Ozark Pest Solutions

417-288-4919
Lebanon, Missouri
OR1 Content Image
BBB Accredited Business

About Us

Company History
Ozark Pest Solutions has earned an excellent reputation for their dependable and professional services and their management emphasis in courtesy and accommodation since 1988.
Animal Control
Our well trained and licensed staff will do a thorough inspection of your home and property and diagnose the problem. After trapping and removing the unwanted pest from your home or business, we will seal any openings the animals may have found to enter your structure.
• Racoons
• Squirrels
• Opposums
• Armadillos
• Rats/Mice
• Moles
• Groundhogs
• Skunks
• Beavers
• Canines
• Ferals
• Birds
• Bats
• Snakes
Woodchucks
Information on Problem Woodchucks
If you are a gardener, whether you grow vegetables or flowers, you must be familiar with our local woodchucks. Unlike a rabbit, who will nibble at your plants, a woodchuck totally destroys them. Some people have commented that it looked like a lawn mower went through the garden or flowerbed. This picture should give you an idea of what they look like. People also call them gopher, groundhog, and, occasionally, some people refer to them as a hedgehog.
Woodchuck BIOLOGY: Woodchucks live in holes (or burrows) in the ground. They can be 6 feet deep and upwards of 30 feet across. Every year they live there, they dig more tunnels. Around late October/November, they go underground and sleep till around the third week of March. When they emerge, the males go about the business of mating. They locate every female within their area and the courtships last a few days. Then the males return to their dens. Approximately 33 days later, the females give birth to up to 6 young. The young start to emerge from the den around the first week of June. Woodchucks have to fatten up all summer to prepare them for a long winter of hibernation. The young usually leave the mother's territory around mid-July. Many of the young do not survive the first year. Some sources say that 30%% of woodchucks die during the hibernation period. Foxes, dogs, hawks, and coyotes prey upon them in the wild.
FOODS: Woodchucks are vegetarians. They eat chickweed and clover, but if things get really bad, they can even eat poison ivy. They prefer beans, broccoli, and certain species of flowers, which is why they are such a problem for gardeners.
DAMAGE: Besides causing damage to your garden, and eating all your hard work, woodchuck problems can be more severe. Ozark Pest Solutions has seen driveways and walkways collapse. The problem woodchuck digs a tunnel under the blacktop or concrete, and the rain slowly undermines it until it collapses. Here in the Eastern USA, 1 woodchuck may dig 5 or 6 burrows. Any abandoned burrows go to any newcomers (skunks, and rabbits).
REMEDIATION: If they are living under your home (e.g., in a crawlspace), or other building, we remove them by cage trapping. After the problem animals are removed, the building will need to be sealed up in the same manner as for striped skunks. All burrows should also be filled in.
Where a garden is involved, an ordinary fence usually doesn't stop them. They will either tunnel under or climb over it. An electric fence may have some deterrent effect upon them though. If they are just living somewhere out in the open, they can still be trapped, but eventually, another woodchuck will find that burrow and move in as well. Even after it is filled in, the burrow apparently has some attraction to any other woodchucks that may be passing through. Many times a maintenance plan is required to keep the problem woodchucks from taking up residence again in the same burrow.
The tracks are generally in line, but close together. Sometimes you can see where the animal was dragging its belly on the ground. They walk very close to the ground. Their burrows are generally the size of a man's fist or a little larger in the Midwest. In some other states, burrows are much larger.
Raccoons
Information on Problem Raccoons
In the Midwest, we have one of the most common causes of conflict with people, the raccoon (Procyon Lotor). They are not rodents, but can still cause problems by nesting in attics, chimneys, under buildings, or decks or inside tool sheds. Raccoons are the primary carrier of rabies here, and so, extreme caution must be exercised if you see one. Stay clear of it!
Racoon BIOLOGY: Raccoons generally live in hollow trees in the wild. In suburbia, they will live anywhere that affords them shelter. Chimneys, attics, basements, crawlspaces, tool sheds. Anyplace they can get access to. Unlike squirrels, raccoons will not chew into a structure. They use their hands (similar to humans') to rip vents, soffits, and any loose wood that may be in their way. I have even seen them rip shingles off a roof to gain entry to an attic. Raccoons mate from December to January, and the young are usually born sometime in April. Ozark Pest Solutions has found baby raccoons as early as January, and as late as July. Litters can be anywhere from 1 to 6 young, with 2 to 4 being most common.
FOODS: Raccoons, like skunks, will eat just about anything that is edible. Small rodents, snakes, worms, insects, grubs, fruits, and, of course, garbage, bird seed, and pet food. Raccoons are also notorious for knocking trash barrels over to get at the garbage inside.
DAMAGE: Raccoons generally start causing problems when they move into a structure. Living inside an attic is common. Although, Ozark Pest Solutions has found them in basements, crawlspaces, chimneys, and garages. There can be odors, risk of disease, and damage to interior ceilings. Chimney dwelling raccoons will make a lot of noise, especially when the young are present. If the flue damper is open in your fireplace, you just may come face to face with one in your living room.
REMEDIATION: Once they are living in a structure, raccoons should be removed and the structure sealed up. Cage traps are used to remove them, and then the exclusion/repairs can be done. Chimney dwelling raccoons can be prevented from ever moving in just by installing a chimney cap on each chimney.
Free Estimates
Call to learn more
Contact Us Today

417-288-4919