UCCE remembered in story about varmints

Santa Rosa Press Democrat writer Meg McConahy opened a a story about varmint infestations with a cute, if maybe exaggerated, lead. "If you thought flood, fire and mold were the largest threats to your house," she wrote, "you probably have yet to face the menace of a pregnant raccoon."

The lead foreshadowed an anecdote in the story in which a raccoon ultimately led homeowners to hire a crane lift and punch a hole in their roof to get rid of an unwelcome guest. Fortunately, most critter infestations are more easily remedied. On way to face the problem is by downloading information from the UC ANR publications catalog; the URL to the site was published in a sidebar that appeared with the article.

Homeowners may want to research ways to protect their homes from wildlife infestation. Proactive pest exclusion is probably the best way to control the problem. After an animal has set up housekeeping, eradication is more complicated and costly.

Deer, gophers, moles, voles and rabbits are among the animals that can burrow and eat their way through landscapes; raccoons, opossums, squirrels, skunks, coyotes, foxes, bats and rats can cause thousands of dollars of damage to ductwork, insulation and Sheetrock, the story said.

Opossum mom and babies.

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