|
Click On Your Question
What do we do with the animals after they are captured?
How much do you charge to trap Bats, Raccoon, Woodchuck?
Can the city or county take care of the animals for free?
Can pest control companies provide wildlife control?
Do you exterminate termites or other insects?
Do you use poison?
Do you use humane traps?
What is your service area?
How long have you been in business?
Are you licensed?
Are you insured?
Why do you charge so much?
What methods of payment do you accept?
Do you pick up orphaned animals?
Do you pick up dead animals and remove odor?
Do you pick up animals I have trapped?
Which animals do you handle?
Which animals carry rabies?
What health risks do wild animals pose?
What do we do with the animals after they are captured?
We will obey Indiana and Michigan law first. The fate of the animal may have to do with the species. Certain rabies vectors in certain states must be euthanized (killed) by law. Some protected animals must be released immediately. If the animal is healthy we usually prefer to relocate it. If the animal is injured or sick, we call our local DNR licensed animal rehabilator for help. Sometimes it's best to humanely euthanize it. Most of the time the animals fate is left up to us, as long as it's not released "within 20 miles". When a few customers pay the premium price for us to live catch and release a species we normally euthanize, ( woodchucks, chipmunks, muskrats etc.) rest assured, we will honor your wishes.
How much do you charge to trap Bats, Raccoon, Woodchuck?
General estimates given over the phone are for a single story, fulltime owner occupied, residential size lot of 1/4 acre or less. For a more accuate estimate: tell us if it's 2-3 or more stories, an increased size of the property or home, is there a secluded or secure access, is the home unoccupied or is it a second home and all you can about the extent of the infestation.
Both Indiana and Michigan require traps to be checked every day and animals to be released within 24 hours of capture. I will ask you if some one living at the home can watch the traps and call us in the morning when there is a catch. With the economy like it is, we can save our residential family customers some $ by being interactive.
For second home owners, renters, property managers, etc. we can watch the traps every day ourselves.
Bat, Goose, Coyote, Beaver, Muskrat and other vermin removal is priced according to each situation. Every job is different.
Can the city or county take care of the animals for free?
No. Government animal control, such as city or county animal services, only deal with domestic animals - dogs and cats. This includes things like bite reports, pet abuse complaints, barking or dangerous dogs, etc. It's true that certain government services used to help with select wildlife cases, but they did NOT perform true professional wildlife control. For example: if you had a raccoon in your attic, the County might lend you a cage trap ( for a small cash donation) to put it on the ground, then pick up the lactating mother raccoon and trap once it's caught. Then it's straight to the gas chamber for her. County "animal control" officers are obligated to the State's release laws, the same as State DNR Licensed Wildlife Control Operators.The county animal control wouldn't inspect the attic, wiring or roof for damage, they wouldn't tell you about the ducts that were torn open, they wouldn't remove the litter of baby raccoons dehydrating to death in the attic, they wouldn't set a "positive trap over the entry hole" to prevent catching every animal that wanders by you house. They wouldn't seal the hole shut after the raccoon were removed, they wouldn't identify vulnerable areas on the roof and do preventative sealing, they wouldn't clean the raccoon waste or remove the terrible odor. Wildlife control is a complex and specialized field requiring a lot of work and dedication. Even if the county animal services were willing to help with wildlife issues, they wouldn't do close to a complete job. Regardless, the city/county won't help, and wildlife control is now in the hands of the private pest control sector, and thus service has drastically improved!
Can pest control companies provide wildlife control?
Certainly not - pest control companies treat for insects, and use poison to do so. They usually spray poison on the yard and inside the house, and charge monthly or quarterly maintenance "contracts". They use the same methods - poisons - when they try to control mice & rats and even have been known to illegally try to use poisons on other animals, such as bats. Wildlife control, of large animals like squirrels or raccoons is entirely different than insect pest control and should be dealt with only by a professional nuisance wildlife trapper. There's no magic bullet to get rid of a large vertebrate - it involves hands-on removal of animals, not a poison or repellent solution. If you call an exterminator to take care of a wildlife issue, beware - they may recommend an inexperienced company who gives them a cash kickback. Or worse yet they may have magically become pro wildlife control operators overnight. They bring a trap to your home, every year, like clock work. They don't inspect your home, most of the pest control companies don't even carry a ladder. Please when pricing pest wildlife control; let us know we are competing with a pest control company because we can trap, on the ground every year, as cheap as they can.
