Get Rid of Late Summer Pests

A mosquito

You might think that you’re in the clear for pest problems when the summer heat starts to dwindle, but certain types of pests actually thrive around this time. With an ample amount of warmth and plenty of people participating in outdoor activities, the pests of late summer have an easy time finding what they need, whether it be a blood meal, a food supply, or a place to build their nest. In order to ensure that pests don’t steal the last of your summer, you have to take preventative measures against them. Read on to learn what pests to watch for and what you can do about them with the experts at Batzner Pest Control in Wisconsin!

Common Pests in Late Summer

Every season has its own pest problems. The pests that bug us in the late summer are typically the ones that have the most to gain from warm conditions. They are as follows:

  • Bees and wasps: Bees and wasps stay active into the late summer pollinating plants and taking advantage of the food that humans leave outside during barbecues, get-togethers, and whatnot.
  • Ticks: Ticks breed during the early summer, producing a yield of offspring that will climb to the tops of tall grass in search of hosts a month later. They thrive in the overgrowth during warm weather.
  • Wildlife: Wild animals that usually hibernate during the cold winter months spend their summers outside and too often in our business. Wild animals like raccoons, opossums, and squirrels that wander into your yard could tear through your trash or garden and cause serious damage.
  • Mosquitoes: If mosquitoes establish a successful breeding population, their numbers will be so high by the late summer that it will be almost impossible to deal with them. Mosquitoes remain active as long as temperatures don’t drop below 50°F consistently.

Pest-Proof Your Property for Late Summer

Drastic infestations of any of these kinds of pests call for the intervention of a professional exterminator, but there are some general housekeeping strategies you can try to prevent pest problems on your property before they start. We recommend the following:

  1. Keep your yard tidy: Make sure that all of your trees and shrubs are trimmed back, promptly dispose of piles of grass clippings or other vegetation, and make sure you aren’t leaving out any items that could lead to a small, temporary pest shelter.
  2. Seal your home: Regularly monitor the outside of your property to make sure that your home doesn’t have any cracks or gaps in roofing, foundation, or siding.
  3. Be careful with trash: Using bins that seal and regularly taking out your garbage to the outside bins will go a long way in preventing wildlife infestations.
  4. Get rid of standing water: Mosquitoes breed in pools of standing water, no matter how small. Covering up pools, spas, and birdbaths and regularly checking for rainwater pools will help keep mosquitoes away.

Help with Summer Pests

If you’ve tried everything you can to prevent pest infestations to no avail, it’s time to team up with your local pest control company. Our team at Batzner Pest Control is entirely licensed, certified, and thoroughly trained on all of the types of pests that we regularly see here in Wisconsin. We can determine the cause of your infestation, put it to a stop, and teach you how to identify and correct vulnerabilities on your own going forward. Reach out today for a free quote!

What’s That Animal in the Attic?

Inspecting an attic for pests in Wisconsin - Batzner Pest Control

Are you hearing scratching or scurrying noises from your ceiling? There are several kinds of evidence that animals might be living in your attic or walls, but noises are usually the most apparent and first noticed. The problem with having an animal in the attic is that without experience, it’s hard to tell what it is and how many of them there are. That’s where the experts at Batzner Pest Control can help. We’ve seen all kinds of home-invading wildlife here in Wisconsin and can help you with both identification and safe removal. Read on to learn more!

Signs of an Animal in the Attic

When you hear scampering noises or other foreign sounds coming from your attic, it’s important to look for other signs of animal activity on your property to determine the source and scope of your problem. Here are some signs of animals in the attic:

  • Droppings or urine in crawl spaces and corners of your home
  • Destroyed or nested-in insulation
  • Torn up paper, twigs, or leaves around roofing or inside attic indicating nesting
  • Bite marks from animals gnawing on structural materials or your stored belongings

Noticing any of these kinds of evidence of animals could mean that animals are living in your attic, walls, crawl spaces, or more places on your property.

Which Wild Animals are in the Attic?

Now that you’re sure there are animals upstairs, it’s important to identify them in order to deal with them safely and effectively. These are the most common attic invaders living in Wisconsin, along with the signs that give them away:

  1. Rats and mice: Rats and mice often tear up insulation to build nests in our attics. They also have to constantly gnaw on things in our homes to keep their incisor teeth from overgrowing. When paired with frequent scampering sounds, you can be sure you have rodents up there.
  2. Raccoons: Raccoons are strong enough to rip off shingles from your roof or chew holes in your building. Loud bumps during the night could indicate raccoon activity.
  3. Squirrels: Squirrels usually enter our homes through roof vents and eave gaps, as opposed to the more destructive raccoons. Squirrel noises are usually lighter and more rapid than raccoon noises, so you can tell these pests apart through the differences in sound and damage.
  4. Birds: Chirping sounds in the attic are a dead giveaway that birds are around. Nuisance birds will spread filth and diseases with their nesting and droppings, but fortunately, they make themselves known very quickly in most cases.

How to Safely Get Rid of Animals in the Attic

The best way to prevent wildlife problems is to constantly monitor your property for activity and seal off holes that could lead into your attic and walls. However, once wild animals start to nest or reproduce inside your home, your best bet is to get your local pest control company involved. At Batzner Pest Control, we train our technicians to remove all kinds of animals with safe and humane strategies, teaching our customers how to avoid similar situations in the future. Reach out today for a free quote!