Category: Blog

Bees and wasps often have a negative association because of painful stings that can be deadly to those with allergies. However, they can also be beneficial contributors to our ecosystem. Nonetheless, having the proper balance of bees and wasps without them becoming invasive is important. That’s why understanding the importance of bees and wasps while simultaneously being aware of the methods of bee and wasp control can be beneficial.

The Importance of Bees

Known as one of the world’s most important pollinators, bees are essential pollinators of food crops, flowers and plants that produce products containing honey, coffee, almonds and chocolate. In fact, nearly 90% of flowering plant species reproduce with the help of these beneficial pollinators. Responsible for nearly a third of crop pollination, honeybees are especially vital to our ecosystem. These bees also produce pollen, honey, beeswax, royal jelly, propolis and venom, which are collected for nutritional and medical purposes. 

Bees are also important because they:

• Help produce 1/3 of our food supply
• Help provide ½ of the world’s fibers, oils, and other raw materials
• Help create many medicines
• Provide food for wildlife
• Help prevent soil erosion 

The Importance of Wasps

Wasps carry out jobs called ecosystem services, the most important being pest control. Since wasps are predators, they often hunt pests like caterpillars, aphids, and grasshoppers that commonly infest crops, gardens, and yards. Therefore, wasps offer an eco-friendly and natural way of getting rid of pests. 

Additionally, wasps pollinate flowers just like bees. However, wasps are not as picky as bees, meaning they will visit any flower. While this may not be the most efficient method of pollination, wasps are a great backup pollinator in habitats where flowers that bees typically pollinate are in short supply. Without wasps, there would be a greater need for toxic pesticides to keep the invasive pest population under control, which could harm ecosystems and lead to the spread of disease. 

Effective Bee and Wasp Control Services in Ft. Worth

While both bees and wasps are important to the environment, they can also be an unwanted and fatal threat to humans, especially those with severe allergies to the pests’ harmful stings. Therefore, if you find their presence on your property, do not attempt DIY methods of removal. Instead, you should rely on the effective and humane bee and wasp control services provided by the licensed, trained, and experienced pest removal experts at Critter Control® of Ft. Worth. To schedule a property inspection and receive a free estimate for our bee and wasp control services, call Critter Control® of Ft. Worth today at 817-222-1101.

Opossums like to sneak into homes and nest during the winter where it’s safe and warm. While these creatures may look cute, they can cause health and structural problems for you and your home. Because possums are normally docile, you may be considering trying to remove the critters yourself. However, hiring a possum removal professional to get rid of opossums is your safest bet.

Risks of Opossums

While possums do not carry rabies, the critters are known carriers of several other diseases, including leptospirosis, toxoplasmosis and even tuberculosis. They also can carry parasites onto your property that can be passed through contact. Their droppings contain bacteria that make you and your loved ones sick.

Opossums aren’t aggressive, but they will lash out when they feel threatened. An opossum bite or scratch can pass on these dangerous diseases, putting your health at risk. If the possum tries to flee, it could also injure itself in the process.

Get Rid of Opossums Professionally

DIY opossum removal may feel like the cheaper and better option, but it’s not worth it. At-home methods to get rid of opossums can be dangerous at best and inhumane at worst. An opossum removal professional will have access to safe and humane methods that will permanently get rid of possums in your home or business. That’s why if you’re dealing with an unwanted possum inside your Fort Worth  home or workplace, rely on the experts at Critter Control® of Ft. Worth.

Expert Opossum Removal Services Near You

At Critter Control® of Ft. Worth, our licensed team of trained professionals are experienced and equipped to efficiently remove nuisance pests from your property. We’ve been helping Texans deal with opossums and other critters for more than 30 years. Our eco-friendly removal methods ensure permanent removal and the health and safety of everyone involved.

To schedule your inspection and receive a free estimate for our opossum removal services, call Critter Control® of Ft. Worth today at 817-222-1101.

Opossums have a distinct appearance with their large, expressive eyes, hairless prehensile tail, and sharp claws. While opossums have a remarkable ability to adapt and survive in a variety of locations, including Fort Worth, Texas, they will often make their way into the attics of residential homes and commercial businesses to seek safe shelter where they can nest, breed, and gain close access to food and water. Here are some ways they manage to get inside and what you should do if you find possums in the attic.