Do you use poison?
NO. Poison is NOT a solution for a wildlife problem. Poisons work for insects, because poisons have been developed that can wipe out entire colonies of insects. There are no effective poisons for wildlife control. Using poison for mice & rats is an ineffective way to treat rodent problems. What happens when the rat or mouse dies after eating poison? It might die when it's outside, but there's a very good chance that it'll die when it's inside your house. The pest control operators say, "they want water when they eat the poison, so they go outside." Mice don't need to go outside to find water, in your home. Most of the dead mice we cut out of walls are around toilets or bathroom plumbing. Mice know where there is the smallest leak, you never see inside the walls, or where the pipes sweat that can supply all the water they need.
The proper way to do it is to find those entry holes that the rats are using to get in the house, sealing them shut with stainless steel, then trapping to remove all the mice or rats inside.
Do you exterminate termites or other insects?
We haven't for years simply because we didn't want poison around our children. But as of 2011 we are getting back into the Pest Control business because many companies are producing all natural effective products, that we can guarantee, and is safe for our families.
When animals, birds and bats get into our homes, they also carry fleas, ticks, mites and feces eating insects. Just deodorizing then covering the insects with new insulation like our competition does, forces the insects to move down the walls inside your home! Their web site bat page recommends "a professional pest control company may need to remediate this problem." How about using a more experienced Professional Wildlife-Pest Control Company who's safety protocol decreases dangerous foot traffic through you home?
Pest Control Licenses issued by Michigan Department of Agriculture and the Office of Indiana State Chemist can't be paid for and by attending a weeks worth of training like our competition's "National Certifications" sold to them by their own associations. They require a two year apprenticeship, proven knowledge and experience to earn a State License.
Awesome Critter Gitters can restore your attic far safer and faster than our competition using other pest control companies to perform work they aren't experienced or licensed to do.
Do you use humane traps?
Wildlife control operators use different types of traps, for different types of animals, architectures, and situations. Being Professional DNR Trappers for decades, you can rest assured our traps are legal in Southern Michigan and Northern Indiana. We will use the most effective trap for your special situation. If it's a question of which trap is most humane, ask us about the type of trap. Sometimes a lethal type of trap is a more realistic option than a live-capture cage trap. We use live-capture traps on animals we intend on releasing but animals that farmers don't want on their property are euthanized.
What is your service area?
It depends on the Wildlife control issue you have. Bats, Raccoons, Coyote are all animals that take allot of experience to get out and keep out. So many times people call, way out in the sticks, and we end up loosing money trying to balance a humanitarian need with our poor economy. Our company works from Gary to Goshen in Northwest Indiana and New Buffalo to Sturgis in Southwest Michigan. State law requires the traps to be checked daily. If you live at the home and can watch the traps daily, our service area expands, because we don't have to visit the traps daily. I will not tolerate someone telling me they will check the traps then leave animals in the traps, just to save daily trapping fees. We can watch the traps ourselves, it just cost a little more to cover labor and sending OPEC's grandchildren to college.
How long have you been in business?
I have trapping licenses older than any wildlife control company you'll call in Southwest Michigan or Northwest Indiana. When I started Wildlife control, business' weren't needed because fur trappers kept the mammals in check. Then in the 80s fur became politically incorrect and the animals exploded. Our company has had articles in all the local papers, and local news broadcasters. WNDU,WSBT and Fox News have all shown videos about our company , performing all types of Wildlife Control over the years. Please, look for us in the oldest phone book you can find. See us? Float through our site, you won't see pictures of decades of experience, like ours, on other sites. Our competition show a few recent coon or pictures of their new trucks.
Are you licensed?
Our company employees are fully trained and licensed by both Indiana and Michigan Departments of Natural Resources. We also hold licenses from Michigan's Department of Agriculture and The Office of Indian's State Chemist.
Are you insured?
We are fully insured in both Northwest Indiana and Southwest Michigan for all residential and most commercial jobs. We can purchase additional insurance to meet any companies requirements.
Why do you charge so much?
Top priority is our families, yours and mine, safety. Then experience, knowledge, advertising and gas is probably the next most costly expenses. Years ago I set a cage trap, caught an animal then let it go out in the country. I could trap below what professionals must charge today because, I was like the Daniel Boone trapper dude, most people, still think they are hiring today. Soon my customers requested the animals be kept out of their homes permanently and the stinking mess they left behind be cleaned up. I had served a carpenter apprenticeship building Cook Nuclear Plant and Lake Michigan College years ago, so I had professional experience to use for the repairs. Then after 1000 hours of animal disease bio-hazard study, we invested thousands of dollars in Hepa filtered equipment, respirators, Tyvek suits, fogging equipment, disinfectants, sanitizers, virucides......the list goes on and on, all for your families safety.
