Tick season has started. As the grass starts to grow and the green returns to all the plants, those little creepy, crawly, blood sucking bugs are trying to latch onto you and your pets to have their meal. Some ticks carry diseases which can make you sick or even cause death. Here are some tips to help protect you, your family, and pets from those nasty blood suckers. 1. Wear insect repellent clothing. The fabric is treated with repellent that binds itself to the fibers. If you are not able to find this type of clothing, DIY. Buy a can of permethrin repellent and treat the clothing by spraying the repellent onto them. 2. Use repellent that has DEET, picaridin, or lemon eucalyptus oil to exp

Foxes are very fascinating animals. They can look like a dog from a distance and play like a cat. Some families actually have foxes as pets, just like a dog. Here are some interesting facts about foxes you may not have known. 1. The red fox is the most common fox species in the world and are found throughout most of the U. S. 2. They have whiskers on their legs and face to help them navigate. 3. There are over 37 different species of foxes. 4. Grey foxes can retract their claws just as cats do. Their pupils of their eyes are verticle as a cat to help the see well at night. 5. Foxes have scent glands at the base of their tail which makes them stink. 6. They have a "magnetic sense" w

If you have a any type of waterway on your property, you run the risk of having beavers. Beavers are known for the carpentry work in building dams and building their homes (lodges). They have powerful front teeth which always grow throughout their life, so they won't be worn down by chewing on the wood. Their teeth are so sharp that they can clearly cut through trees for them to use to build their dams. Beavers are very territorial. They will become aggressive to protect their home which can often be violent. Therefore, beavers are extremely smart. They will investigate the neighbor's scents around it's lodge and once the beaver becomes familiar with those scents then its behavior is less a

I'm sure you heard the old saying, "the sly ole fox". I remember hearing my grandfather say it when I was a little girl and I always thought what he meant. As I became older, my grandfather would take me to a farm where he would allow me to feed the chickens. However, we always counted how many there were when they came out to eat the corn we threw. Those chickens got less and less in number due to a fox that was around killing them. The red fox is the most common fox seen within this area which has a dog like appearance. They are most active during the early hours of darkness and very early morning hours. You can see them move around the day when it's a dark overcast about. While foxes roa

Raccoons are very smart pests. They have incredible strength with their human like hands. Here are some tips to keep them away from your home. 1. The Outside Garbage Can Your outside garbage can is a buffet for a raccoon. All they have to do is knock it over to get the lid off and they are set to eat. Keeping the garbage cans inside your shed or garage until garbage day will help prevent raccoons from getting inside them. You can also lock the lid using a bungee cord so the lid will not come off even when the knock the cans over. 2. Keep Pet Food Away Make sure you clean up any pet food that is outside for your pets. This includes any bird seed or birds and squirrels. Once raccoons find a

Hi. My name is Squirrel and I'm part of the rodent family. I have fluffy fur, a bushy tail and I'm brown and black in color, but depending on my family members they can be various in colors. I'm roughly around 3 in long and weigh between 11-18 lbs. I love to jump from tree limb to tree limb, but I can spend all day at your windowsill just watching inside your home. As I memorize your routine, I'm going around your home looking for an opening to get in your attic. I'm not even going to ask for your permission if I can live in there or not. Do I sound like a cute, pitiful, little squirrel now? Once I get in, I'm going to build my own home with your insulation, wiring, and other stuff you may h

Raccoons has been forced to live in an urban environment, so they have adapted to our way of living. These pests are commonly dealt with when it comes to them taking up residence in your home or building. The shelter and adequate food supply they find will keep them wanting to stay. Raccoons look for easy access into your home where they will make their nest. These nuisance pests are extremely smart and have learned that buildings with garbage cans or dumpsters are great locations to live for their adequate food source. Any weak part of the structure of your home is where they will tear up and chew their way in. They are able to squeeze through the smallest of holes, they can rip open sidin

We all know a mouse is this furry little creature that loves to eat cheese and hates cats. However, here are 10 facts about mice that you may have not known and enjoy. 1. Mice are colorblind and don't tolerate daylight well. 2. Even though mice make the largest and nastiest messes, they are actually particular about cleanliness. It's been observed that domesticated mice divide their cages into different sections for eating, sleeping and using the bathroom. 3. Mice can jump 18 inches in the air. 4. In ancient Egypt, cooked mice were used to heal a number of ailments including stomachaches. 5. Some mice play dead like opossums when they are unable to escape predators or they are frightened. 6.

My grandmother always said that if you want to keep mice out of your home, you need to have a cat. My family had three at any given time and only one caught mice while I was growing up. Max was my cat and he loved to make me proud of him. His way of getting my attention was catching mice in our family home's basement and laying them in my bed for me to find when I wake up in the morning. I loved that cat and he didn't realize that I hated mice, especially in my bed. A family cat could be a good way to keep mice out of your home; however, here are some other ways as well. 1. Keep food sealed in plastic containers and clean any spilled food that could draw a mouse's attention. Mice love to gna

Did you know that in 2017 D.C. was ranked number four, in 2016 Baltimore was ranked number eight and the Richmond-Petersburg area was ranked number 25 as the worst cities for rodent infestations? That means there's a higher probability of a rat entering a resident or business in these areas than others. They can enter a building by many different ways; however, there's one that you would never have thought of and had me cringing. Rats can enter a building through different entry areas: a foundation vent, a gutter downspout, overhanging trees, and through pipes. The entry point that is common for rats to enter that is commonly missed is through an abandoned sewer pipe. They can climb up thro