Thursday, February 16, 2017

Squirrel problems in New Orleans - Squirrel Control

Squirrel problems in New Orleans

I get many phone calls about squirrels and I often talk about how I remove them, perform squirrel control, etc but this post is more about where I find the most troublesome squirrels - in other words, this is about the neighborhoods that seem to have more squirrels causing trouble than the other ones.

Take a look at this map. This is actually part of a larger map showing the last 50 squirrel complaints I have received here at Parker Wildlife Control. I use a software called NWCOPRO that I created to track my calls, and to manage my business within a database. This allows me to stuff like this - something no other company in New Orleans is doing, btw. So - yeah you can be sure this is unique.

You will not find actual documented squirrel complaint information like this even from the Jefferson Parish animal control agency because frankly they lack the documentation and cannot track it.

Here is an image showing the various areas I received these squirrel control phone calls.

Image of: Squirrel Control complaints - New Orleans Area
Squirrel Control complaints - New Orleans Area
Notice a few things here? First of all, there are certain areas that seem to generate MORE squirrel control problems than others. If you live along the New Orleans Lake Front area - that seems to be a hot area for squirrels. For some reason, they do well there, and they like getting into people's attics!
Harahan/River Ridge seems to be another area that we get a good bit of calls from as well.

Ok, so that was 50 squirrel calls - let's take a look at 100!
Image of: 100 Squirrel Control complaints - New Orleans Area
100 Squirrel Control complaints - New Orleans Area
Wow - so there you have it again. New Orleans Lake Front area, Harahan, and the River Ridge areas all seem to be hotspots of nuisance squirrel activity.

SO what is "Nuisance Activity"?  It means that the resident called me to complain that there is a squirrel that actually got into their attic. Some people do call about squirrels in their yard but I do not track those calls, I just tell them there is not much we can do. Sure, I like money and will trap on your property for as long as your willing to pay, but when it comes to squirrel populations you can bet I will be there a long time. 

I try to ONLY trap and remove the PROBLEM animal - whether it is a squirrel or an opossum or even a colony of thousands of bats. The goal is to give you your home back - with no animals living in it. I repair the corners of the roofline to help prevent a future occurrence. 

Your next question if you're still reading this (and thanks for that!) is usually OK - "what does it cost to get rid of squirrels?" 

Here is how much a "typical-squirrel-problem" costs: The first cost is for an inspection: we charge 165 for that, the second charge is 385 and that is for the trapping program - which can last up to 3 weeks, but we try very hard to wrap it up in 5 days. The last and final charge is for the repair work - now this part we cannot know without doing an inspection.

The repair work is where we make our "money" on most jobs. Everyone focuses on the squirrel while the real problem is that there are repairs that need to be made or you will be WASTING the money you spent on trapping them in the first place. Why pay someone to trap without fixing the ACTUAL problem?

So the real truth, even though you may not want to hear it is that most pest control companies and MANY so-called trappers in the New Orleans area cannot help you completely. Sure they might get the squirrel but what about prevention? This holds true for rat problems too - the typical pest control solution is to toss out the poison and pray you don't call back about an awful smell somewhere.

The real solution for rat problems is JUST LIKE the squirrel problem solution. Get rid of the squirrels in the attic, and repair the structure to make it as animal proof as possible. If you just treat the symptoms, you'll likely always have an issue!

Regarding home remedies - noise machines that generate clicks or high frequency noises do no twork to solve an animal problem - SORRY, sound does not go around corners or through walls well at all - this prevents the device from functioning even if it had a remote chance of working without interference! Flashing strobe lights - nope, they just make the house look haunted! Loud music? No again, studies show animals respond well to music - they actually enjoy it! There was recent study published that showed dogs and cats in animal shelters enjoy Reggae the most...lol

The best thing to do is to call in a PRO - like me, if not then someone like me! If I am not available I would refer you to a couple of my competitors, as the truth is there are very few of us who do wildlife control and we just cannot get to every call!

If you want me to come and take a look at your squirrel problem give me a call at 504-338-7517 or visit my company website - the squirrel page - http://www.parkerwildlifecontrol.com/metairie-squirrel-removal.html

~Cheers!