squirrel

Tips to Keep Iowa Wildlife from Moving In

08/28/2024 | pwsbuilder |

Dealing with wildlife in your yard or home can be challenging, but extermination isn’t the only solution. Here are some responsible ways to manage common nuisance animals while supporting a healthy ecosystem.

Limit Food Sources

Bird feeders, pet food, unsecured garbage are all a smorgasbord for unintended pests making your home an attractive place to set up residence.

  • Avoid bird feeders or place them at a distance from your home and use bird feed specific to the birds you want to attract. For example, safflower seeds are a treat for many birds, but are difficult for sparrows to eat and are disliked by squirrels.
  • Store pet food in sealed containers, ideally in your home as opposed to the garage or shed.
  • Secure trash bins. Raccoons have dexterous fingers and can get into things other animals can’t. Keep them out of your trash bins by using lids that lock into place.
  • Keep your areas around your home as well as your trash and recycling clean to avoid unintentionally inviting pests and critters.

Remove Attractive Housing Options

Discourage critters from getting too comfortable near your house by:

  • removing old tree stumps and brush piles,
  • removing stacks of firewood or locating them further from your home,
  • removing water sources such as birdbaths (or place them far away from your house),
  • pick up and dispose of any fallen fruit or vegetables from trees or gardens,
  • keep trash, food containers, and wrappers picked up.

Animal Repellents

Plant pungent herbs like garlic, lavender, Russian sage, and rosemary are all great options. Other plants that deter common household pests include onions, purple coneflower, yarrow, lemongrass, and citronella. Many of these are perennials that come back year over year in Iowa (zone 5) although some are not. Rosemary, lemongrass, and citronella cannot tolerate Iowa’s winters and need to be planted each year or brought inside over the winter.

  • Garlic deters highly destructive moles and keeps rabbits away with its scent. Raccoons are also repelled by this scent.
  • Lavender is great at keeping mosquitos and flies away.
  • Russian Sage keep deer and rabbits at bay.
  • Rosemary is another herb you can use in your kitchen as well as your garden where it keeps deer, mice, and rats away.
  • Onions keep deer, moles, raccoons, squirrels, rabbits, rats, and mice away. Plant in your garden or near your home (alliums are a great ornamental onion for Iowa’s weather conditions).
  • Purple Coneflower (also known as echinacea) is an attractive plant and can be used to fight cold symptoms, but it also keeps mice and rats away.
  • Deer tend to avoid yarrow as do rabbits.
  • Lemongrass deters mosquitos, flies, rats, and mice.
  • Citronella is well known to keep mosquitos away, but it can also repel flies and no-see-ums as well as some ticks.

Peppermint oil is a multi-animal repellant from insects to animals, this is a favorite non-toxic way to keep animals away from your home. Epsom salt is another deterrent for a host of animals including mice, raccoons, groundhogs, and squirrels. Predator urine can be purchased and used to keep unwanted animals away. A word to the wise, wear disposable gloves and old clothing. Predator urine is pungent and difficult to get off of your skin. Ultrasonic deterrents and lights may help keep bats at bay.

Any chemical, powder, or oil deterrent will need to be applied consistently and reapplied after rain.

Prep Your Home

Sealing your home to keep animals from entering involves several steps:

  1. Inspect for Entry Points: Check for holes, gaps, or cracks in your home’s exterior, including around doors, windows, vents, and the foundation. Soffits and roof edges are popular entry points as well. Mice can fit into holes as small as 1/4″ (about the width of a pencil). Also, it is not uncommon for cold or hungry creatures to make a run for an open garage door.
  2. Seal Gaps: Use steel wool, mesh screen material, or heavy-duty lumber to cover larger holes, ensuring the materials are strong enough to prevent chewing. For smaller cracks and gaps, caulk or expandable foam works well.
  3. Secure Doors and Windows: Ensure all doors and windows close tightly and replace any damaged screens.
  4. Chimney Caps and Vent Covers: Install caps on chimneys and covers on vents to prevent animals from entering.
  5. Trim Vegetation: Keep tree branches and shrubs trimmed away from the house to reduce access points for climbing animals.
  6. Close garage and pet doors every night: Animals will dodge into garages and find their way in through pet doors, especially in those cold months where such a risk seems worth it. Keep these areas secured at night to avoid waking up to a family of raccoons having breakfast in your kitchen.

Evicting Unwanted Guests

Despite your best efforts, you have discovered outdoor animals making themselves at home in your indoor space. How do you get them out?

Bats:

  1. Isolate the Bat: Close doors to other rooms.
  2. Guide Outside: Open windows/doors to the outside. If you are attempting to remove the bat yourself, wear protective clothing and capture in an old towel.
  3. Professional Help: For colonies, call wildlife control.

Mice:

  1. Set Traps: Use snap or live traps.
  2. Seal Entry Points: Block holes with steel wool or caulk.
  3. Clean and Store Food: Keep food sealed and areas clean.

Snakes:

  1. Encourage Exit: Use a broom to gently guide it outside. Most snakes in Iowa (although not all) are non-venomous and most are protected.
  2. Seal Entry Points: Close gaps around the house.
  3. Professional Removal: If unsure, call animal control.

Remember that some animals carry rabies and other diseases. When in doubt, call a professional wildlife removal expert. The Iowa DNR maintains a list of licensed Nuisance Wildlife Control Operators (NWCO) on their site. To repair any entry areas the neighboring wildlife may have created, contact the professionals at Casper Builders.