Peterborough, Ontario – 2024
This article will analyze and recount a case of wildlife removal from an attic in Peterborough as well as a rodent treatment on the interior of the home. While most homeowners generally have one issue at a time, there are frequent situations where a home can have multiple infestations all at once. These situations can be difficult to deal with when the pests are unified in the house, such as cockroaches and bed bugs. One treatment to get rid of the bed bugs must be done first, and then the cockroach treatment can be done afterward in order to prevent over-toxification of the house. In the case of mice and squirrels, the customer is lucky enough that both the treatment of the mice and removal of the squirrels can be done at the same time as neither involve pesticide use; and generally, the activity is separated as the mice are often in the home while the squirrel is usually in the attic. Mice can also infest attics and often do, but the work can still be done together.
This visit is located in Peterborough, Ontario.
Technicians must inspect and consult with customers before work begins. They then inspect the source of the activity. For squirrels, they climb the roof to find the main entryway and attach a one-way door. The squirrel can exit but not re-enter. This prevents attic access but may not be the only way the animal enters. Roves are delicate and age quickly, especially in harsh winters like Ontario. Rain, snow, and strong winds can damage the roof, knocking off vents and aging the structure. This allows sensitive areas for animals to access, such as plastic roof vents, pull-away drip edges, and warped soffit wall intersections. Even well-built roofs can have areas mice can squeeze through or squirrels can chew through. Therefore, it’s crucial to inspect the entire roof to ensure the squirrel can’t re-enter from another area.
Peterborough, Ontario
Peterborough, a city nestled on the banks of the Otonabee River in Ontario, Canada, lies approximately 125 kilometres northeast of Toronto. As per the 2021 Census, the City of Peterborough boasts a population of 83,651.
Once renowned as Canada’s canoe-building capital, Peterborough proudly houses the Canadian Canoe Museum. Today, the city is celebrated for its diverse industries, including food processing, automotive supplies, electronics, aerospace, and life sciences/biotechnology. Notably, Peterborough is home to esteemed companies such as General Electric and Quaker Oats.
Exterior Inspection
When the technician arrived on site they performed an exterior inspection of the property and found many possible entry ways into the attic. This was mostly along the drip edge where there were a very large number of entry ways that would have to be sealed off. This is generally done with waterproof galvanized steel mesh and a One Way Door to allow the animal to vacate while being prevented from getting back in.
Interior Inspection
While inspecting the interior the technician found a great deal of evidence of mice and general rodent activity. There where many accessible areas on the exterior and the interior that would allow mice to both enter the house and find there ways into the walls and sub basement.
Initial Measures
The first step was to attach the one way door to allow the squirrel to vacate. One was at the base of the house below a window where a hole was through the dormer of the window. The squirrel accessed this area which is unusual area for a squirrel to enter. They normally enter through the roof. The second one way door was attached to an area of the fascia near the drip edge that was very open and accessible at the corner of the roof. The technician then baited the interior of the house in areas of high activity with tamperproof bait stations containing commercial grade rodenticide. The mice will consume it repeatedly, feel sick and either leave the house looking for water or return to their nests where they will die. Exterior stations where also installed on the exterior to deal with the general population of rodents that come on the property. This often dissuades the rodents from entering as their primary goal for entering a house is to find food. However they are also looking for warmth which is why exclusion of rodent entry ways is important.
Proposed exclusion
The technician sealed off 82 feet of open drip edge and soffit around nearly the full perimeter of the house. The wood was rotted and the roof was peeling away giving wild animals like squirrels plenty of accessible areas to get into the attic. Two one way doors where installed as described above and then removed when the activity has ended. The exclusion was a very large job that included soffit, drip edge and roof vent exclusion that would protect the house in the long term from animal ingress.
Conclusion
The technician excluded all areas that where accessible and got the squirrel out successfully and humanely. The customer no longer hears noise in the attic and the rodent activity has ended. The customer was pleased with the work and no longer has to worry about wildlife and rodents getting into the house or attic. While the work was effective the roof will continue to age and reveal more openings, getting the roof repaired is the best way to resolve issues in the long term but even roofers tend to miss sensitive areas that can allow animal entry into the attic. Its always a good idea to get a wildlife professional out to inspect the roof and see where animals may be able to enter and to get those areas sealed off.
Contact us at Squirrel Control
See more of our work at the following links:
Case Study: Squirrel Removal From First Floor Ceiling in Markham
Case Study: Squirrel Removal and Rat Extermination in East York