Category: Blog

Mouse infestations are a bigger problem than most homeowners in Miami think. These critters are drawn to your home because it’s safe and gives them easy access to food and water. A mouse infestation can double in size very quickly due to the rate at which mice can reproduce, and the fact that your home provides them a safe and dry place to do that in, it only speeds up the process. While there are ways to trap mice yourself, it is best to let professionals like the ones at Critter Control® Miami deal with your mouse infestation. It can get to be overwhelming when dealing with a massive infestation, and our professionals are trained to deal with just that.

However, if you can catch an infestation before it grows out of control, here are some ways you can nip it in the butt.

Trapping Tips

• Scent- Since mice have such a great sense of smell, it’s important your hands are clean and free of any pet odor, so the mice don’t smell other animals on the traps you set.
• Placement- Look for evidence as to where your mice could be nesting and place traps around that area. If there’s a place in your home with lots of droppings, bite marks, or chewed wiring, chances are that’s where the mice are living.
• Bait- Bait that is high in protein like peanut butter or cheese works best with mice. Remember, a little bit goes a long way.
• Number of Traps- Generally, placing more traps than you think there are mice is a good rule to follow. It is better to have more traps than less, and if you overestimated, more traps mean a higher chance of catching a mouse.

If your traps do work, do not handle the dead mouse. It’s dangerous for both you and your family to treat dead mice, as they carry many different diseases. If your infestation is out of hand, you have dead mice in your home, or you would like to schedule a free consultation with Critter Control® Miami, please call us at 305-258-3587

Rodent infestations can cause a lot of damage to your home in a very short period. To have an infestation removed, you must first identify there is a problem. Use the guide below to learn five signs that you may have a rodent infestation on your hands.

1. New Sounds in the Walls

If you have a rodent infestation, you may start to hear the pattering of feet in your walls or squeaks when the mice communicate with one another. Listen carefully to see if you notice any strange noises in the walls.

2. Droppings on the Floors, Under Furniture, and on Window Sills

Rodents will defecate at any time. Look around your home to see if you see any droppings left behind by the rodents. The droppings will often look like small pieces of dark brown or black rice.

3. Strong Odors Throughout the Home

When rodents urinate in a home, a strong aroma is often created. If you suddenly notice a smell of ammonia in your house, you may have an infestation.

4. Tracking Marks

Rodents often travel in repetitive paths and try to stay close to walls to maintain their path and avoid being seen. Use a flashlight to search for footprints or grease marks the rodents made.

5. Signs of Gnawing

Rodents often shred things when they create nests. Look closely at the door frames, lamp wires, and magazine caddies to see if anything has been gnawed or destroyed.

Get the Help You Need

If you’re in over your head with a rodent infestation, don’t worry. Critter Control® Miami is standing by, ready to help. Not only can we get the rats out in a quick and precise manner, but we’ll also clean up after them and make sure all of the entrance points are sealed, so you’ll never have to deal with an infestation again. Call us today for a free consolation at 305-258-3587.

Worldwide, rat infestation complaints are up by about 40%, so if you see signs of an infestation in your home, you are not alone. Rat droppings, chewed wires, and ripped insulation are all signs you could have an infestation. But don’t fret, the experts at Critter Control® Miami are ready and willing to help. We can work with your to create a custom plan on how to rid your home of these disease-baring rodents.

Relocation vs. Extermination

At Critter Control® Miami, we have a 4 step process to eliminate rats from your home:

• Inspect- We identify just how bad the infestation is.
• Remove- After weighing out the options, a plan is made and executed to best remove the rodents.
• Repair- We will clean, repair, or renovate any damages done while clearing out the rats.
• Exclude- We will sweep your home, patching up any holes or entry points the rats could have made in order to keep them out for good.

There are times, however, when it is better to exterminate rats than to relocate them. This is because of how quickly rats can breed. If you already have a major infestation, you will want to remove them as soon as possible before they can reproduce. Because of the sheer size of an infestation, it may be wiser to exterminate the rats rather than trying to trap all of them in order to relocate them.

Call the Extermination Experts

If you’re still living with rats as roommates, it’s time to call in the professionals. The longer you wait to rid your home, the more dangerous it is for you and your family. Rats carry many deadly diseases that can spread through the air. Luckily, Critter Control® Miami is trained in safely and efficiently eliminating rats from your home. For questions, or to set up your free consultation, call us today at 305-258-3587.

