The greatest thing about Northern Virginia is the beauty and the wildlife.  Sometimes however the wildlife doesn’t always play along.  Sometimes they decide to stick around, becoming a potential nuisance.  In addition, they can destroy crops, ruin gardens, and make holes on your property.  Here are 4 things you as a homeowner can do to stop raccoons, rodents and squirrels from causing havoc on your property.

Composite Pile

A lot of people have an outdoor composite pile alongside their home.  Having a pile like this is excellent in that you reduce the amount of garbage you throw out, while creating helpful soil.  The problem is however that a lot of rotting food scraps may bring in the local pests.  To remedy this, you can create a fence or gate around where you have your compost, and/or move the composite pile away from your home.  This reduces the likelihood of attracting hungry animals, which later try to find shelter within your home.

Fence in a garden

A garden is another place where wildlife, like raccoons, will come to feast.  From digging around to destroying your hard work, keeping them out of your garden will be a big improvement.  As a result, a high fence made out of a material and in a design where raccoons cannot climb, is an excellent idea.

Eliminate any standing pools of water

Besides food, animals also need water, which they can find in standing pools of water on your property.  Combine the two, and you can begin to see how your home is an oasis for wild animals, including rodents.  The best thing you can do is to remove or cover up any standing water.  This may include temporarily getting rid of bird feeders.  Remember, if there is nothing bringing wildlife to your property then there is no reason for them to stay.

Make sure there is no wildlife habitat

The last thing you can do is to make sure there is no habitat.  This is especially true, and very difficult, when it comes to squirrels.  Squirrels have a remarkable ability to make their way into every corner of your home.  They can chew through plastic, and get through everything.  Look for holes in your house, and plug up any that you see.