And We're Back! With Bats!

After taking some time off, we are back with a brand new post all about bats and what we can do if you have them.

Bats

Bats will soon be starting to return and that means it's time to start bat proofing for the Spring and Summer.

Did you know that there are 8 species of bats in Ontario, but only 2 species are commonly found in homes? These 2 species are the big brown bat(Eptesicus fuscus) and the little brown bat (Myotis lucifugus).

Both these bats will hibernate in places such as caves and old mines, but they can also be found in attics and during the hot summer months they can also be found behind shutters, under porch overhangs and other cool dark spaces.

Bats are nocturnal, so you likely won't see them during the day. They also have poor vision and rely on echolocation to catch their prey.

Their prey consists of live insects that they will catch while flying and at night they can consume very large amounts of insects.

If you think you have bats in your home it's important to know how to handle their removal. Bat droppings (or guano) are linked to several health concerns. Guano can cause a persistent and strong odor and old droppings carry the potential to harbor histoplasmosis, which is an infection that occurs from breathing in the spores of the fungus Histoplasma capsulatum. Bat guano can often be found where the bats are roosting such as attics and under roof peaks or outside lights where they will sit at night.


So what can Cottage Country Pest Control do for you?

We can come in and bat proof, which is the best and most permanent way of eliminating a bat colony from your home. To do this, sealing all the openings where they can enter is very important. Little brown bats only need a 1 cm hole to enter, so we can locate and seal these holes. We also ensure that all existing guano is removed and that the area is disinfected.

Having bats around isn't always so bad, you just don't want them in your house. So we also offer seasoned bat houses for sale. Bat houses are great to have around because bats will be attracted to them and will be more than happy to hang out in one. The benefit for you? It means there will be bats around in the summer to take care of those pesky mosquitoes and other insects and they won't be in your house!

Call Cottage Country Pest Control at (705)534-7863 today or email us at ccpestcontrol@gmail.com to book your appointment!

Quick Fact - Bed Bugs

Eggs are not known to be placed on the host's body but are found on surfaces near where the host sleeps

For help to solve all of your pest control problems, call Cottage Country Pest Control at (705)534-7863, or email us at ccpestcontrol@gmail.com.

Quick Fact

The gestational period for mice is only about 20 days. That means a lot of mice in a very short amount of time!

For help to solve all of your pest control problems, call Cottage Country Pest Control at (705)534-7863, or email us at ccpestcontrol@gmail.com.

Got Geese?

We don't...but many of our neighbours do.

Geese can make a real mess of your lawn and docks. Ross has spent a lot of time working on ways to manage waterfront properties to keep the goose poop to a minimum.

The solution is generally multi-faceted - in most cases, landscaping is the biggest issue - but there are other options as well.

In addition to advising you on how to manage your goose visitors - or better yet, dissuade them from even bothering to stop by - he also has all of the equipment needed to completely clean & disinfect your docks, lawns & walkways.

Need a clean up before a special event? Give Cottage Country Pest Control a call at (705)534-7863.

Want to stop the geese from using your property as their toilet? Call him for that, too.

Current pests

Hmmm...we have moved on from spiders and mice this week and now it seems that people are stopping by to look for solutions to geese and cockroaches in cottage country Ontario.

Personally, I'd rather have the mice!

....than cockroaches anyway. Cottage Country Pest Control is able to help you with either of those issues though.

Cockroaches are fairly straightforward - they need to be treated as soon as you notice them (after all, who wants to live with them?!) so that they don't get too busy making more cockroaches and become more difficult to treat. Partly, that's just good management - but if you need any more motivation to call sooner rather than later, also keep in mind that fixing emerging problems is a LOT cheaper than dealing with pests once they are entrenched.

Geese are rather more complicated to deal with ... but hey, at least they stay outside. That's definitely a good thing, considering what a mess they make. And usually, it's that mess that people really are perturbed about. Geese are protected in Ontario - which means that Ross will not do anything that will harm them.

He can and will clean up the mess they leave for you, though. And he is also very knowledgeable about how to create a less attractive environment (for the geese, not for you) so that the geese will eschew your particular property and go elsewhere.

I can attest to the fact that his approaches work - our waterfront attracts the odd blue heron and red winged blackbirds. The only geese we see are usually feeding at our neighbours'. We like it that way. We did used to have some issues with goose poop on our dock, but now Ross has solved that one too.

As soon as I'm done my summer school courses - next Friday, FINALLY - I shall get back to work on the website and put up pages for roaches, geese, and whatever other critters I haven't got done yet - oh - I still have the bedbug page to post too. That one is all but done but not yet up. I need more hours in my days - or more days at home; that would work too.

One more week in Peterborough and then I'll head back to Victoria Harbour for the rest of the summer. I can't wait.