What Protecting More Than 50,000 Homes Has Taught Us About Keeping Wildlife Out

After more than 30 years of protecting homes throughout the Lehigh Valley, County Pest has learned an important lesson about wildlife problems:

The animal inside your home usually isn't the real problem. The opening that allowed it inside is.

From bats slipping beneath rooflines to squirrels entering through damaged soffits, raccoons exploiting construction gaps, and mice traveling through openings barely larger than a pencil, wildlife problems almost always begin with a weakness somewhere in the structure.

That's why our approach to wildlife control starts with the building—not just the animal.

Wildlife Problems Often Start at the Roofline

Pictured here, County Pest technicians Connor and Carson are working along a roofline during a bat exclusion.

Jobs like this demonstrate why wildlife inspections frequently require us to look well beyond the attic itself.

Bats, squirrels, birds and other wildlife commonly take advantage of areas such as:

• Roof and soffit intersections

• Fascia gaps

• Ridge and roof vents

• Chimney flashing

• Gable vents

• Dormers

• Loose siding

• Utility penetrations

• Construction gaps between different roof sections

  
  

Many of these openings are difficult—or impossible—to identify from the ground.

And an opening does not need to look large to us to be perfectly usable to wildlife.

Finding the Entry Point Is Only Half the Job

One of the most common mistakes in wildlife control is simply sealing the first hole someone finds.

That can create a much larger problem.

If animals are still inside, sealing an active opening can trap them within the structure. During certain times of year, young wildlife may also be unable to leave with the adults.

Professional exclusion requires understanding what species is present, how it is using the structure, where it is entering, and whether additional animals may remain inside.

Depending on the situation, County Pest may install a temporary one-way exclusion device that allows wildlife to leave while preventing it from returning.

Once activity has stopped, the structure can be permanently repaired and sealed.

The Obvious Hole Isn't Always the Only Hole

Another lesson we've learned after inspecting thousands of structures is that wildlife rarely reads the blueprint.

Homes settle. Materials separate. Roofing gets replaced. Additions are built. Chimneys are abandoned. Contractors leave small construction gaps that may go unnoticed for decades.

An animal may enter near the roof and then travel surprisingly far through wall cavities, plumbing chases, chimney channels and framing voids.

That's why finding a bat in a bedroom doesn't necessarily mean the bat entered through that room.

Sometimes the true entry point is two or three stories above it.

Older Lehigh Valley Homes Present Unique Challenges

The Lehigh Valley contains an incredible mixture of historic stone homes, early brick construction, farmhouses, row homes, converted buildings and newer residential developments.

Older buildings in particular often contain construction features that create natural pathways for wildlife.

We regularly encounter:

• Decommissioned chimneys extending from basement to attic

• Open framing around masonry chimneys

• Balloon-framed wall cavities

• Aging slate and roof systems

• Stone walls with hidden voids

• Multiple additions built during different periods

• Deteriorated soffits and fascia

• Older vents without wildlife-resistant screening

  
  

These characteristics don't make a home defective. They simply mean wildlife exclusion requires understanding how that particular building was constructed.

Spray Foam Isn't a Wildlife Exclusion Plan

We frequently inspect homes where previous attempts have been made using expanding foam alone.

Foam can have appropriate uses as part of an air-sealing system, but it is not automatically a durable wildlife barrier.

Animals such as squirrels and rodents can damage softer materials, while exposed foam can deteriorate over time.

Effective exclusion often requires combining appropriate materials such as metal flashing, screening, hardware cloth, sealants and structural repairs depending on the opening being addressed.

The goal should be to make the repair durable, weather-resistant and compatible with the home.

Prevention Is Usually Less Expensive Than Remediation

A small roof opening may seem insignificant until wildlife begins regularly using the attic.

Over time, repeated activity can lead to:

• Droppings and urine accumulation

• Damaged insulation

• Nesting material

• Odors

• Contaminated storage

• Chewed wiring or building materials

• Parasites associated with wildlife

• Expensive attic remediation

  
  

Finding and correcting vulnerable areas early can prevent a relatively simple exclusion project from becoming a major cleanup.

Wildlife Control Should Be Species-Specific

There is no single solution for "wildlife."

A bat colony requires a very different approach than squirrels in a soffit or mice traveling through a foundation opening.

Good wildlife management considers the biology and behavior of the animal involved.

For example, bats are extremely beneficial insect predators and should be excluded humanely rather than treated like ordinary household pests. Timing is also important because maternity colonies may contain young bats that cannot yet fly.

Our goal is simple:

Keep wildlife where it belongs—outside—while protecting the home from future entry.

What 30+ Years Has Taught Us

After protecting tens of thousands of homes throughout our region, some of the most important lessons are also the simplest:

• Inspect before treating.

• Find the source instead of chasing the symptom.

• Understand the animal before deciding how to remove it.

• Never seal wildlife inside a structure.

• Repair the building so the problem doesn't simply return.

  
  

And perhaps most importantly:

Wildlife control isn't just animal removal. It's exclusion, construction knowledge, biology and building science working together.

Wildlife Problems in the Lehigh Valley?

County Pest provides professional wildlife inspections, humane exclusion and structural wildlife prevention throughout Allentown, Bethlehem, Easton, Emmaus and surrounding communities in Pennsylvania.

If you're hearing scratching in the walls, finding droppings in the attic, seeing bats around the roofline or simply aren't sure how wildlife is getting inside, our team can inspect the structure and determine what's actually happening.

County Pest — Where Service Meets Science.