Skunks

What do Skunks look like?

The skunk is a nocturnal mammal that has jet -black hair with prominentblack hair with prominent, white stripes that run down its back. It has short, stocky legs and large feet equipped with well-developed claws. The body of the striped skunk is about the size of an ordinary house cat weighing about 8 pounds.

Image © Geoffery Kuchera/Dreamstime.com

What about their babies?

Adult skunks breed in late February to late March. Gestation usually lasts 7 to 10 weeks. There is usually only 1 litter per year. Litters commonly consist of 4 to 6 young, but may have from 2 to 16. The kits will stay with the female until fall.

Do Skunks hibernate?

No they don’t hibernate, however skunks are dormant for about a month during the coldest part of winter. They may den together in winter for warmth, but generally are not sociable.

What makes a Skunk a pest?

Skunks dig holes in lawns, golf courses, and gardens to search for insect grubs. Digging normally appears as small holes or patches of upturned dirt. They may burrow under porches or buildings by entering foundation openings. Garbage left outdoors may be raided by skunks.

Skunks discharge musk from the anal gland, are capable of firing several shots, and can spray 10 – 15 feet with amazing accuracy. Prior to spraying they usually give a warning by stomping their feet. Odor is not always a reliable indicator of the presence of skunks. Sometimes dogs, cats, or other animals that have been sprayed by skunks move under houses and make owners mistakenly think skunks are present.

Skunks that become a regular danger or nuisance need to be carefully live-trapped and removed. This should be left to a professional to avoid being sprayed.

Raccoons

Photo 30872231 © Brian Kushner/Dreamstime.com

What does a Raccoon look like?

The raccoon is a nocturnal stocky mammal about 2 to 3 feet, weighing 10 to 30 pounds. It is distinctively marked, with a prominent black “mask” over the eyes and a heavily furred, ringed tail. The “coon” is a grizzled salt-and-pepper gray and black, although some individuals are strongly washed with yellow.

What about their babies?

Raccoons usually breed in February or March and have a 60 day gestation. A litter can be from 1- 8 pups, with 4 or 5 being the average. Young are born from March to June and open their eyes at about 3 weeks of age. The pups are usually weaned at 8 – 12 weeks. Raccoons nest in tree cavities, chimneys, ground burrows, sewers, attics, garages, etc.

Do Raccoons hibernate?

Raccoons do not truly hibernate in winter, but “hole up” for days, weeks, or even months, depending on the weather. Family groups of raccoons usually remain together for the first year and the young will often den for the winter with the adult female.

What makes a Raccoon a pest?

Raccoons enter homes for shelter in the winter. They often cause damage to vents and shingles when entering attics. They will enter chimneys and rest on the smoke-shelf behind the damper in the fireplace. Typical entries are roof vents, louver vents, soffit vents, construction gaps, rotten fascia boards, and chimneys. Raccoons may even rip through the roof if the wood is soft.

Garden crops are often raided (especially sweet corn), as are garbage cans. Raccoons will roll sod for worms, grubs, and insects. Raccoons carry ecto-parasites such as fleas, mites, and ticks. They are also host to more serious diseases like raccoon roundworm and rabies. In addition, they can be very aggressive when trapped or threatened. Trapping and removal of raccoons should be left to a professional.

Tree Squirrels

Image © Robert Wisdom/Dreamstime.com

What does a Squirrel look like?

Eastern gray squirrels are variable in color. Some have a reddish cast to their gray coat while others are completely black. Eastern gray squirrels measure 16 to 20 inches and weigh approximately 1 1/2 pounds. Red squirrels are red-brown above with white bellies. They are 10 to 15 inches long and weigh about 1/2 pound, considerably smaller than the eastern gray.

Flying squirrels are extremely small in size compared to other squirrels. They may be various shades of velvet gray or brown with a lighter belly. They have a broad flattened tail, enlarged eyes, and extended folds of skin from the wrist to ankle that enables it to “fly”. In truth, the flying squirrel glides, controlling its movement with its rudder-like tail.

What does a Squirrel eat?

