Winter Wildlife Control: Animal Issues During Winter Months

When winter comes to Raleigh, the air gets chillier and local wildlife starts looking for a warm, cozy haven. Unfortunately, this leads many critters to invade our homes, holing up and raising young in attics, crawl spaces and garages. Don’t expect these wild pests to be respectful house guests; they’ll spread feces and urine everywhere, they’ll chew up insulation and woodwork to make bedding, and they might even attack you if you intrude on “their” space. Here are some home-invading wildlife species you should watch out for this winter.

Wild Animals That Invade NC Homes in Winter

• Squirrels – For wildlife control experts in Raleigh, winter may as well just be called “squirrel season.” Squirrels breed during the winter, and pregnant females will often seek shelter from the cold inside of local homes, particularly in attics. If a squirrel raises a litter of young in your attic, you can expect them to gnaw through everything – insulation, wires, wood, PVC, sheet metal. There’s a chance they’ll vacate your home in spring but you shouldn’t count on that; the longer squirrels are in your home, the more damage they can cause.
• Raccoons – The main breeding season for raccoons in North Carolina is late winter and early spring, hitting its peak in February. Because of this, raccoons commonly invade Raleigh homes during the winter months, establishing themselves in attics and crawl spaces so that they have a safe place to raise their young. Raccoons are feisty on the best of days and become particularly aggressive during breeding season, which is why it’s best to leave their removal to a reliable local wildlife control company.
• Opossums – While opossums can breed throughout the year, they often become a nuisance to Raleigh homes during the winter months. Because their fur offers limited insulation, opossums need a reliable shelter during winter, which presses them to infest attics and crawl spaces throughout North Carolina. Like raccoons, opossums are large and strong wild animals that can easily inflict major destruction to the interior and exterior of your home unless they are removed quickly.

 

Do You Need Winter Wildlife Removal?

Nothing ruins the holidays quite like a raccoon thumping around in your attic. If you need to have a wild animal removed from your home in Raleigh this winter, contact Southern Wildlife and Land Management today!