How Opossums Climb into Your Attic

Opossums are known for their climbing ability, which allows them to scale downspouts and tree limbs to access roofs. Possums also have opposable “thumbs” on their hind feet, meaning they can grip objects in a similar fashion to humans and primates. This makes it easy for possums to scurry up the side of your home and pry their way inside through vents, windows, and loose roofing. All the critters need is a minor gap or uncovered area to gain entry into your attic.

Signs of Opossums In Your Attic

Here are three common signs that opossums are in your attic:

1. Hissing and Scratching

   Opossums are not quiet animals, so you may hear scurrying or scratching sounds coming from overhead at night if the nocturnal animals are in your attic. Also, they often hiss and shriek when threatened.

2. Unpleasant Odors

   Like most wildlife, opossums will leave droppings anywhere and everywhere they go. Once you start noticing the smell of animal droppings throughout your property, you can suspect an unwanted critter is in your home.

3. Entry Points

   Check the exterior of your home and attic, especially near your roofline and eaves, for any gaps, holes, or other potential entry points that possums could use to get inside your attic.

Effective Opossum Removal Services

If you’ve noticed any of these signs of opossum activity in your Fort Worth property, do not attempt to remove the pests on your own. While opossums are generally docile, they can bite, scratch, and attack if they feel cornered or threatened. Instead, rely on the professionals at Critter Control® of Ft. Worth who have the experience and equipment to effectively remove opossums and other pests using safe and efficient methods.

Get Rid of Opossums with Critter Control® of Fort Worth

At Critter Control® of Ft. Worth, we pride ourselves in using eco-friendly and humane methods of removal when it comes to evicting unwanted critters inside your home or workplace. If you are dealing with an opossum infestation, know that we’re here to help with all of your wildlife removal and prevention needs. To schedule an inspection and receive a free opossum removal estimate, call us today at 817-222-1101.

If you see a ground squirrel and think of it as a cute and harmless creature, then you’ve never dealt with the turmoil of a squirrel infestation. While these creatures may seem innocent when spotted in the wild, they are known to cause all sorts of damage to residential and commercial properties when searching for food and shelter. To make matters worse, ground squirrels can also cause damage below the surface as they burrow unsightly tunnels and holes in your yard, putting your property’s infrastructure at risk. To avoid serious damage on your Ft. Worth, TX property, here are some ways to get rid of ground squirrels.

Ground Squirrel Removal Tactics

• Use Castor Oil

Castor oil isn’t just great for your hair and skin, it is also great for ground squirrel removal. All you have to do is mix about ¼ cup of castor oil with about two tablespoons of liquid dishwashing soap. Then, mix about two tablespoons of this mixture into a gallon of water. Pour the mixture into a spray bottle to douse problem areas as needed. One benefit to using a castor oil mixture is that it will help remove ground squirrels while also helping prevent other burrowing pests from infesting your property.

• Mount Owl Statues

Most rodents, including ground squirrels, are easily-frightened critters. One effective method for removing ground squirrels is scaring them away with decoys of their natural predators. One popular option is placing a realistic-looking owl statue in your backyard to scare away nuisance ground squirrels. You can even purchase one that has a spinning head to create an even-more realistic effect.

• Hire Professional Ground Squirrel Removal Services

While the above methods may offer temporary relief from ground squirrels, the best way to get rid of ground squirrels and keep them off of your property for good is to hire the effective and humane services of a ground squirrel removal expert.

Get Rid of Ground Squirrels with Critter Control® of Ft. Worth

At Critter Control® of Ft. Worth, all of our ground squirrel removal services are conducted by licensed and trained wildlife removal experts that are experienced and equipped to remove nuisance ground squirrels and implement preventative measures to ensure they won’t return to infest your yard again.

For more information on our eco-friendly and humane methods for getting rid of unwanted ground squirrels, contact Critter Control® of Ft. Worth today  at 817-222-1101 and receive a free estimate for our safe and efficient services.

Having a rat infestation in your backyard can keep you from going outside and enjoying your property. Fortunately, there are ways that you can deter rats and prevent the destructive rodents from entering your backyard. 

Preventing Rats from Entering Your Backyard

Here are a few prevention tactics to help keep rats out of your backyard:

1. Use Plants to Repel Rats

   Common rat repelling plants include mint, spearmint, pennyroyal, citronella, sagebrush, oregano, sage, rosemary, basil, black pepper, and cayenne pepper. You can also deter rats from your backyard by applying any of these scents to cotton balls and placing them in areas of high rat activity.

