We don't trap animals. We close the way in so the next one can't get started.
Trapping removes the animal in your attic today. Exclusion removes the reason the attic was available in the first place. We're a structural pest-proofing service: we find and seal the openings squirrels, raccoons, birds, and rodents use to get into soffits, roof lines, chimneys, and crawl spaces. Where an animal is currently inside, we work with a licensed wildlife control operator rather than around them.
Where structures let animals in
Six openings we find repeatedly on North Shore homes, most of them invisible from the ground.
- Roof-soffit intersectionsWhere a roof line meets a soffit return, construction frequently leaves a gap. This is the single most common squirrel entry we find, and it's almost never visible without a ladder.
- Gable and ridge ventsLouvered gable vents with damaged or missing screening are an open door. Ridge vent material can be chewed or lifted at the ends.
- Uncapped or damaged chimneysOpen flues take in raccoons, squirrels, and chimney swifts. A stainless cap with proper screening resolves it permanently.
- Fascia and drip edge gapsDeteriorated fascia board or a lifted drip edge creates an opening directly into the soffit cavity and from there into the attic.
- Foundation vents and crawl space accessDamaged or missing vent screening and unsecured crawl space doors admit rodents, skunks, and groundhogs.
- Utility penetrations and dryer ventsGaps around service entries, and dryer vent hoods without functioning dampers, which birds in particular will nest in.
How an exclusion job runs
- Full structural surveyRoof line, soffits, fascia, vents, chimney, foundation, and every utility penetration. Photographed and documented, so you can see what we found rather than take our word for it.
- Confirm nothing is currently insideThis matters. Sealing an active entry with an animal in the structure is inhumane and creates a far worse problem — a dead animal in a wall cavity. Where there's current occupancy, we coordinate with a licensed NWCO before any sealing happens.
- Seal with materials that hold upGalvanized hardware cloth, sheet metal, and appropriate sealants. Not expanding foam alone, which squirrels chew through in an afternoon and which fails within a couple of seasons.
- Repair the damageChewed fascia, torn vent screening, damaged soffit panels. Exclusion that leaves compromised material in place is temporary by design.
- Sanitation and follow-upNesting material and droppings carry ectoparasites — fleas, mites, and ticks — which move into the living space once the host leaves. We treat where warranted and return to verify the seal held.
What we do and don't do, stated plainly
We perform structural exclusion and pest proofing. We do not trap, handle, relocate, or remove wildlife. New York requires a DEC Nuisance Wildlife Control Operator license for that work, and we hold NY DEC Commercial Pesticide Applicator certification, which is a different thing. If you have a raccoon in the attic right now, you need an NWCO — and we'll tell you that on the phone rather than sell you something that doesn't solve it. Once the animal is out, sealing the structure is our work, and it's the part that determines whether you're doing this again next spring.
Why exclusion outlasts trapping
An attic that admitted a squirrel is an attic that will admit the next squirrel. Removal without sealing addresses the occupant and leaves the vacancy advertised — and territory doesn't stay empty long in wooded North Shore neighborhoods. The homeowners who call the same trapper three years running are usually the ones who were never offered the second half of the job.
Timing matters, especially in spring
Female squirrels, raccoons, and birds nest in structures specifically to raise young, and sealing a structure during that window can trap dependent offspring inside walls where they cannot be reached. That's both inhumane and a serious odor and insect problem for you. Where we suspect a nest with young, we'll say so and recommend waiting or bringing in an NWCO first. We'd rather delay a job than do it wrong.
It pairs with the rodent work
Squirrel exclusion and mouse exclusion are largely the same survey, the same ladder, and the same materials at different scales. If you're already dealing with mice, having both addressed on one visit is more efficient than two separate calls. Our rodent control page covers the interior side of that work.
Where we provide this service
Northport, East Northport, Huntington, Halesite, Centerport, Greenlawn, Cold Spring Harbor, Fort Salonga, and the surrounding North Shore communities. See all service areas.
Not sure what you're dealing with?
Send a photo by text and we'll tell you what it is. Identification is free, and it's the step that determines everything else.