and locate areas where pests and nuisance wildlife have gained entry. A complete evaluation is performed and reviewed with the homeowner or business owner, and a course of action is determined.
We will not just temporarily fix the problem. A complete clean-up will be completed to remove debris, droppings, ticks, mites, etc. We then turn to repair (or replace) external structural damage to soffits, gutters, siding, roofing, and interior damage to the insulation and drywall.
Don’t wait. Call for a free inspection.
Schedule a free inspection, and we will look around. It’ll be ok, we promise. We will return your home to a safe and healthy environment for you and your family.