2. Try Motion-activated Devices

   Rats are easily scared and will run away if they trigger motion-activated sprinklers, lights, or ultrasonic devices as they scurry across your backyard.

3. Set Outdoor Rat Traps

   There are several different kinds of rat traps, each providing different levels of effectiveness at deterring and eliminating rat infestations.

   • Snap Rat Traps

     The most common and traditional way of catching rats, snap traps can be baited with cheese, peanut butter, or a hazelnut spread to attract and kill rats.

   • Rat Bait Boxes

     Bait boxes are good to use outside because nuisance rats will digest the poisoned bait from the box and die outdoors instead of inside your home.

   • Electric Rat Traps

     The most modern trap for rodents, electric traps use a bait to lure the rodents inside onto a metal plate that immediately electrocutes them
     

   • Live Catch Rat Traps

     This method traps the rats but keeps them alive, making it easy to relocate them
     

   • Glue Rat Traps

     Made with natural or synthetic glue, these traps are available in strips, boards, or trays. However, glue traps are the least humane rat removal approach because it may take several hours or days for the rodent to die.

Effective and Humane Methods to Prevent and Remove Rats

If your backyard rat infestation has become a growing problem, contact Critter Control® of Ft. Worth. Our rat removal professionals are experienced and equipped to effectively remove rats and other rodents from your Texas property using safe and efficient methods that include:

1. Inspection

   Your property will be fully inspected to identify the location of the rats and how they got in.

2. Exclusion

   Our trained professionals will create a removal plan to evict all unwanted pests from your property.

3. Restoration

   Any damages that the rats have caused will be repaired and all contaminated areas will be sanitized.

4. Prevention

   Any rat entry points will be sealed to keep nuisance rats from returning.

Your Local Rat Removal Professionals 

At Critter Control® of Ft. Worth, we pride ourselves in using eco-friendly and humane methods of removal when it comes to unwanted critters inside or outside of your home or workplace. If you are dealing with a rat infestation, know that we’re here to help with all your wildlife removal and prevention needs. Give us a call today at 817-222-1101 to schedule an inspection and receive a free rat removal estimate.

If you are hearing squeaky noises, scratching, or little footsteps coming from your attic, then you most likely are dealing with a mice infestation. It is important to act quickly to get rid of mice because, even though they are tiny little rodents, they can cause harmful and expensive damages to your Ft. Worth home. 

Common Entry Points Mice Use to Access Your Attic

Mice can crawl through holes in exterior walls as small as the width of a nickel to get into your attic. Common entry points mice may use to enter your home include ventilation ducts, gaps in siding, ventilation and plumbing pipes, or chimneys.

Damages of Having Mice in the Attic

Many homeowners are surprised that a critter so small can create such large, and costly, property damages. Mice-related destruction to look out for includes, but is not limited to:

1. Soiled attic floors due to the accumulation of mice droppings and urine
2. Shredded boxes and damaged items stored in your attic
3. Risk of electrical fires due to chewed through wires 
4. Higher electrical bills due to destroyed attic insulation 
5. Foul smell throughout the home

On top of damage, mice can also affect your health by contaminating the food you eat and the air you breathe with their waste. 

Ways You Can Get Rid of Mice in the Attic

1. Trim Overhanging Tree Limbs – The first step toward getting rid of mice starts outside by trimming back trees and shrubs near your home. This eliminates mice hiding spots and their ability to climb onto your roof and access entry points into your attic. 
2. Seal Up Mice Entry Points – Examine your attic for holes and exposures that mice can squeeze through to access your attic. Use a rodent proof sealant to close all entry points preventing the mice from entering your home. 
3. Try Using Baited Mouse Traps – Lay out traps strategically by placing them in areas of high mice activity. However, make sure they are out of reach of pets and children. Also check on your traps regularly to remove any dead mice and reset them, if needed.
4. Remove Mice Food Sources – If mice are in your attic, then they are likely elsewhere in your home. Make sure all food and trash is properly stored and sealed. Do not leave any food out in the open and clean up any crumbs or food stains around the house. 

If you’re struggling to get rid of mice in your attic, contact the mice removal experts at Critter Control® of Ft. Worth. 

