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Pest Control/Questions
| Subject | Date Asked | Expert |
| is it a racoon? | 9/12/2006 | Stephen Vantassel |
| Q: For the past 2 night at exactly 4:30 AM I hear a Clatter of footsteps in my attic loud noises were i ... A: Your first task is to determine what is causing the noise. Visit ... | ||
| Unidentified odor | 9/11/2006 | Stephen Vantassel |
| Q: again. Since this is a vacation rental property we are rarely there to see what is going on. There ... A: I would suggest contacting a qualified wildlife damage control operator rather than a typical ... | ||
| Mouse | 9/10/2006 | Stephen Vantassel |
| Q: Stephen. It's not a dire situation, however it is frustrating none the less. I have a small ... A: Are you certain it is a mouse? Young rats can look like mice. Rats are neophobic it can take up to ... | ||
| Unidentified odor | 9/10/2006 | Stephen Vantassel |
| Q: Many thanks for this reply. We are in eastern panhandle of West Virginia. The little house is on ... A: Have you considered a damaged stink pipe or empty water trap? It isn't unheard of for persistent ... | ||
| Unidentified odor | 9/8/2006 | Stephen Vantassel |
| Q: We have a vacation rental property that off and on has an odor like cat urine in one room and one ... A: Not sure what the quarterly spraying by an exterminator is supposed to do. If he is spraying the ... | ||
| heating ducts/rodents? | 9/5/2006 | Stephen Vantassel |
| Q: ok, here's more info. For 5 weeks or so little bits of torn up insulation have been coming up to ... A: I would suggest you hire a qualified wildlife damage controller to do a thorough inspection to find ... | ||
| Poisoning mice but not my dog and cat | 9/3/2006 | Stephen Vantassel |
| Q: I was wondering if my dog or cat eat a mouse that has eatten D-Con can they get poisoned too? If ... A: Yes it is a possibility. The issue of course, is how much toxicant the mouse took and how large your ... | ||
| heating ducts/rodents? | 9/1/2006 | Stephen Vantassel |
| Q: We have been having shredded insulation coming up at two or three of our heating/cooling ducts. ... A: I wish you told me how long you have been finding this. Shredded insulation is a sign of a squirrel ... | ||
| droppings | 9/1/2006 | Stephen Vantassel |
| Q: I was just wondering what animal leaves red droppings behind, redish maron colour, just been into my ... A: Color of droppings is useless in determining what left it as color is often determined by what the ... | ||
| re: roof rat infestation | 8/30/2006 | Stephen Vantassel |
| Q: This question is not so much how to get rid of the rats, but instead how to cleanup their mess. My ... A: Did I understand correctly that your house was fumigated for rats? Did you mistake toxicants to mean ... | ||
| bats | 8/30/2006 | Stephen Vantassel |
| Q: We weren't sure of exposure so we all went through the rabies shot series. What about the idea of ... A: I think electric fence is overkill. You also run the risk that the bats will simply fly past it ... | ||
| bats | 8/30/2006 | Stephen Vantassel |
| Q: We have a log home and have bats that roost under our porch roof. We have had two experiences with ... A: I trust you are certain that there were no exposures to the bats that enter your house. Info on bat ... | ||
| mice in my house | 8/29/2006 | Stephen Vantassel |
| Q: I live in an apartment style condo on the second floor of three. I was watching t.v. one night and ... A: Mice Exclusion: Tighten the building. As long as openings aren’t being used by insects or ... | ||
| Gophers/Voles/Moles?? | 8/27/2006 | Stephen Vantassel |
| Q: Re:Gophers/Voles/Moles?? I believe I have any or all three critters invading my yard. I have read ... A: I can simplify your quest a little here. Voles don't make mounds. So now the question is do you have ... | ||
| mice/insects | 8/25/2006 | Stephen Vantassel |
| Q: We bought a house by a small lake about three months ago. Before we moved in, we had the entire ... A: Mice only need a 1/4" gap. Insects less than that. Good inspections are tedious but well worth the ... | ||
| Unidentified Bad smell | 8/23/2006 | Stephen Vantassel |
| Q: I'm sure you have encountered this situation at some time or another. There is a dead animal smell ... A: Finding the source of an odor can be very difficult. But there are a few strategies. First, close ... | ||
| Chipmunks | 8/15/2006 | Stephen Vantassel |
| Q: We have a lot of chipmunks in our neighborhood. I do not have a problem with them being in the ... A: Without more details, I would guess the problem may be bats and not chipmunks at all. Visit ... | ||
| Bats | 8/11/2006 | Stephen Vantassel |
| Q: Will hanging a bright light in my attic prevent bats from returning while I plug holes with the wire ... A: NO. I would strongly encourage you NOT to do any sealing of holes unless you 1. learn where they ... | ||
| Lawn Damage | 7/29/2006 | Stephen Vantassel |
| Q: Over the past 3-4 weeks I have noticed small patches (3-6 in.) of dirt where lawn used to be. There ... A: If an animal was grubbing, then the turf/soil would be damaged as they would leave small divots in ... | ||
| bats | 7/28/2006 | Stephen Vantassel |
| Q: There was a bat in our bedroom the other night. It flew out when we turned the light on and now we ... A: I am glad you notified me. You need to view the rabies information located at ... | ||
| holes in yard | 7/26/2006 | Stephen Vantassel |
| Q: Only 2 areas in yard where digging occurs. Holes are from 3 to 4 inches in diameter. Within the ... A: Unfortunately, I need more details. What state are you in? What kind of habitat do you have? I am ... | ||
| chewing noise in attic | 7/25/2006 | Stephen Vantassel |
| Q: our lake home in northern WI has the problem . One exterior wall of one bedroom of the house, has ... A: Yes, your problem could be carpenter ants, squirrels, mice, etc. The only way to know for sure is to ... | ||
