Seasonal Disturbances Every spring and fall, woodpeckers cause disturbances on homes throughout New England. Their loud drumming wakes up families and can irritate at any time of day, though mornings are most common. Drilling into your trim and siding is unsightly and lead to more serious problems. Many of us are concerned about woodpeckers signaling
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Since my calendar says there is an annual event called Groundhog Day coming up, it seems like a good time to review the interesting biology of our large, furry friend, the groundhog, also known in our region as the woodchuck. “PUNXSUTAWNEY PHIL,” OUR RELUCTANT HERO The reason that poor, dazed Punxsutawney Phil is dragged out of
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Is there a carved pumpkin, or two, sitting on your front porch right now? Then you should be afraid…be very afraid! We’ve posted blogs before about household pests associated with Christmas and holiday decorations, such as bugs that hitchhike in on Christmas trees and greens, or wood-boring beetles and termites that hide in firewood. We
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As soon as we have our first hint of serious cold weather, squirrels will be looking to re-insulate their current dens or to establish new, cozier winter lodgings. Gray squirrels usually nest in leaf and twig bowers high up in trees, or in tree holes. A dominant squirrel might score the more desirable shelter of
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It’s probably not news that cooler fall weather triggers the need to find shelter in animals of all sizes, from bugs to bats. When that natural need for protection from weather hits, your home looks pretty good to a variety of four to six-legged seasonal visitors. LOOK OUT FOR INVADING MICE! Come fall, mice that
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In our Northeast region, it’s the time of year when raccoons are active, and even more active than usual because young raccoons are out on their own, leaving the den with mom, learning how to scavenge for food. When we get raccoon calls, it’s usually for one of two reasons: raccoons are denning, or attempting
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Mice might chew openings into little spaces and rats will chew bigger openings into bigger spaces, but squirrels take top honors when it comes to gnawing. A determined squirrel can cause a great deal of damage to a structure. Squirrels will gnaw to get to a food source or a nesting site, to create nest
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We’re getting into the time of year when we get calls like this. That’s because we’re nearing the end of the breeding season for little brown bats, the bats most commonly found roosting in homes. In our region, the young are born in May to June and remain with their mother for several weeks while
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People are often surprised to find out that they have flying squirrels in their neighborhood, and even more surprised to find out that it’s flying squirrels that are making that mess in their attic. Flying squirrels are very cryptic, almost never seen except by those who make an effort. That’s mostly because, unlike other squirrels,
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