Little Brown Bat (Myotis lucifungus)

Big Brown Bat (Eptesicusfuscus)

Activity/Behavior:

            In general, bats are most active at night. Their habitat and behavior vary seasonally. Males and females typically spend the summer months apart from one another. They come together again early fall for mating. After mating, they will spend the winter in sheltered areas to include caves, mines, and attics. Bats have their young from June through July. Generally, bat young are capable of flying in August.

 The types of activity associated with bat infestations can include:

• Droppings stuck to the outside of the home or dwelling.
• Bat droppings found in attics or basements.
•  Small light scratching heard during the night within ceilings and walls.

Dangers:

Bats are associated with a few diseases that affect people. Rabies and histoplasmosis are the most serious. Rabies is a dangerous, fatal disease. However, the bat’s role in transmission has been greatly exaggerated. Though bats are confirmed carriers of the disease, only a few human fatalities have been attributed to bat bites. Nevertheless, care must be exercised when handling bats and bat bites should be considered potential rabies exposure.

*****IMPORTANT MEASURES TO BE TAKEN*****

• Bats may try to bite when handled and should be picked up with heavy gloves or forceps.
• If a bat has bitten someone, it should be captured without crushing its head. Refrigerate it (don’t freeze it). Take it to the local health department for testing.

Effective Control Measures:

The most common bat infestations involve attic infestations. Once properly identified, it is necessary to locate any and all possible entry points and eliminate them through repairs. The exception is to leave one entry hole unblocked where evidence of bats are apparent. This can be identified through brown smudge marks and dropping in front of the entry hole. A bat check valve is then installed at the entry point in order to release the bats from the attic and prevent them from returning. The bat check valve is typically left installed for approximately 10 days depending on the weather patterns.

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Chipmunks do not usually cause serious problems. When they are in large numbers they can cause structural damage by burrowing under stairs, foundations and patios.

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Activity/Behavior:

While inside the home, house mice may breed all year long. Female mice can produce up to 50 young per year. Although mice are primarily active at night, some day activity is not uncommon. They prefer to nest in any dark, sheltered location. This may include attics, basements, crawl spaces, and even inside your home. Mice can produce up to 70 droppings per day which is the first indication of mice infestations. The typical activities experienced in an infestation include light scratching in ceilings and walls at night. Other characteristics may include droppings, evidence of gnawing, and chewing on food products.

Dangers:

• DISEASES: Salmonella food poisoning, Rickettsial Pox, Meningitis, Leptospirosis, Rat-bite fever, Ray fungus, Ringworm, and dermatitis.
• FIRE HAZARDS

Effective Control Methods:

In order to effectively remove an infestation of mice, first involves the proper identification of infested areas. Common infested areas include attics, basements, garages, and even within the living quarters of the home. In order to rid an infestation of mice within attics, poison bait packets are recommended. In basements and crawl spaces, bait boxes are recommended to be placed along walls; glue boards may be used in conjunction with this effort. The same technique may also be used to treat garages with the exception of glue boards since they tend not to be as effective in cold weather periods. It is not recommended to use poison to treat infestations within the living quarters for two reasons. The first reason is that mice travel back and forth to the poison bait stations; they may spread the poison to objects which may in turn create a health hazard to pets and humans. The second reason is mice that ingest the poison may not make it outside before they die and in turn, may cause a bad odor. In these instances, it is often difficult and costly to remove. Once the areas have been treated, it will take approximately 10 days for the mice to find, ingest the poison, and leave the home. After 10 days have passed, it is recommended that repairs be performed in order to prevent further infestations. 

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Behavior:

In their search for food, moles burrow in lawns, meadows, stream banks, and open woodlots, creating elaborate underground tunnels. They feed mainly on earthworms and insect larva (grubs). They prefer loose, moist soil shaded by vegetation.

Activity:

 As they burrow, they sometimes damage plants, but the major problem with moles is the mounds and ridges that disfigure lawns. As they tunnel just below the surface, moles raise up the sod with their front digging feet, looking for food or new tunneling sites. They can push up surface tunnels at the rate of a foot per minute if soil is loose.

Removal and Prevention:

 The most effective method to remove mole is through trapping. Spear traps are placed on straight runs. A few moles can do extensive damage to lawns. It is nearly impossible to prevent moles from causing damage altogether. However, early recognition of a problem can minimize the damage caused from mole burrowing. 

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Behavior:

The muskrat is a large rodent that spends its life in aquatic habitats and is well adapted for swimming. Muskrats can live almost any place where water and food are available year round- streams, ponds, lakes, marshes, canals, roadside ditches, swamps, beaver ponds, and other wetland areas. In shallow water areas with plentiful vegetation, they use plant material to construct both bank dens and houses of vegetation. Both the houses of vegetation and the bank burrows or dens have several underwater entrances via “runs” or trails. Muskrats often have feeding houses, platforms, and chambers that are somewhat smaller than houses used for dens. Muskrats prefer to feed on field crops. They are also known to eat frogs, mussels, turtles, crayfish, and fish in ponds where vegetation is scarce.

Activity:

 Burrowing activity is the source of the greatest damage caused by muskrats. They damage ponds dams, floating Styrofoam marinas, docks and boathouses, and lake shorelines.

Removal and Prevention:

 The most effective method to remove muskrats includes trapping. Muskrats are a bit more difficult to remove because they often have entrance holes below the water surface. Live traps can be used but it depends on the level of water to determine whether or not muskrats will be removed alive. In conjunction, the prevention of muskrats is even more difficult because it involves installing a fence with a rat wall to prevent digging underneath. 