Contact Your Local Mice Removal Professionals 

At Critter Control® of Ft. Worth, we pride ourselves in using eco-friendly and humane methods of removal when it comes to unwanted rodents inside your home. If you are dealing with a mice infestation, give us a call at 817-222-1101 to schedule an inspection and receive a free mice removal estimate.

Rodents like rats, mice, and squirrels regularly invade the garages of residential Ft. Worth homes in search of food, water, and safe shelter from predators and harsh weather. Once inside your garage, rodents will quickly establish a nest and begin to breed. Unfortunately, their presence usually goes undetected until they have grown into a widespread infestation. Therefore, it is essential to deal with these invasive animals as soon as you notice signs of a rodent infestation

Rodent Removal and Prevention Tips

Here are a few ways to get rid of rodents in your garage.

1. Seal off any possible entry points. Secure any spaces or gaps between your garage door threshold and the ground. Rodents can easily squeeze view these types of areas as safe spaces to stay warm and to enter inside your garage.
2. Properly store food and seeds. Keep any stored pet food, bird seed, and grass seed tightly sealed while in your garage. Rodents are instinctively attracted to the smell of food and can easily chew through cloth or plastic bags.
3. Keep your garage clean, clutter-free, and organized. Rodents enjoy small, warm spaces, and will conceal themselves within your clutter.
4. Maintain your yard vegetation. Trim back any bushes, tree branches, or shrubs that rodents can use to access your home or hide within outside your garage.
5. Keep your trash cans locked. To keep rodents out of your garbage, invest in trash cans with lockable lids and store them outside versus in the garage.
6. Store firewood away from your garage. Rodents like to hide and nest in debris piles, so stack your fireplace logs outside and far from your home.

The Dangers of a Rodent Infestation

Rodents can infect you and your family with fatal diseases, such as hantavirus, leptospirosis, and rat-bite fever. The pests can also cause structural issues within your garage and home. However, dealing with rodents can be an extremely risky task to attempt on your own, which is why it’s best to leave their removal to licensed and trained wildlife removal experts. To protect your home and maintain a rodent-free garage, rely on professional rodent removal and prevention services.

Get Rid of Rodents with Critter Control® Ft. Worth

At Critter Control® Ft. Worth, our team of experienced rodent removal technicians will act fast to effectively rid your property of rodents. We also use eco-friendly and non-toxic rodent removal methods that are safe for humans and pets. To schedule an inspection and receive a free estimate for our rodent removal services, call us today at 817-222-1101.

While they aren’t typically aggressive toward humans, armadillos are still capable of considerable damage to your yard. If you are dealing with nuisance armadillos on your Texas property, here are some helpful armadillo removal tips to get rid of them.

How to Go About Armadillo Removal

• Get Rid of Their Hiding Spots

Although they have a tough outer shell, armadillos still like a little extra coverage. Bushes, shrubs, and other debris in your yard could be the perfect shelter for an armadillo. Trim your bushes short and clear any fallen leaves or branches from the ground to keep them from getting cozy.

• Remove Their Food Sources

Your yard could be an all-you-can-eat buffet for hungry armadillos. Typical garden insects, such as worms and termites, are an easy and delicious meal for an armadillo. While getting rid of all insects in your yard wouldn’t be productive, you could use insecticides to curb your yard’s bug population. 

• Install In-Ground Fencing

If removing the armadillo’s resources doesn’t do the trick, you may need to install a physical barrier. In-ground fences can deter digging armadillos from getting into your yard. If they see they can’t reach the food they’re trying to get, chances are they’ll move on to a different yard. 

• Hire an Armadillo Removal Professional

Most of the time, these DIY hacks to get rid of an armadillo on your property end up resulting in wasted time and money. The easiest option to deal with a pesky armadillo, and the best use of your cash, is to hire a professional to remove the animal safely and humanely. 

Ft. Worth’s Armadillo Removal Experts

Armadillo removal doesn’t have to be such a chore, so let it be our job. Here at Critter Control® of Ft. Worth, our team of licensed and trained technicians are committed to helping you and your property steer clear of an armadillo infestation. We use non-toxic, eco-friendly, and humane methods of removal that keep the safety and best interests of both you and the animal in mind.

If you’re having an armadillo problem, know that Critter Control® of Ft. Worth has the solution. To schedule an inspection and receive a free armadillo removal estimate, give us a call today at 817-222-1101.