Are Nuisance Wildlife a Problem?

Nuisance wildlife might not seem like that big of a deal if they are out of sight and you rarely notice them. That is why it is so important to recognize the serious, potentially fatal illnesses these critters are capable of carrying. In Connecticut, there are a huge variety of different nuisance critters that are able to carry and spread histoplasmosis, rabies, and dozens of other nasty, sometimes fatal diseases and viruses. While mice and rats are often seen as a minor nuisance that scares people and are not that harmful, there is a sinister side to these critters. Rat-bite fever, hantavirus, and all kinds of viruses and bacteria are right at home with rodents.  Each one of these viruses can cause death in some cases, and serious illness in many cases.

 It is important to realize that rodents and other critters spread diseases in many different ways. The most straightforward transmission method occurs when a human comes into contact with the animal or its feces directly, coming into contact with the diseases. In addition to this form of direct contact, often nuisance wildlife will become agitated and can bite or scratch your family or your pets. Finally, any time a pest animal urinates or eats anything, this urine or saliva can spread the diseases as well. Clearly, this is a serious problem for anyone, let alone if they have a family or pets.

Damage is the other large issue that comes with pests invading your home, your business, or your property. Torn-up insulation, the potential for attic fires due to chewed wires, and general destruction of many materials can often be caused by rodents. A wide variety of different nuisance birds and fowl cause various problems depending on their species. Woodpeckers carve right through many wood structures. Pigeons leave their droppings everywhere and create fire hazards and corrosion. Tearing up attics, particularly by destroying insulation and chewing through lumber is often done by raccoons and opossums. Weakening your home by chewing through a variety of materials is what squirrels and chipmunks are known to do. Skunks, groundhogs, and moles can cause some serious problems in your yard by burrowing large tunnels, which can actually cause structural damage to buildings. Even the items you own and store can be destroyed by virtually every critter previously mentioned.