Virginia’s Most Destructive Wildlife; Ranked by Home Damage
The Northern Virginia areas of Alexandria, Arlington, Fairfax, and Fredericksburg are home to plenty of diverse wildlife, many of which can severely damage your property and peace of mind. Of the common nuisance wildlife that we deal with, we’ve come up with a ranking of less severe to most severe, in terms of the damage they can cause to your home. .
Number Eight: Opossums
All things considered, opossums are definitely on the lower end of critters that can cause damage to your home. However, opossums can still be a nuisance and a health concern. Opossums will knock over your trash cans and spread diseases through their waste, that they may leave behind in your yard, attic, or crawl space.
Number Seven: Snakes
Snakes are low on this list because they rarely cause any structural damage themselves, instead they slither inside your home through pre-existing cracks and gaps. However, snakes can cause high levels of emotional distress, as many people are afraid of snakes. Even worse, Northern Virginia is home to the copperhead snake, which is a highly venomous species that can strike at you if you get too close, injecting their painful and dangerous venom. Snakes love to eat rodents like rats and mice, so snakes hanging around your property could be an indicator that you have a rodent problem.
Number Six: Groundhogs
While groundhogs rarely ever get inside your home nor attic, these ground-dwelling rodents can cause significant damage with their underground burrowing habits. In some cases, groundhogs can cause your home foundation to crack and settle by disrupting the soil. Groundhogs are also notorious for raiding vegetable gardens, eating all your fresh veggies before you have a chance to harvest them.
Number Five: Birds
Birds can be much more destructive than you might think. Their droppings can corrode building structures over time, and their droppings often carry the spores that cause the fungal lung infection histoplasmosis. Birds are known for nesting inside your attic space and dryer vents, which can become a serious problem as their highly flammable, dry, dead nesting material like grass and straw can accumulate in large amounts and pose a potential fire risk.
Number Four: Rats and Mice
Rats and mice are infamous house pests, as their quick breeding allows for just a few rodents to explode into a massive population, seemingly overnight. Mice and rats are the boldest, as they are the most likely to venture into your living spaces. Mice and rats may scurry across your kitchen countertops or rummage through your pantry, contaminating cooking surfaces and food supplies with their droppings and urine. Mice and rats can spread several serious illnesses like hantavirus, salmonella, and more.
Mice and rats infest crawl spaces and especially attics, where they can tunnel through and rip out your insulation, lowering its r-value. Rats and mice also need to gnaw on things constantly to file their ever-growing teeth down, so they will gnaw on wooden beams, cabinet doors, utility pipes, and even wires, which can create a potential fire hazard.
Number Three: Bats
Bats will roost inside your attic space in large numbers, depositing their droppings, known as “bat guano” into your attic. Bat guano can soil your insulation, lowering its ability to resist heat. Bats can go undetected for quite some time, allowing the guano to build up in such massive quantities that it may even collapse the drywall or cause wood rot. Removing bats and bat guano must be left to professionals, as bats are federally protected and their guano can release the spores that cause histoplasmosis when disturbed.
Number Two: Squirrels
When a squirrel decides to call your attic space home, it can be extremely destructive. Squirrels will search for tiny cracks and gaps on your roof, fascia, or soffit, and then begin scratching and gnawing at these gaps, widening them until they are entry points big enough to fit through. Once inside the attic space, squirrels will shred your insulation to make their nests, soiling it in the process with their urine and feces. Squirrels will also gnaw on wooden beams, pipes, and the rubber covering around wires, which can create a potential fire risk. Squirrels must be excluded properly, as they might return if your attic space isn’t fortified against them.
Number One: Raccoons
Raccoons are very destructive critters, causing damage similar to that of squirrels but with more power and weight behind it. Raccoons will scratch and gnaw at entry points on your roof, sometimes even ripping the shingles off your roof. Raccoons can also rip off your soffit and siding, and they can severely damage roof vents and gable vents. Raccoons will shred your insulation to make their nests, and they will dig out latrines for their urine and feces in your insulation, which can accumulate in piles so big that it starts to seep through into the living space. Raccoons can also tear through HVAC ducts in your attic, and create fire risks by chewing through wires. It’s important not to try to remove raccoons yourself, as they can become aggressive when confronted, and these critters are common rabies vectors.
No matter what wildlife you are dealing with in Alexandria, Arlington, Fairfax, or Fredericksburg, contact the licensed wildlife removal experts at Summit Wildlife Removal today for trapping and removal, as well as cleanup, remediation, and exclusion. Call us today for a FREE estimate at 703-884-2124!
