There are several very practical reasons to have a professional wildlife and pest removal company complete a thorough wildlife inspection on your home. Having a trained professional inspect your building and property for current, previous or the potential of future animal and pest issues is just smart.
Below we will touch on why you should have a local wildlife and pest company inspect your home as well as what to expect during that process.
Why?
As our communities expand and take up more space, we are also destroying natural habitats for all kinds of wildlife species. All these animals have to find somewhere else to call home, and over the past couple of decades have adapted very well to our residential areas. Attics, sheds and decks are all ideal places for nuisance wildlife. They provide shelter from the elements as well as predators and are easily accessible in many cases. Since the1930 urban pests have enjoyed unpreceded rates of growth and it’s estimated the populations have grown by a factor of 5 in the past 20 years, with no slow down in site. Therefore it’s safe to assume that the number of wildlife intrusions into homes will continue to grow proportionately as well. As we continue to build more and more dwellings, these conflicts become more common.
Keeping that in mind, the main reason you should have a wildlife inspection completed is value. The potential savings in being made aware of an existing problem before its unmanageable are huge. Especially when compared to the cost of having this process completed. Many companies offer this service for free in hopes of gaining future business, the worst-case scenario is a small insection fee. The math is simple, it’s worth getting an inspection.
A wildlife inspection won’t only look for animal and pest related problems. While on your roof, in your attic and examining the exterior of the building, the technician will notice any problems with your roof, airflow or insulation in your attic, leaks in your foundation or any number of other possible issues that you would not come to your attention until it’s too late.
Many homeowners never get up in their attic Take the hour out of your life and make sure a preventable situation does not become an expensive nightmare.
Inspection Process
A home wildlife inspection is not an overly drawn-out process. Depending on the size and accessibility of your home the whole thing should take between 30 – 60 minutes. Here is what you can expect, the inspector will:
- Inspect the perimeter of your entire building looking at the foundation, wall vents, window seals as well as examine your roofline and soffits for any evidence of a problem. Depending on the species of wildlife you are up against, there are several areas they may use to access your home. Raccoons typically access your home from the roof or adjacent areas. Birds commonly use wall vents whereas rodents can squeeze in anywhere, from your foundation to your roof boards.
- Get up on your roof and inspect the whole area, including roof vents, plumbing systems, chimney, eaves and gutter etc. The technician will also be able to detect whether there are any structural issues with your roof while up there.
- Get into your attic and check R level of insulation as well as inspect it for contaminants, check airflow and baffles, check for leaks and damage. Often times wildlife will disturb, soil or even completely ruin the integrity of your insulation. This can lead to you wasting money on your energy bills.
- Complete a similar process for any additions to your home, garage or sheds.
Following the inspection, the technician should sit down with you and go over all their findings. This will give you a chance to ask any questions and make sure you fully understand what is going on.
The problem with wildlife and pest issues is often we are not alerted to them until the situation has gotten so bad that obvious signs appear. By this time damage is done and significant steps need to be taken to evict and prevent future animal issues. Most of these things could have been avoided or detected early enough if a wildlife inspection was completed.