The Feces Fiasco: Rat Droppings

Rat droppings are revolting. Finding rat droppings in the same place that you sleep and eat is even more revolting. But what could possibly be the most revolting, is what those rat droppings might indicate. The first thing you need to do if you see rat droppings in your home is step away. Do not touch the rat droppings. They carry many diseases that are so easily spread, you could catch them by just breathing in the air near the feces. The size of the droppings can tell you the size of the rat as well. Obviously, the bigger the droppings, the bigger the rat. If you have a large rat on your hands, you may want to check your house for any damages the infestation could have caused.

Don’t Go at it Alone!

Since rats carry so many diseases, you should never attempt to remove rats on your own. Only trained professionals, like the ones at Critter Control® Miami, know how to safely and effectively remove your rat infestation for good. Here at Critter Control® we have a 4 step process to eliminate rats from your house and keep then out for good.

1. Inspect– With a free consultation, we’ll come inspect your home to find just where the infestation is and how big it is.
2. Remove– Next, we’ll tailor a plan that is right for you and your unique situation. Once a plan is made, we’ll carry it out in the safest and most humane way possible.
3. Repair– We won’t just remove the rats, we’ll remove any evidence of the as well. Any damages the rats inflicted on your home will be erased. It will be as if they were never there.
4. Exclude– Finally, we’ll make sure you never have to experience an infestation again by sealing up any entrance points the rats could have made.

Call the Rat Experts

Here at Critter Control® Miami, our rat experts are ready and willing to help you. If you’ve found rat droppings in your home or worse, have seen a living rat scurrying through your home, it’s time to call the experts. Let us keep you and your family safe from these diseases-infested rodents. If you have any questions or are ready to set up your free consultation, call us today at 305-258-3587.

Rats can be a serious problem in any household or business. While Critter Control® doesn’t recommend you dealing with a rat infestation on your own, we do believe you can take active steps in protecting your family and home. If you have a rat problem, remember the following:

1. You need more than you think. Always buy more rat traps than you think you need, and make sure they are rat traps, not mouse traps. Even if you have only seen a couple of rats, that could be a sign of a bigger infestation. There could be a whole colony of rats hiding in your walls, so it’s better to be safe than sorry.
2. Follow the rats. These rodents are most likely to nest in attics, basements, crawl spaces, and especially dark corners. It is important to place your traps where the rats will be most likely to nest, and to hide the traps well. Make sure your traps are spaced out well -15 to 20 feet apart- and place them along walls, as rats like to scurry along them.
3. Beware of Droppings. If you find urine or rat feces throughout your house, do not try to clean it up. It sounds backwards, but rats carry many diseases and spread them through their waste. The same goes for if you find a rat carcass. You should call Critter Control® immediately to quickly and safely remove the rats.

If you have a rat infestation, it can be dangerous for not only your home, but your loved ones too. As soon as you see signs of rats in your home, it is important that you seek help as soon as possible. At Critter Control®, our experts work hard to quickly and safely remove all the rats from your home, and we even offer free home consultations. If you have questions about rat removal, or different ways to trap rats, call us at 305-258-3587 today.

Having any sort of wild animal inside the walls of your home is an incredibly annoying experience. The thumping, squeaking, and scratching is enough to cause a headache. Beyond the noise, did you know that wild critters in your walls have the potential to spread parasites and infectious diseases to you and your family? If you suspect that you have an animal stuck in your wall, give Critter Control® a call right away.

How do they get there?

Generally, animals small enough to become trapped in your walls enter your home through openings in your attic or basement, as these provide the easiest means of entrance. Additionally, basements and attics are low-traffic areas, meaning that animals easily come and go without being noticed. Most wild animals that enter homes are in search of dark, secluded corners to nest, which often leads to them finding their way into your walls where they become trapped.

How Critter Control® Can Help

Critter Control® has over 30 years of experience in removing nuisance animals, and once they’re removed we can help ensure the critters never return. Our approach involves three main steps:

Inspection: Our expertly trained technicians will conduct a thorough inspection of your home to find animal entry points and determine the severity of your animal problem. From there we work with you to develop a plan that works for your needs and budget.

Removal: Once we determine the location of the animals within your walls, our animal removal experts are able to implement the most humane, effective methods of removal to ensure the infestation is gone for good.

Exclusion: Upon removing all offending critters from your walls, we go through and thoroughly seal any entrance points like holes or cracks, and can install mesh screens over ventilation ducts to prevent a repeat incident.

We know just how bothersome it can be to have an animal trapped in the walls of your home, so allow the animal removal experts at Critter Control® to make that problem a thing of the past.

