It is an occurrence that happens each fall and early winter here in the Midwest that is almost as certain as the rising and the setting of the sun. It is as predictable as the turning of the leaves on that old oak tree each fall or as sure as the north wind blowing in January. When temperatures begin to drop, you can be sure that woodland creatures will be searching for a place to call home for the winter – and they may be snooping around your home.

Have you ever taken the time to sit back and observe a raccoon in action? Watching him skillfully pick the lock on a cooler or figure out how to remove that tight fitting lid on your neighbor’s trash can bring a grin to your face and witnessing a raccoon grasping a morsel with his little hands bringing it to his little mouth for a bite is mesmerizing. There isn’t anything cuter than that tiny masked face peeking in through your sliding glass door hoping to figure out a way to get to that bowl of walnuts sitting on the counter.

After observing a raccoon in the wild, it is hard to convince your mind of all the dangers that arise when these adorable little creatures decide that they would rather spend the winter in your attic than out in the wild where they have to withstand the cold wind and driving rains and snows. Raccoons, skunks, squirrels, and other woodland creatures would much prefer to live in the warmth and comfort of your home when winter approaches, but they pose a real risk to the health and safety of your family. These creatures carry diseases that they can spread to people, not the least of which is rabies. They also carry parasites such as fleas, ticks, and mites that can transmit some pretty nasty diseases of their own – Potentially debilitating illnesses such as Lyme disease top that list.

If those diseases are not enough to make you think twice before putting out the welcome mat to wildlife, consider all the damages they can cause inside your walls and in your attics. They will chew holes in personal belongings and insulation, chew on pipes, and gnaw on wooden support beams. They can even chew through electrical wires causing a risk of fire. They don’t have any manners and will leave their messes for you to clean up and contaminate your home with their feces and urine which is also a threat to the health of your family.

And have you ever tried to evict one of these creatures once they have moved in and become comfortable in your home? Boy, don’t the claws come out and the teeth start to gnarl; and if you happen to corner one – well, all bets are off as to who will win, and it is all but guaranteed that you will be left battered and bleeding which may require stitches and a few painful injections with very long needles to ward off the rabies virus!

Make sure that you do not attempt to remove woodland creatures that have invaded your home. Instead, contact the wildlife experts at Schendel Pest Services. Our highly trained and experienced professionals have the technology, training, and safety equipment necessary to remove these creatures without risk to you or your family. Once your threat has been eliminated, they can discuss the conditions that drew those creatures to your home, and the ways in which you can avoid them in the future including implementing exclusion techniques. Give us a call today to see how we can help you to avoid spending the winter with these damaging and dangerous intruders.