People Living In Atlanta Protect Your Home From Animals This Winter By Doing A Wildlife Inspection

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By Dave L. Weglin


When temperatures outside drop, many wild animals begin searching for nooks and crannies they can use for shelter. The attics, vents, and chimneys of people's homes are some of the preferred places skunks, raccoons, squirrels and other creatures may invade. Conducting an inspection can help prevent this problem, homeowners in Atlanta protect your home from animals this winter by following these tips.

These tiny spaces can easily go overlooked by homeowners until they see an animal going in or out. Wildlife are particularly adept at locating these spots that the home's human inhabitants had no knowledge of. Carefully inspecting the residence from foundation to rooftop will help identify any such openings so they can then be remedied.

The best time of year to conduct such an inspection is fall, and it can easily be done at the same time as other cleanup tasks such as clearing debris from gutters and trimming limbs of trees. It is essential to ensure that all animals are out of any spaces in the home before sealing them up, or they can get trapped inside to die and rot.

One will need the following items for inspecting the home; a ladder, binoculars, a flashlight, and a camera to keep track of all entry points. Starting with the foundation, pay close attention to places where different types of building materials join, vents, window wells, and where cables, wires, and pipes enter the house. Damaged, loose, or rotting places on the roof and siding should be investigated thoroughly.

In attics, a tell-tale sign of animals are droppings and torn up nesting materials on the ground. Once it has been determined that creatures are present, one must scout out the place through which they entered, usually near an exhaust vent or where the roof meets the trim. Looking inside the chimney flue to make sure nothing is living inside is also recommended, then it can be capped off.

Small openings can usually be filled with either expandable foam, copper mesh, or caulking. While larger ones will need to be patched with hardware cloth or fixed permanently by a professional. The type of species of wildlife can also determine how the damage is addressed, wire mesh flashing will work against squirrels and raccoons, but a stronger gauge is required for the latter.

Other steps homeowners can take to discourage creatures include placing trash in secured containers and put it out in the morning rather than the night before, and covering compost piles, making sure they do not contain meat scraps. Tree branches around the house should be trimmed so they are no less than six feet away from its exterior.




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