Question We think we might have a skunk nesting somewhere around our house. Our dog has been acting up a lot when he’s out in the yard, and one time we did see a skunk cross the lawn. Where would a skunk nest? We can’t find any big holes anywhere. Answer If there is a
VIEW MOREQuestion How can you tell the difference between a house mouse and a deer mouse? I just caught a couple of mice in our garage that looked different. When I googled them, the description sounded more like deer mice. I thought deer mice lived in the woods or something. Answer It certainly could have been
VIEW MOREA Cape Cod man died this past weekend after contracting rabies from an infected brown bat in late December. This was the first confirmed case in the state of Massachusetts in more than 75 years. It is unclear whether he was ever aware of having been bitten. For more information, go to these links: Boston
VIEW MOREIf you’re like me, you get a lot of enjoyment watching songbirds in your backyard. I have several feeders strategically placed around my yard providing entertainment for both my three cats, and me. The entire usual winter crowd is here… cardinals, blue jays, chickadees, and downy woodpeckers. Today I saw some mourning doves enjoying what
VIEW MOREMoisture attracts pests, there’s no doubt about that. And we’re not just talking about insect pests, but also pests such as mold which can destroy wood just as easily as insects. Insects that infest wood, like carpenter ants and termites, often begin their infestations in wood that is damp—usually from a plumbing leak, roof leak,
VIEW MOREWe often get questions about porcupines, we made a blog post addressing one of the most frequently asked questions.
"I was blown away this morning when I saw what seemed to be a porcupine in our back yard! I’ve never even heard of porcupines around here. Do they do any harm? Should I just ignore it? We don’t have a dog so I’m not worried about a pet getting 'quilled.'"
VIEW MOREQ. My husband found a snake in our backyard. He killed it because he swears it was a copperhead. He kept it and wants to get it identified. Everything I can find says we do not have copperheads in our state. Is there a way to tell if it’s a copperhead? Please answer quickly before this thing starts to smell!
VIEW MOREQ. My neighbor complained to my husband that the reason he has so many snakes in his yard is because we feed birds. Do snakes eat birds?
A. What he says makes some sense, but he skipped a step. Snakes eat rodents. Rodents eat spilled seed from bird feeders. So, feeding birds often means an increase in the natural rodent population which means an increase in snakes.
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