Pest Control and Exterminator Service in Grosse Pointe Park, MI

Why do slate roofs and carriage houses attract squirrels and raccoons?

Large older houses have many roof planes, dormers, chimneys and returns where trim meets masonry. Over decades, flashing loosens, wood trim rots a little and small gaps open that a squirrel can enlarge. Carriage houses and detached garages add more roof edges and soffits, often with less attention than the main house.

Mature trees overhanging the roof give animals a branch path in. Squirrels commonly nest in attics and can chew wiring, and raccoons may use a chimney or a loose soffit panel. Our squirrel and raccoon exclusion work looks at every roof level, including the outbuildings, and explains the entry points before anything is sealed.

Chimney flues and old coal-era openings deserve special attention. Large masonry chimneys with damaged caps or open flues are favorite entry points, and a technician will usually inspect them from both inside the attic and the roof edge before recommending any sealing.

Do bats use older Grosse Pointe Park houses?

They can. Bats look for dark, sheltered gaps near the roofline, and stone and slate houses with ventilated eaves offer plenty. The timing of any removal matters in southeast Michigan: commercial wildlife sources say maternity colonies are common from about the third week of May through late July, and one-way doors should not go on during June and July because flightless pups could be trapped inside.

Exclusion is therefore usually timed for late summer, once the young can fly. If you hear scratching or find droppings in a large older attic in early summer, a technician can inspect and plan the work for the right window. See bat exclusion for how that scheduling works.

What does damp lake-edge ground mean for ants, mice and mosquitoes?

Ground near Lake St. Clair stays damp, and damp ground is where mosquitoes breed and where wood stays wet. Carpenter ants favor wood that has been damp for some time, such as a porch post, a window sill or a fascia board behind a clogged gutter. Thick ivy on a masonry wall can hide small gaps and keep the surface moist.

Basements in older stone and brick houses can also be cool and humid, which suits mice that have already come in for warmth. For ants, carpenter ant control begins with finding the damp wood. For summer mosquitoes, the technician checks gutters, planters, birdbaths and low spots, since Wayne County tests mosquitoes for West Nile virus each season.

If you have lake-view windows or a screened porch, check the screens and the gaps around them. Mosquitoes find their way through torn screens and under porch doors, and a simple repair makes sitting outside on a summer evening more pleasant.

When should Grosse Pointe Park owners schedule seasonal work?

Late summer is the right time for bat exclusion and for roofline repairs, and early September is the time to inspect basements and seal utility gaps before mice come in. Boxelder bugs and cluster flies gather on south and west walls in autumn, according to MSU Extension, so caulking cracks around windows and soffits in September helps.

Winter is for monitoring: attics are quiet, mice are indoors, and any noise at night usually means something is already inside. In spring, termite swarms are possible from about March on warm, rainy days, and a quick check of older timber near the foundation is sensible. An inspection is a routine check, not an alarm.