Eastern gray squirrels are active from dawn to dusk, with most feeding occurring in the early morning and then again in the mid-afternoon. These tree squirrels usually feed on fruits, nuts, and other vegetation. Red squirrels are also active during the day. They prefer pine cones and buds but will also eat a variety of other foods common to the gray squirrel. Flying squirrels are nocturnal and feed mostly on insects, nuts, fruits, seeds and berries. They also eat bird eggs and nestlings, and other animal matter when available.

What about their babies?

Eastern gray and Red squirrels can have two litters per year, one in early spring, and the other in mid-summer. They usually have 2 – 3 young. Flying squirrels differ from other squirrels in that each litter can have from one to six young. Also, flying squirrels usually live in family groups with anywhere from 5 – 20 members.

Do Squirrels hibernate?

These squirrels do not hibernate, but may stay in the nest during bad weather.

What makes a Squirrel a pest?

Squirrels have been responsible for starting fires by chewing on electrical wires. Other damage includes accumulated droppings, urine stains, chewing and gnawing on wood, and destruction of insulation. Squirrels occasionally damage lawns by burying or searching for and digging up nuts. Eastern gray and Red squirrels are vulnerable to numerous parasites and diseases.

Ticks, mange mites, fleas, and internal parasites are common. Flying squirrels are associated with few health concerns; these squirrels pose little, if any, significant threat to humans. Trapping and removal of squirrels is often necessary to stop on-going damage to a structure. This is often tricky and success lies in extensive professional experience in this field

Bats

What does a Bat look like?

Big Brown bats have glossy brown fur on their back with the belly fur being lighter. Their bodies are about 5” long, a wingspan up to 13”and can fly reaching speeds of up to 40 mph. Bats emit high frequency sounds similar to sonar, in order to avoid obstacles, locate and capture insect prey, and to communicate. Big brown bats can live up to 18-20 years in the wild.

What does a Bat eat?

Bats are nocturnal (active at night) insectivores (eat insects), and some species eat up to half their body weights each night in flying insects. Big Brown bats prefer eating beetles over other insects, using their powerful jaws to chew through the beetles’ hard exoskeleton. They will also eat other flying insects including moths, flies, wasps, and flying ants all of which they capture while in flight.

What about their babies?

Bats generally mate in the fall and winter, but the female retains the sperm in the uterus until spring, when ovulation and fertilization take place. Pregnant females congregate in maternity colonies until birth occurs between April and July. There are usually 1- 2 young that begin flying at 3 – 5 weeks of age. Male bats do not participate with raising young.

Do Bats hibernate?

Because insects are not available as food during winter, bats survive by either migrating to warmer regions where insects are available, or by hibernating.

Bed Bugs

Once associated with poverty and filth, the Bed Bug is no longer a “poor man’s bug”. Due largely to an increase in world travel, it has been experiencing a resurgence throughout the world, often invading upper-class hotels and homes.

Though largely eradicated in the early 1940s with the use of strong insecticides such as D.D.T., they have become extremely resistant to available modern pesticides and are again near epidemic proportions in some industrialized nations, infesting homes, businesses, and institutions.

Common Bed Bug

Behavior

Bedbugs are small, elusive, parasitic insects that live strictly by feeding on the blood of humans and other warm-blooded animals. The name ‘bed bug’ is derived from the insect’s preferred habitat of beds or other furniture where people may sleep or spend significant time and where the insect can easily hide until it comes out to feed.

Bedbugs, though not strictly nocturnal, are mainly active at night and are typically capable of feeding unnoticed on their sleeping hosts. Bedbugs can be transported inadvertently through infested furniture or contaminated, used clothing. However, even new furniture can be exposed to bedbugs during storage or in delivery vehicles. Toys such as stuffed dolls, etc. can be infested, as well as clothing items shared by school-aged children.

Get Rid of Them

The first step is identification of the insect. There are insects that act similar to Bed Bugs that are nearly identical in appearance, yet quite different in source, origin, and control. In addition, people react differently to skin irritations caused by a variety of sources, so the appearance of “bites” on the skin is not evidence enough to warrant a potentially expensive treatment.

If you suspect you have a problem and can capture a sample insect, contact Shoreline Pest & Wildlife Control to arrange to have the insect professionally identified by our staff. We can then discuss possible sources of infestation and what options are available. There is never a fee for such insect identification, and all discussions are kept confidential to protect your privacy and dignity.

Skunks

Raccoons

Tree Squirrels

Bats

Bed Bugs

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