It is no mystery why pigeons, of all birds, are considered pests. They steal your food, leave droppings everywhere, and come in big packs. It can be hard to control these birds from infiltrating your home or business. The Humane Society suggests killing them is not a good option not only because it’s cruel, but because it will not solve your problem. Here are some tips on how to keep your property free from pesky pigeons.

Cut their food source.

Pigeons will keep coming back to an area where they know they can find food. If you feed them, whether you are intentional about it or not, these birds will come back more frequently, and with more in their pack. If you scatter bird seeds in your yard, put them in a birdfeeder to deter flocks of pigeons from feasting in your yard.

Use birth control.

It sounds silly, but there is such a thing as pigeon birth control called OvoControl. It’s a kibble-like food you can scatter for them to eat, which causes the pigeons who eat it to lay eggs that never develop fully.

Prevent nesting.

If pigeons nest on your property, it means they feel they can live safely there. They mostly look for flat surfaces to nest on, like roofs or garages. To keep them from nesting at your home or business, block those flat spaces with wood or metal sheathing, bird wires, or netting.

Pigeon control methods have become a necessary part of your home and building maintenance. Here’s how they work.

Parallel Wires

Running parallel wires across your structure, whether a house, large building, or shed, will keep pigeons from landing and nesting on the roof. This can be accomplished as a DIY project, but it can be tricky and might best be installed by a professional.

Bird Gels

Bird repellent gels are sticky substances that can be spread across structures. The effort it takes for pigeons to get free deters them from landing again. While the gel doesn’t trap pigeons, this method could trap smaller birds unable to set themselves free.

Decoys

Decoys such as plastic owls, reflective disks, or kites with bird images are affordable, simple to employ, and humane methods of discouraging pigeons from landing. The downside is that they work for a short period of time before smart pigeons realize what they are and start ignoring them.

Lasers

Motion-activated lasers flash a piercing light that startles landing pigeons. This is an effective method at first, but like decoys, pigeons get used to them.

Bird Netting

Bird netting hung vertically along the siding of a building will prevent any bird from perching on the surface of a structure. The netting works best on pitched roofs and is relatively invisible. On the downside, it is time-consuming to install and maintain.

Bird Spikes

Stainless steel Anti-roosting spikes

How Does Critter Control Get Rid of Pigeons?

Controlling pigeons is quite different than any other type of nuisance animal. They cannot be trapped and released elsewhere as they’ll fly right back. And in many geographies, relocating pigeons is prohibited because of the risk of spreading disease.

The risk of disease is also one of the best reasons to pass on getting rid of pigeons yourself and call in Critter Control. Critter Control will assess your specific situation and develop a custom solution based on where pigeons are roosting and the severity of the problem. Often we employ multiple solutions from the list below to make the area inhospitable to pigeons so they go away on their own:

• Install barriers
• Clip and clear roosting branches
• Fixing or adding vent screens and chimney caps
• Installing bird spikes
• Setting up wires
• Fencing gardens
• Sealing gaps in roofing, sheds, and warehouses

Busy homeowners and business owners rely on Critter Control’s certified wildlife specialists to effectively and humanely get rid of pigeons and keep them out. Critter Control restores the damage created by nuisance animals as well. Best of all, we guarantee our work.

If you have any questions about pigeon removal, or would like to schedule a free consolation, call us today at 305-258-3587.

You’ve seen them in your backyard and they seem extremely cute but it’s never a good idea to feed your local wildlife. Feeding can make potentially dangerous animals become too comfortable around humans. When animals learn they can scrounge for food around your home or recreational areas, they can become a nuisance. We know they may seem hungry, but here are five reasons why feeding the local wildlife isn’t ideal:

1) It can create health problems for the critters.

Human food doesn’t always have the nutrients found in the food that make up the local wildlife’s specialized diet. If the wrong food is given for even just a short period of time, it may cause developmental problems for the animals in question. The components of a safe diet can be found online, but remember, feeding wildlife causes them to return and that can become overwhelming and unsafe.

2) It can cause injuries and spread disease

When wild animals locate a constant food source, they “spread the word.” When they gather in large numbers for food, it creates completion amongst them. The crowding that occurs is unnatural for most critters, and can cause fighting and injuries. Subsequently this can lead to the spread of diseases which are transmittable to humans and their pets.

3) It can cause behavior changes

Feeding can become fatal for wild life if it leads to behavioral changes. The constant food source can prevent critters from migrating when weather conditions aren’t optimal, and it may lead to harmful interaction amongst animals that aren’t usually competing for food.

