We just found out that we have a raccoon living in our crawlspace! We had seen it in our yard a few times but didn’t realize it had moved in. And we even have a dog, so I don’t know why it picked our house. T.T., Merrimack, NH Two probable reasons why that raccoon chose
VIEW MOREThe pest control business has changed a lot over the past few decades. Our work now is just as much about pest prevention as it is about pest control. And a big part of pest prevention is what we call pest exclusion which simply means eliminating the openings and other means that pests use to
VIEW MOREFlea Question I can’t believe it, but I found several fleas on my cat. She goes outside but she’s old and stays in our fenced yard. There haven’t been any other animals in our yard or in our house. She’s never had fleas before. Where could she get fleas? P.S., Windham, NH Answer I would
VIEW MOREMice or Voles? I don’t know whether I have mice or voles digging holes in my garden. How do you tell the difference? W. N., Hudson, NH Answer You can actually tell voles from mice both in their appearance, and also by their habits. Voles are sometimes incorrectly called meadow mice or field mice, although
VIEW MOREPigeon Question I live in a high-rise apartment building in downtown Boston and we have a problem with pigeons roosting on the flat rooftop of the building and also hanging out (and pooping) on our balconies. Management had a company come out and put bait or something on the roof but it doesn’t seem to
VIEW MOREBird Nest Question I’m confused about bird regulations. Are all birds protected by law? I heard that you can’t tear down a bird’s nest that’s on your boat, even if it doesn’t have eggs in it. Is that right?—J. T., Derry, NH Answer This is a very involved question to answer correctly, but I’ll do
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At one time or another, most of us have had to deal with wildlife invading our yards. Usually it’s because we have purposely or inadvertently provided what the animals need: food, water, or shelter. Unfortunately, the wonder and the cuteness soon wear off and you are left with unwelcome wildlife that are causing damage and
VIEW MOREQuestion We have a raccoon in our chimney. I assume it’s a female that is looking for a nest site. We see her go in and out on the roof. We’ve tried to scare her away but no luck. What should we do? J.R., Milford, MA Answer The first thing is to determine whether or
VIEW MORETree Branch Question We’re starting to do some spring cleanup around our yard. I’ve been trying to tell my husband that he needs to prune back the tree branches that are touching the roof to keep pests from getting into the house. He doesn’t understand how the branches are a problem. Can you help explain
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