Bat services
March 10, 2010 by Aaron Steen · Leave a Comment
Bats can live up to 25 years in prime conditions. Bats are only a nuisance when they take up residence in homes. Bat houses can be installed on trees outside of buildings to give bats more living areas. Bat encounters with humans are rare and only a small amount of bats have rabies.
Bat removal iowa
March 9, 2010 by Aaron Steen · Leave a Comment
Ectoparasites
When bats enter homes they can also bring other visitors with them. Ectoparasites are a fancy name for varieties of bed bugs, bat bugs, fleas, mites, and chiggers. When a bat eviction service is performed it is also sometimes necessary to fog the areas when bats are out of the attic. This will kill any left over parasites.
Bats
March 7, 2010 by Aaron Steen · Leave a Comment
Bats
Fall is a time of migration for many bat species in North America, this is also when large numbers of bats may enter buildings and structures. Bats are looking for safe areas to mate and reproduce. The four main species of bats in Iowa are big brown bat, little brown, northern, and eastern bats. The big brown bat will over winter in attics and walls without migrating.
Bats
March 6, 2010 by Aaron Steen · Leave a Comment
Bats
Bats in Iowa Big Brown Bats, Little Brown Bats, Red Bats, Northern Long Eared Bats, Hoary Bats, Evening Bat, Silver Haired Bat, and Eastern Pipistrelle. Some bats can carry rabies. The state of Illinois has marked an increase in rabies in the last few years (see news blogs). However, rabies should not be a concern of homeowns. Histoplasmosis is another health factor associated with bats. If bats establish a colony in attics or walls excess droppings can contain this spore. Cleaning these droppings and making the spores airborne can cause some respiratory problems. Respirators should be worn at all times when cleaning bat droppings.
Iowa Mountain Lion?
February 20, 2010 by Aaron Steen · Leave a Comment
Many of you may have received amazing text messages with pictures of mountain lions in Iowa over the lat year. Are they real? In fact, an Iowan hunter shot one this last year. This instills fear in many of us. My mother, who lives in a somewhat remote area outside of Des Moines, got her car stuck in the snow at the bottom of her long gravel drive late one night this winter. She later confessed to me that as she made her way through the drifts on her way back to her home she had one thought in her mind, mountain lion.
Mountain lions are on there way back. They used to live all over the US. They became virtually extinct any area east of the Rocky Mountains over the last century. However, since the mid seventies, poisoning practices used to control the species have stopped. The result is a subtle and gradual increase in the mountain lion population. Are you in danger? Likely not. Mountain lion sightings in Iowa are extremely rare. I have a client who lives in a remote area in Iowa and has confessed he has a mountain lion in his area who frequents the wood pile in his backyard and claims there are deer carcuses to substantiate this claim. I believe this is most likely accurate. However, most Iowans do not need to worry. Mountain lions are still so extremely rare and usually never attack humans unless their target is moving, which triggers the predator instinct. This is why stories of mountain lion attacks in Colorado usually involve a bicyclist or someone jogging. They will mainly feed on roadkilled deer and the most easily accessible food source.
Should I feed the deer?
February 19, 2010 by Aaron Steen · Leave a Comment
This winter has been brutal for the wildlife population. Unbelievable amounts of snow made it through global warming. This puts a distinct stress on the deer population here in Iowa. My father lives in a somewhat remote area outside of the Des Moines area and has taken to feeding deer. There is now a herd of about 30 plus deer stationed in his yard on a daily basis. These are not squirrels or birds. Will this protect the precious trees in his yard from being eaten? Will this save the Iowa deer ? The short answer is, no. While my father has a kind heart and has tamed a few Iowa deer they are not any less likely from eating his prescious foliage. In fact, feeding deer increases the likelihood that they will munch on your available greens and twigs. Instead, don’t feed your woodland friends. They will find food elsewhere and will be less likely to snack on your plants and trees.
![Reblog this post [with Zemanta]](http://img.zemanta.com/reblog_a.png?x-id=5ebcbee8-20ed-4e1d-9281-95bbc03fc6e9)
Im not Batman
February 7, 2010 by Aaron Steen · Leave a Comment
Last summer I was cleaning an attic where we thought the bats had all flown out. After getting through the hole in the ceiling I crawled about 30 feet to the wall, when I heard screaching sounds. The bats were still in the wall. They immediately began to fly out around 50 or so. As I started to make my way to the hole my flashlight went out. For all of you who have been in an attic you realize how difficult it is to manuever without light. The bats were buzzing my entire body and began to land on me. I sat as still as possible and tried not to panic. After about ten minutes they calmed down and I slowly made my way out. I have learned not to enter attics until the bats are completely gone. Im not batman.
Lesson to folks, always bring extra batteries when going into batty situations
Bats
January 19, 2010 by Aaron Steen · Leave a Comment
Bats
Bats are very misunderstood mammals and many people fear them for no reason. Most myths and stories about bats are completely unfounded and false. Bats serve a great purpose in nature by controlling insect and mosquito populations. Bats are the most beneficial form of natural pest control.
Many Iowans have had encounters with bats in the home or living area and that is when bats are a nuisance. If bats have established colonies in attics or wall voids it can create a huge problem for home owners. Odors and dead bats make hot days even worse.
The only way to get rid of bats in homes is to do a full blown house inspection and figure out where the bats are getting in. Many times this is easier said than done. Bats are like tiny flying mice so they can get in spaces and cracks up to a ¼ inch. Sealing every crack and crevice is necessary while installing vents that the bats can fly out of. After about a week, the vents can be removed and the openings sealed. Then the attic clean up begin.
That time of year … mice
November 19, 2007 by Aaron Steen · 2 Comments
It seems the house mouse has, from an evolutionary standpoint, been very successful. In fact, they’ve been reported to be the second most successful life form, right behind humans. Hmmm…. What to do.
The truth is that there are a variety of successful strategies to defeating this pest. But one of the most commonly overlooked is that of prevention. Mice make themselves more “evident” to our eyes in the winter months. Seeking cover from the Iowa climate, they suddenly converge into our personal spaces, into the warmth and protection of sheds, garages, and the interiors of our most personal space, our homes.
Prevention is the first step in defeating this pest. First steps include assuring that cracks in your foundation are sealed. Other locations to check out include your dryer vent, kitchen exhaust fans, under decks and steps, and where the siding of your home meets the foundation. Each of these areas provides a possible entry point for the common house mouse. Additionally, keeping wood piles stored off the ground and away from your home is easy proactive approach.