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Just a few days ago, Punxsutawney Phil, the famous groundhog failed to see his shadow which means spring will come early. The polar vortex surely brought frigid temperatures to this area, so warmer temperatures will be welcoming. Warmer temperatures bring blooming flowers, green leaves on the trees, and daylight savings time right around the corner. However, warmer temperatures also bring out nuisance wildlife pests as well.
Warmer temperatures is the time when most animals come out of hibernation. Each species of a wildlife animal has certain events within their life that happens when warmer temperatures happens. Let’s take a look at some nuisance pests’ events during this time. Squirrel
Squirrels typically mate once or twice a year. The first litter is born between March to April and the second July to August. A female can have between one to nine babies in one litter, but three to five is more typical. Squirrels need to look for new food because the nuts they buried before winter are starting to sprout into new plants. They tend to find a location to have their young close to a primary food source.
Raccoon
Raccoons mate between late January and mid-March. The typical litter ranges between two to five. Around six to nine weeks old, the young will explore outside the nest to locate solid food. This can range from trash cans to other animals already available.
Fox
Foxes do not hibernate for the winter. They find a location that they can den in. They hoard excess food which they bury under leaves, snow, or soil in order to come back to. The start of the mating season for foxes is in January. The female fox is pregnant for 52-53 days and can have a litter up to five kits. The female fox will use that same den to raise her kits.
Groundhog
Groundhogs enter into a true hibernation in which they build a separate burrow just for the winter months. They usually hibernate until March or April so that there’s an abundant amount of plant materials for food for them to eat. Mating season for groundhogs start after they come out of hibernation in early March to mid-April. Both, male and female, will remain in the burrow during the pregnancy which tends to last around 32 days and have as many as six young. After the birth the male will then leave.
Snakes
Snakes will hibernate in locations that are colder than they can tolerate and they won’t come out of hibernation until early spring. Individual snakes will burrow under rock piles, inside fallen trees, or underneath a home. Snakes actually wait until the warm summer months to have their young. Female snakes reproduce once or twice a year and the number of babies a female can produce depends on the type of snake it is.
Birds
All types of birds except for one type doesn’t hibernate. There are some types of species of birds that migrate to warmer temperatures during the winter months. During the warmer temperatures, usually starting in March, birds start their breeding season. Most birds lay eggs inside a nest and can produce up to ten eggs at a time. Birds will build their nests in any location where they feel that they will not be bothered. Unfortunately, these locations can result in a house vent or chimney.
Even though the temperatures are starting to warm up in our area, we need to pay extra attention to wildlife pests and the locations they could be building their nests in. These locations could be inside a home like an attic or crawlspace, a chimney or even a dryer vent. The key is to ensure that your home is nuisance pest free. Give Elite Wildlife Removal a call at 804-867-7184. We will conduct a thorough inspection to determine if there are any entry areas in which a nuisance pest can enter your home and work with you on sealing your home to ensure it stays pest free.