Perspectives on protecting a squirrel-proof home or an animal exclusion job
Website design By BotEap.comI have decided to write this series of articles to educate consumers and provide them with a source of entertainment. Unlike some reality shows that are so far from what we experience. This is no stage, no filters, and no drama.
Website design By BotEap.comIn the state of Georgia, the law states that all traps are checked every 24 hours. Many companies have made the unethical decision to ignore that law and review their traps once a week or so. Obviously they make more profit on trapping jobs if they have one round trip a week compared to our 5 trips a week. That said, our most profitable area of our business leans toward animal exclusion work. This is protecting houses from animals by using animal proof materials and applying those materials in ways that are specifically designed to keep critters OUT. It saddens me when we come across a capture job where the client has sealed their home in the past and due to their disappointment they have hired us to remedy pesky wildlife issues.
Website design By BotEap.comThe most common areas creatures enter a home are through the building gap, gable vents, bathroom and dryer vents, and ceiling returns (ceiling seams). The most common problem we see with misapplication is when the wildlife control company is not equipped with the correct size ladders or staff to work together to enter areas where a higher ladder is needed or the field is challenging, so they simply leave areas out of the work by exclusion.
Website design By BotEap.comThen there are the construction gap areas where the gap is 5 “and they only come with 4” flashing. So believe it or not, they leave a 1 “gap all the way through. The other common gap is at the corners. The corners take extra care and attention to bend the metal to completely cover the corner, leaving nothing behind. exposed.
Website design By BotEap.comOur technicians bring ladders of various sizes and they have three different metal widths and here is the biggest difference: they bring a metal brake to hand bend each piece of metal to the exact size needed. If the gap is 2 “, then they use 4” with 1 “on the bottom and 3” above the gap, so there is a 1 “gap on each solid side. If it is a larger gap, they will use a metal wider and they will fold it where they need it.
Website design By BotEap.comAnother area I wanted to address is bras. If they use cheap fasteners that are not stainless steel or galvanized, what good is the foreclosure work when the screws rust? It is more common than not when there is a 5 foot long strip with only two screws in it. How are you going to prevent squirrels from entering ???
Website design By BotEap.comRoofers are not qualified to animal proof a home. Are they trained to recognize what kind of animal is coming in and what is required to keep them out? Something as simple as where a roofer places the fastener will determine if the home is animal proof or not. Don’t pay thousands to have the home animal-proofed by a handyman or roofer only to find it was money wasted the next season.