A quaint Central Florida city, Winter Haven presents personal and professional opportunities to new and lifelong residents. But as more and more homeowners and business owners move into the city, the wildlife of Winter Haven has less natural room to roam, scavenge, and forage — especially larger animals like raccoons.
From breaking into kitchens to tipping over trashcans, raccoons are notorious for causing trouble at night. That’s why the large nocturnal mammals have a reputation for being masked bandits. However, home and business owners should always treat raccoons with caution. If you encounter or see signs of raccoon activity on your Winter Haven property, contact the wild animal experts at Critter Control® of Polk County. Our technicians will inspect, remove, and exclude any raccoons to keep your infestation from getting worse.
8 Destructive Behavior of Raccoons
If you find raccoons making trouble around your yard, in your garage, or throughout your attic, call the team at Critter Control® of Polk County. Our trained, licensed animal technicians are experienced in raccoon removal and relocation, and we’ll work with you through every step of the wildlife control process. Raccoons are notorious for scavenging through trash and compost and ravaging fruit and vegetable gardens. They can also cause significant damage to homes, such as:
- Torn window and patio screens
- Shredded attic insulation
- Chewed wiring, drywall, roof tiles, and wooden beams
- A malfunctioning exterior HVAC unit
- Damaged chimneys, roofing, vents, soffits, and fascia
- Stained walls, ceilings, and attic floorboards
- Contaminated food
- General mess and litter
Common Signs of a Winter Haven Raccoon Infestation
Understanding raccoons is what helps our animal control crew at Critter Control® of Polk County get rid of raccoons. Because they are some of the larger pests to watch out for in Winter Haven, raccoons don’t scurry like mice and rats — they thump around with noisy, heavy footing. Raccoons also tend to be very vocal animals, growling and crying to communicate with each other at night.
In addition, raccoons birth and raise their young in warm, enclosed spaces. So, any large nests inside your home or business are a strong sign that raccoons have made themselves comfortable. To get a better idea of whether a nest on your property belongs to raccoons, check to see if they are made with material like insulation, large sticks and twigs, and cardboard boxes.
When Raccoons Infest Your Winter Haven Property
Raccoons might frequent your property for three reasons: It acts as a convenient location to live and feed, provides shelter for comfortably raising young, and offers access to food and water. Although they don’t mean any harm, raccoons can still cause trouble once they infest your building — transmitting diseases such as rabies or carrying infected fleas and ticks. Furthermore, raccoons can create serious damage that affects the very structure of your home or business. That’s why you should never try to tackle a raccoon situation without the help of Critter Control® of Polk County.
The Dangers of a Raccoon Infestation
While their mischievous antics have been popularized in comedic films and cartoons, there is nothing funny about a raccoon infestation. With sharp claws and teeth, raccoons are known to be aggressively vicious critters when cornered, and they can spread the disease to people and pets through scratches and bites.
Raccoons also produce disturbing noises and foul odors that are distressing to both humans and pets. If you hear loud thumping, scratching, or high-pitched crying noises coming from your attic in the night, then you likely have a raccoon infestation on your hands.
Winter Haven, FL Raccoon Trapping Regulations
Because of their wily nature and larger size, Florida law states that raccoons must be live-captured with extra-large traps. However, it is not recommended to attempt raccoon removal on your own. If you have been dealing with nuisance raccoons at your Winter Haven home or business, then leave their removal to professionals who know how to do the job safely, effectively, and legally.
Critter Control of Winter Haven Provides Experienced Raccoon Removal
CritterSafe® Raccoon Removal in Winter Haven
There are so many homemade methods for commercial and residential raccoon removal, but each DIY try puts you at risk of serious health hazards. To keep your property and everyone inside safe, the team at Critter Control® of Polk County uses the CritterSafe® method to remove raccoons. This method includes the following steps:
- Inspection — We check your building top to bottom to get a better understanding of your wildlife problem.
- Relocation — We safely remove raccoons from your building with one-way traps and absolutely no harsh treatments or toxic chemicals.
- Restoration — We restore your attic and other parts of your building to pre-infestation conditions.
- Prevention — We seal entry points, equip your building with covers, caps, and gates, and schedule regular checkups to keep raccoons gone for good.
At Critter Control® of Polk County, our experts will employ their experience and expertise to permanently take care of your raccoon problem. Our licensed technicians will not only rid your Winter Haven property of raccoons, but they will also prevent others from being attracted to your residence.
