We are prepared to handle a wide variety of wildlife issues, such as bats and squirrels in the attic, groundhogs or foxes under the shed, birds nesting in dryer vents, skunks, and even beavers causing property damage.

This is one of the most commonly asked questions we receive, and the answer is yes. Inspections often involve one of our technicians searching around the home, either high up on a ladder or crawling under a crawlspace searching for an animal, points of entry and vulnerable areas wildlife can take advantage of to enter a structure. 

Unfortunately, we do receive many calls from people who have no intention of using our services. They simply want us to identify what type of animal is entering their structure and/or give them direction on how they can handle the wildlife issue themselves. We cannot grow our business, pay our bills and support our families by burning up valuable time and gas to help people handle their wildlife problems for free. 

For many services however, the inspection fee may be credited towards the cost of the job.

Animal Control works for local law enforcement and handle domestic animals such as cats and dogs. Although they may on occasion handle a call involving wildlife, they generally don’t have the manpower or expertise to handle most types of calls involving wildlife. We are a privately owned company that handles all sorts of wildlife for a fee as we are not subsidized by any government or organization.

Yes, our wildlife technicians possess the Virginia Commercial Nuisance Animal Permit that allows us to handle any wildlife in the state of Virginia with the exception of turkey, deer or black bear. We also carry general liability insurance and workman’s compensation. 

Cost for our services depends of the type of wildlife we are handling and if we are removing on-site, trapping or excluding. Some animals are easier to trap and require less trips to remove than others. When it comes to keeping animals out and closing up holes, some structures may have just one opening to seal, while others have multiple openings to close making the exclusion service cost more. These are determined during the inspection. 

Lewis Pest Control will offer a one-year warranty on exclusion work that we do. If animals re-enter your home through an area we have sealed up, we will remove that animal at no charge and seal the opening back up.

We strictly follow all state and federal laws pertaining to the handling of wildlife. We do have a number of wildlife rehabilitators that we work with, and on some occasions so long as the animal is not clearly sick we are able to transport them for rehabilitation. For more information click the link below: 

Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources

If an animal is entering a structure, we remove it first through trapping or one-way devices that allows them to escape but not re-enter. Once they are out we close up the entry point to prevent any other wildlife from returning and using that same entry. This is often done with caulk, hardware cloth, specialty products or sheet metal bent and shaped into place. 

Excluding alone will not deter a squirrel or raccoon from entering a structure, especially if they have young inside! Raccoons are very intelligent, strong and in many cases will remove any exclusion material placed to keep them out. Grey squirrels have the ability to chew through many types of material, including metal gutters! Because of this it is always best to trap and remove the animal before securing any entry point. 

We do our best to make our work look good and unnoticeable. This is done by using specialty products in certain places, picking colors of caulk and sheet metal that blend with the trim or siding. We even paint our screws to blend with the area they are being used. 

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Lewis Pest Control has over 20 years of experience helping people resolve their nuisance wildlife issues. Most people only experience issues with wildlife in their home or business once or twice in their life. We deal with it day in and day out and have seen many different scenarios. Because the wildlife industry is still relatively new, with methods changing and better products available every year, we stay up to date with those changes and invest in training opportunities offered by various associations at the national and state level to ensure our technicians are providing the best service they can to our customers.