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Activity/Behavior:

Opossums are related to kangaroos and are North America’s only marsupial. They prefer to live near streams or swamps. They den in the burrows of other large animals, and in tree cavities, brush piles, under sheds, and buildings. Occasionally, they move into attics and garages. They eat just about anything, from insects, fruits, grains, garbage, and pet food. Opossums are active at night. Their mating season is January to July, and they may raise two to three litters per year. Most young die in their first year. Those that survive may live up to seven years. The main complaint against opossums is that they get into garbage, bird feeders, or pet food left outside.

Removal and Prevention:

 Rarely do opossum cause damage to gain entry into homes. They will enter dwellings where opportunities exist. Trapping is the best way to remove these animals. 

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Activity/Behavior:

 The most common birds that become pests include the house sparrow, starlings, pigeons, and woodpeckers. They can cause costly damage to buildings and agriculture. Birds roosting in human communities may cause annoying noise levels, offensive bird droppings, odor problems, and a risk of disease.

Dangers:

• Diseases associated with birds may include the Avian Influenza and West Nile virus.
• Bird nests can plug rain gutters, damage machinery, and create electrical hazards in electrical fixtures and attics.

Effective Control Measures:

When dealing with house sparrows and starlings, typical roosting sites may include attics, soffits, and broken vents. Once the species of the bird has been properly identified, a bird baffle is recommended to be installed to release the birds from an unwanted area. A bird baffle is a one way flap where birds are permitted to leave but cannot re-enter. Challenges arise in the spring when babies begin to hatch. The bird baffle is generally left installed for 2 days. Once the bird(s) have left the roost, the bird baffle is removed and the area is screened or sealed completely. It is important to repair additional potential entry points to prevent further nesting. Certain geographical locations have greater concentrations of pigeons. Pigeons are typically found on flat roofs but can also be found within attics. Depending on the number of pigeons and locations of their roost will determine the best method for removing them from an unwanted area. In large roosting sites in may be necessary to trap and remove versus installing bird baffles. Bird spikes may also be utilized to prevent birds from roosting on ledges. When dealing with woodpeckers, it is important to understand that these are protected birds. Woodpeckers generally damage homes through their persistent pecking. Measures can be taken to prevent these occurrences through bird baffles, and mylar tape installed around the home. 

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Activity/Behavior:

Raccoons are primarily nocturnal. Generally, breeding occurs in late January through February. Females give birth in March/April. Litter size can range from two to nine young per litter. In urban and suburban areas, raccoons commonly enter into attics, crawl spaces, basements, and chimneys for shelter.

Dangers:

• Rabies, Baylisascaris procyonis, Girdiasis, Leptospirosis, Salmonella, and E. Coli.
• Raccoons can cause extensive damage to homes and their attics.

Removal and Prevention:

The most effective method of removing raccoons from an unwanted area is through trapping. Traps are placed in the avenue of approaches to and from their den entrance holes. Throughout the trapping the process, it is important to monitor these entrance holes to ensure that all of the raccoons have been successfully removed from the dwelling. Once it has been determined that all of the raccoons have been removed, repairs should be performed to prevent further occurrences.

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Behavior:

The most commonly found rat pest found in Michigan is known as the Norway rat. A mature female rat can produce up to 20 young per year. Rats are social animals and prefer to live in colonies. Rats usually begin foraging just after dark. Most of their food gathering occurs between dusk and midnight. However, they day be seen anytime day or night. Rats give many signs that they are infesting an area. An inspection will determine the extent of an infestation, feeding sites, nesting, patterns of movement, and population size.

Activity:

Outdoors, Norway rats usually nest in burrows dug into the ground. The burrows are shallow (less than 18 inches) and usually short (less than 3 feet), with a central nest. Extra “bolt holes” are used for emergency escapes. They are hidden under grass or boards or lightly plugged with dirt. Burrow openings are 2 to 4 inches in diameter. Indoors, Norway rats nest inside walls, in the space between floors and ceilings, underneath equipment, between and under pallets, and in crawl spaces, storage rooms, and any cluttered area that is normally unoccupied.  Squeaks and fighting noises, clawing, and scrambling in walls, or gnawing sounds are indications of rat activity within homes and buildings.

Dangers:

Plague, Murine Typhus Fever, Rat-bite Fever, Salmonella, Leptopirosis, Trichinosis.

Removal/Prevention:

When a rat infestation has been identified the most effective method for removing them includes baiting and trapping depending on the circumstances. A wildlife management professional will be able to determine which methods to utilize that are most effective as well as the safest. Once it has been determined that the rat infestation has be resolved, repairs can be performed to prevent further entry. In order to prevent rats from returning, it is important to remove food and shelter areas. This may include regular disposal of pet droppings in yards, eliminating mulch piles, and wood piles.

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Behavior:

 The skunk commonly found in Michigan is the striped skunk. Skunks are nocturnal. They do not hibernate but may sleep through cold weather periods. They usually live in underground burrows, hollow logs, or rock piles. They become pests when they change their dietary selections from rodents, insects, and wild fruit to garden crops, garbage, and lawn insects, and locate their habitat closer to humans.

Activity:                

They often decide to live under houses, decks, sheds, cabins, or storage buildings. Of course, the main problem with skunks is their offensive odor.

Dangers:

 Another major problem in some areas of the country is the transmission of rabies.

Removal and Prevention:

Trapping is the most effective method for removing skunks from an area. Throughout the trapping process, place newspaper in suspected holes. When the paper stop moving for two days, it is safe to suspect that all the skunks have been removed and rat walls are recommended to be installed to prevent any further activity.

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