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Why Blocking Nuisance Wildlife Isn’t Enough: The Importance of Removal and Repair
When it comes to dealing with nuisance wildlife around your home, it’s easy to think that simply blocking the entrance points will do the trick.
After all, there’s a popular philosophy in the industry that encourages the use of one-way doors and exclusions, claiming these methods allow animals to exit while preventing them from getting back in.
However, at Frontline Animal Removal, we’ve seen time and time again that this is simply not a reliable solution.
Blocking or excluding animals without trapping and removing them first often leads to more damage and frustration.
In this blog post, we’ll explain why removal should always be the first step, followed by repair, to ensure a lasting solution to your wildlife problems.
Why Exclusion Alone Doesn’t Work
While the idea of excluding nuisance wildlife, like raccoons or squirrels, from your home may seem like a simple solution, it’s not always effective.
Some companies promote exclusion methods like one-way doors that allow the animals to exit but prevent reentry. While this is the approach for bats, it just isn’t assuredly effective for squirrels and raccoons.
This approach is often marketed as a “feel good” solution because it avoids the need to trap and remove the animals.
However, our years of experience in the wildlife removal industry have shown us that these methods fail more often than they succeed. It’s ultimately up to the customer, but we feel that exclusion without removal is just rolling the dice. Frontline Animal Removal feels it is more appropriate to provide real, lasting solutions.
To illustrate this point, let’s take a look at a recent job we handled.
A homeowner in the Akron/Canton area had attempted to block a raccoon’s entry point using exclusion methods. The raccoon, however, wasn’t deterred.
Instead of trying to get through the blocked area, it simply moved a few feet over, ripped up roofing, and made a new hole to gain access. This resulted in significant damage and frustration for the homeowner.
You can see the results of this scenario in our video above. The raccoon’s efforts to enter the home after the exclusion failed caused more harm and extended the time it would take to fix the problem.
Wildlife, especially animals like raccoons and squirrels, are highly resourceful. If they can’t enter through the blocked or excluded area, they will simply find another way in. Often, this leads to more damage.
The Two-Step Process: Removal and Repair
At Frontline Animal Removal, we view wildlife control as a two-step process: removal followed by repair. Simply sealing up entry points without first removing the animals can be an exercise in frustration. For the best chance at a long-term solution, it’s crucial to address both parts of the problem.
Step 1: Removal
The first step in effectively solving a wildlife issue is trapping and removing the animal(s). This step ensures that the animals currently residing in your home are removed from the equation.
Removal is essential because animals who are familiar with your home’s structure will continue to cause damage if not removed first. These animals have often established nests, and simply blocking them out doesn’t address the root cause of the problem.
Step 2: Repair
Once the animals are safely removed, we proceed with sealing the entry points and repairing any damage caused. This ensures that new animals cannot simply find the same way in.
When repairs are done after removal, the chances of keeping wildlife out are significantly higher. It’s a more permanent solution that addresses both the immediate problem and any potential future issues.
Squirrel Removal: A Similar Situation
Our experience with squirrels mirrors the issues we encounter with raccoons. There are many sources that recommend simply blocking off a squirrel’s entry point to resolve the problem. However, as we’ve seen repeatedly, squirrels will often just chew through a new part of your home to gain access if they’re not removed first.
Take, for instance, a situation where squirrels had chewed their way into a home. The homeowners attempted to block them out, but as soon as the repair was completed, the squirrels found another way in. This caused additional damage and led to an even bigger problem than the original one.
As we’ve always said, “Removal. Exclusion. Solution.” For squirrels, raccoons, or any nuisance wildlife, we believe that removing the animals first and then repairing the damage is the only true solution. Without removal, exclusion methods are far less effective, and your home remains vulnerable to further destruction.
Conclusion
If you’re dealing with nuisance wildlife in Stark, Summit, or Portage Counties, don’t settle for a temporary fix.
At Frontline Animal Removal, we know that blocking wildlife without removing them first is not a reliable solution. We recommend a comprehensive approach that includes trapping, removal, and repair to give you the peace of mind that your home is secure. If you’ve tried exclusion methods without success, give us a call today. We’re here to help with a solution that truly works.
Need professional help with wildlife removal? Visit our website or contact Frontline Animal Removal today to schedule an inspection or consultation. We’re ready to take care of your nuisance wildlife problem for good.