Today, all our company employees were college graduates before starting their four year apprenticeship with our company. They are above reproach. We've had entrepreneurs offer to finance a National franchise, but frankly we can't find a surplus of apprentice's that fulfill our strict security parameters. When we find someone who's intelligence, courage and physical requirements fit, and we're sure they are not a threat to our customers or their property, they end up failing the afraid of heights test. Or they're claustrophobic or more often, they fear the bio-hazard threat to themselves and their families. You couldn't believe how many Critter and Varmint control company employees we've seen come and go during our family's experience in wildlife control. Many of our new customers tell us "the guy I used last year is out of business now". They always feel better about our companies Warranty and product Guarantees knowing we are a family owned and operated organization, generations deep, to back it up.
What methods of payment do you accept?
We accept checks and cash only. Sorry no cards at this time.
Do you pick up orphaned animals or birds?
No, we solve problems with nuisance wildlife. We don't rescue and rehabilitate lost or injured baby animals. Rehabilitators need a DNR license just like we do. We, like you, are not allowed to restrain an animal longer than 24 hours.
Do you pick up dead animals and remove odor?
Yes our minimum charge is $100 to pick up a wild animal in a known, accessible area. We'll dispose of the carcass and saturate the area with an odor removal product in the Niles, Michigan or South Bend, Indiana area. Out lying areas are more, as are dead animals whom location we have to find under decks or in walls etc. Animals hit by cars and lying within 30 feet of the center line of the road, are the owners of the road responsibility.
Do you pick up animals I have trapped?
No. One hundred percent of the customers that call about this DO NOT have permission to release animals anywhere. They have been trapping and releasing animals for years, illegally, and have now trapped another protected animal, the Skunk. We inform them of State release laws but they figure ignorance is bliss and continue the illegal activity. Why should our company conspire to complete a crime for money? Why should we help you to continue this illegal activity, even though people like you are, unfortunately, job security for us.
Which animals do you handle?
Indiana and Michigan WILDLIFE! Nuisance wildlife in particular. Any wild animal that is causing a conflict with a person or their property. This most commonly means squirrels, rats, mice, raccoons, opossums, pigeons, bats, snakes, moles, woodchucks etc.
Which animals carry rabies?
Any mammal, including humans, can carry rabies.
What health risks do wild animals pose?
Wild animals can carry several diseases that humans can contract, either through direct contact or contact of droppings. The most famous is rabies...."I think risk of contracting these diseases from wildlife is rare.... The above paragraph was written by, David, arguably the best wildlife control web site designer in the world. He and his partner Jon are some of the best professional wildlife control operators of their generation.
Please, let me add 30 years of wildlife control observation to the designers "thoughts" so the general public has a little more experience to consider before contacting animals.
RARE! I've had Tularemia, Histoplasmosis, twice that I know of, and am infected with Lyme's disease for life. If Phil Nichols, David and Jon's mentors' blood was checked for diseases, you might be surprised what could show. Phil could tell you how Mike Dyer, President of Critter Control struggled for air while speaking at past Michigan Animal Control Damage Association seminars. Many National Wildlife Control Operators Association members claimed, to have contracted wildlife diseases, on our forum during the short time we used to post 5-6 years ago.
The only thing rare about wildlife diseases is having them diagnosed correctly before they become chronic. When you're young and don't know the symptoms of what or where you were exposed to something, the amazing body wins the battle, and you call it the respiratory flu.
The CDC explains it clearly,
Note: It is difficult to associate a single case of any infectious disease with a specific site of exposure; to make matters worse, most wildlife diseases have just recently been discovered in the 1980s. These diseases weren't in your Doctors books when they went to school. My friend worked for a big construction company, doing demolition most of the time. He's had histoplasmosis so many times, his Doctor thought he had TB after a recent x ray. He speaks of all the guano in the old buildings. It's an accumulative disease, the more you have it, the more it scares your lungs.
My son Quentin made an observation after 7-8 years in Wildlife Control. You never see an old insurance adjuster or an old pesticide applicator.
|