| Birds in Soffit/Hood | 7/19/2006 | Stephen Vantassel |
| Q: We moved into a new place in early June and noticed that there were birds flapping and chirping ... A: The first thing is to determine what species of bird it is. Just watch the location for a 5-10 ... | ||
| Chipmunk Feces? | 7/18/2006 | Stephen Vantassel |
| Q: We keep finding feces in our garage - doesn't quite look like mouse or rat droppings - can you ... A: Tips on identifying feces can be found at http://icwdm.org/Inspection/droppingfeces.asp As for the ... | ||
| Getting rid of Mice w/Dogs around | 7/17/2006 | Stephen Vantassel |
| Q: We have had a mouse in our townhouse in Ohio that we think the cat brought in. It is definitely ... A: Not familiar with the d-con traps. But traps can be placed inside objects that the dog can't get to, ... | ||
| critter in attic | 7/16/2006 | Stephen Vantassel |
| Q: We built a new home and have had a homesteader in the attice since day one and it has now been 8 ... A: Chances are your builder is wrong. Mice only need 3/8" of an inch. I seriously doubt your builder is ... | ||
| Killing moles | 7/16/2006 | Stephen Vantassel |
| Q: Stephen, I've tried a harpoon for the last 2 yrs. But, even with providing loose, soft soil, closing ... A: I am not sure I understand your point about loose soft soil and how that relates to using a harpoon ... | ||
| Big Hole undershed & mound of dirt | 7/16/2006 | Stephen Vantassel |
| Q: Last night something dug a huge hole at the side of our shed. Looks like once in there is kicked up ... A: Sounds like a woodchuck. It isn't building a wall. It just needed to put the dirt somewhere. Visit ... | ||
| Killing moles | 7/16/2006 | Stephen Vantassel |
| Q: Is there anything that suggests that planting poisoned worms in the mole tunnels is effective at ... A: Are you referring to Talpirid, a product by Bell Labs sold as a pesticide to kill moles? Or are you ... | ||
| Holes in my yard | 7/13/2006 | Stephen Vantassel |
| Q: I have a hole about 2-3 inches in diameter in my front yard next to my porch tunneling towards the ... A: Need more information. Where do you live? as in what state? Do you see chipmunks running around or ... | ||
| pestcontrol | 7/12/2006 | Stephen Vantassel |
| Q: what is the best bate for mouse traps A: Location and quantity of traps are more important than bait. Most homeowners use too few traps. ... | ||
| PEST CONTROL CONTRACT | 7/11/2006 | Stephen Vantassel |
| Q: I signed up for a pest control service on June 1st which is a Thursday. The contract I signed ... A: I would suggest contacting your state's Secretary office, particularly the division for consumer ... | ||
| hole near dogwood tree | 7/10/2006 | Stephen Vantassel |
| Q: I live in eastern North Carolina and just noticed a clean hole about 6 inches from a dogwood tree in ... A: You didn't mention if the hole went anyway or whether it was just a depression. One thing you can ... | ||
| yard holes | 7/7/2006 | Stephen Vantassel |
| Q: I have holes in my yard, ranging from dime size to maybe 3 inches around. They are smooth holes ... A: I would love some photos of this damage. High resolution is preferred as well as having an object in ... | ||
| rabbits killing new lawn? | 7/6/2006 | Stephen Vantassel |
| Q: we recently reseeded our yard and have ALOT of rabbits that are feasting on the new grass ... A: I wouldn't rule it out. Urine being acidic can harm grass. I doubt droppings will have the same ... | ||
| Rats, contamination in crawl space | 7/5/2006 | Stephen Vantassel |
| Q: We had rat infestation in our crawl space this last winter, but at this point we have eliminated ... A: Tough question to answer. First, yes rats will be attracted to the odor. But if you have adequately ... | ||
| banging in wall | 6/27/2006 | Stephen Vantassel |
| Q: My brother and I live in a 50 year-old house. Last night, we heard scary banging coming from inside ... A: You will need to perform an inspection. Rather than going into all the details of inspection ... | ||
| Burrow under our enclosed patio? | 6/20/2006 | Stephen Vantassel |
| Q: I just noticed a hole that has been dug under our enclosed patio a few days ago. We have lattice ... A: Not being able to see anything obvious is perfectly normal. If an animal is still there it would ... | ||
| pest problem | 6/20/2006 | Stephen Vantassel |
| Q: Can you give me any suggestions on how to get rid of bats in our house? We've lived in an old ... A: First, every house can be batproofed. The issue is the will, the time and the money to do it. From ... | ||
| Burrow under our enclosed patio? | 6/20/2006 | Stephen Vantassel |
| Q: I just noticed a hole that has been dug under our enclosed patio a few days ago. We have lattice ... A: The hole under your deck may or may not be related to the chew damage on the shed. Off the cuff, I ... | ||
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Pest Control
Answers by Expert:
Stephen Vantassel
Top Expert on this page
Expertise
I was a professional animal damage controller. If you are having problems with squirrels, raccoons, beavers, moles, voles, etc. damaging your property, I can help give you information to resolve that damage. I was an assistant editor for Wildlife Control Technology magazine and have published numerous articles as well as two books in this field.
Experience
Former assistant editor for Wildlife Control Technology; Master's degree in Hebrew Bible (yes I am licensed minister), Past New England Director for the National Wildlife Control Operator's Association. I have published two books, The Wildlife Removal Handbook (rev. ed) and the Wildlife Damage Inspection Handbook, and numerous articles. Perhaps a highlight was making the cover of Wildlife Control Technology. I have debated a noted animal rights activist in my own state of Massachusetts on radio and TV. http://icwdm.org
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