4) It may be illegal

In some counties, it is illegal to feed all wildlife. However, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission prohibits the feeding of specific wildlife throughout the entire state. Breaking these laws can result in fines as high as $5,000 or incarceration of up to 5 years.

5) It enables home invasions

Intentionally or inadvertently feeding wildlife can become problematic if it leads to home invasions. Raccoons for example invade attics to escape the elements or to give birth. If your home is their source of food, it may also be their choice of residence.

If you care about the local wildlife, the best thing to do is not give them handouts. If you are seeking a way to get closer to them, then search for wildlife rehabilitation centers in your area that allow you to safely touch and feed these animals. If you weren’t aware of the dangers and feeding the wildlife in your backyard has become overbearing, give the experts at Critter Control® a call for

help. Once the infestation is taken care of we offer a 1 year warranty on the exclusion work. Don’t forget to ask about our lifetime warranty. We offer custom solutions to fit everyone’s needs.

Something about having roaches in your home generally makes a homeowner queasy. Their nocturnal nature, their ability to take flight, and their potential to transmit diseases and elicit allergies makes them unwanted in most places. There are over 4,000 known species worldwide and they all have the same effect on humans wherever they go. According to the US Census Bureau, 30% of Miami households reported seeing cockroaches in 2015. This makes Miami one of the top 4 cities in the country to have the most roach-infested real estate. Of the 865,000+ households in Miami, Dade County, 259,500+ have sighted roaches on their property. This is definitely an area of concern. To keep you off the growing list, Critter Control®has compiled a list of 5 ways to keep roaches at bay and out of your home.

1) Think Clean                         

Roaches enter our home in search of food. To prevent them for coming in, avoid leaving dirty dishes in the sink; clean up any food particles that have fallen on the counter, stove, or floor; store food in airtight containers; and take the trash out as often as possible. The less access they have to food, the better!

2) Safeguard

Roaches are small and don’t need an open door to enter your residence. Locate and seal any cracks, crevices, and holes that you can find in your home. Pay close attention to those that you may find around window sills, or around pantry and cabinet doors where food is stored.

3) Free Your Yard of Waste

Shrubs, leaf piles, composting heaps, or decayed wood provide both food and shelter for cockroaches. Remove these items or keep them as far away from your home as possible if they are needed.

4) Natural Methods

Though do-it-yourself methods aren’t foolproof when it comes to keeping roaches away, however some of the suggested components are repulsive to cockroaches and can work if there is a small localized infestation. Suggested methods include using bay leaves, sugar and baking soda, borox, or pepper and onion.

5) Water Trap

Place a glass jar or deep glass container half filled with water near the site of the suspected roach infestation. Roaches will climb in the jar to drink water, but they won’t be able to climb out.

No matter how hard you try to keep clean and implement the correct safeguards and traps, roaches may still make their way into your home. You may bring them in from outdoors or another location unknowingly. If the infestation gets too much for you to handle, call the experts at Critter Control®. Let our world class team members give you a free consultation and show you why using our services is a must.

Many common wildlife species in the Miami area are always looking for a good place to build a nest and breed. Attics make a great location because of their warmth, darkness, and protection from predators. Because of this, it’s fairly common to encounter an animal in your attic at least once. Some of the more common species found include:

• Bats
• Squirrels
• Rodents
• Raccoons
• Opossums

We recommend having one of our expertly trained technicians remove any nuisance animals from your attic. Most wild animals are known to carry infectious diseases, and can inflict serious injury if proper care is not taken.

Our approach to removing animals from your attic is made up of three major steps:

1. Thorough Animal Entry Home Inspection

Our trained animal removal technicians thoroughly inspect your home for entry points to determine where your infestation is, as well as the severity of it.

2. Safely Remove the Offending Critters

Using only the most humane and effective methods, our animal removal specialists ensure your attic is free of nuisance critters. We abide by all state and federal regulations pertaining to animal removal, and always take the wellbeing of the animal into consideration.

3. Prevent Re-Entry

Once the animals have been safely removed from the attic, our exclusion services guarantee against their return. We seal all holes, cracks, and potential entrance points to ensure they won’t be back.

Critter Control® has over 30 years of experience in removing nuisance animals from homes and attics. We always work with you to design a plan that suits your needs and budget, ensuring the best possible results for your family. Give us a call today to schedule your home inspection at 305-258-3587.