AboutStephen Vantassel 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 of Wildlife Control Technology magazine, the nation's only exclusive professional magazine for animal damage controllers. I have published two books, the Wildlife Removal Handbook and the Wildlife Damage Inspection Handbook.
Question I have a lot of noise in my walls in the late evening - no scratching - just sort of bumps. No noise on the morning or afternoon. Some times I think that my 40 year old ranch style house is settling or contracting from the sun and heat of the day (in GA).There are no apparent openings for the squirrels to enter. I set rat traps in the crawl space under the house and had no one set off a trap. What do you recommend that I do ? thanks John Lieberman
Answer You need to have a proper inspection done. Squirrels only need 1.5" hole. Rats need 1/2 inch hole. Mice need 3/8" inch hole. Raccoons only need 4 inch hole (people never compensate for the big hair)
Stop trapping until you have properly identified the problem. To learn the fundamentals of inspection visit http://www.icwdm.org/Inspection/Default.asp click the link that says inspection techniques. It is a short course on structural inspection for wildlife.
