Best practices
for nuisance wildlife control operators in New York State

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Ch 5: Step two: Choose management options

Option: Keep the animal out of the area (exclusion)

There are many exclusion products on the market. Top: A chimney cover will keep many animals, such as birds, bats, squirrels, and raccoons from getting into a chimney. Middle: This net is hung over a pond or field to discourage birds from landing in the area. Bottom: Here's an example of an exclusion device that most NWCOs custom-fit to the site. It's called a "rat wall." This "L"-shaped fence can be installed as a free-standing barrier or attached to a porch, shed, or stairs, as it is here. The bottom is bent into a shelf that keeps animals from digging underneath it. In this photo, you can see the bottom, but not the top, which is attached to the concrete. Once it's covered with soil, it won't be noticeable at all.

Techniques: Repair buildings to seal entry holes; protect vents, louvers, and sewer pipe vents with animal-proof designs or add screens or shields; cap chimneys; fence outdoor areas; use netting, spikes, electric shock devices, or plastic strips to keep birds away from alcoves, ledges, and other perches; erect "post-and-wire" grids over large areas to discourage birds from landing there. For more information, see step four.

Do nothing | Make the environment less attractive | Remove the culprit | Reduce the breeding population | Scare the animal away

There's one strategy that should almost always be used as part of your solution:

exclusion. In some cases, you may be able to solve the wildlife conflict by putting up a barrier that keeps the animal away from the vulnerable area, whether it's a garden, child's sandbox, orchard, or the foundation of a building.

Exclusion is one of the best ways to prevent nuisance wildlife conflicts. It can stop repeats of the problem, and may even prevent other conflicts from ever happening. And it will probably increase the effectiveness of other strategies, such as habitat modification, the use of repellents, and the removal of the nuisance animals.

When you can, persuade your customers to take advantage of your wildlife expertise and knowledge of building construction by hiring you to make their properties "animal-proof." Perhaps you only want to make recommendations, or maybe you're happy to do the actual repairs. In either case, you probably know more about which exclusion products to use and how to install them correctly than the average building contractor.

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