Wildlife Control

Peerless Pest Control services a wide variety of wildlife that may get into your home or property. Our technicians use the best techniques to either trap, exclude or repell any type of animal you may encounter. Our technicians are licensed by the Pennsylvania State Game Commission and are highly experienced in all aspects of Wildlife Control. Whether you have a problem with Bats, Birds, Snakes, Groundhogs, Opossums, Raccoons, Skunks, Squirrels, or Foxes, Peerless Pest Control has a solution to your problem.

Bats

Bats are mammals whose forelimbs form webbed wings, making thexm the only mammals naturally capable of true and sustained flight. By contrast, other mammals said to fly, such as flying squirrels, gliding possums, and colugos, can only glide for short distances. Bats do not flap their entire forelimbs, as birds do, but instead flap their spread-out digits, which are very long and covered with a thin membrane or patagium.


Pennsylvania's most common bat, the little brown is found statewide. Length, including tail, is 3.1-3.7 inches; wingspread, 8.6-10.5 inches; weight ranges from 0.25-0.35 ounces. Females are slightly larger than males. Color: a rich brown approaching bronze, usually with a dark spot on the shoulders. The fur is dense, fine, and glossy; the wings are black and bare.


Other bats found in this area include, Big Brown Bat, Tri-colored Bat, Hoary Bat, Indiana Bat, Northern Long Ear Bat, Eastern Red Bat, Silver-Haired Bat, Small-Footed Bat.


One of the biggest problems involved with a bat infestation is the accumulation of bat droppings (guano) at the roost site. Guano accumulates in piles beneath the roosting bats and can contaminate attic insulation and other materials. Exposure to large quantities of bat droppings can be a serious health risk possibly causing lung infections or a disease called Histoplasmosis. Histoplasmosis is a fungal disease which primarily effects the lungs. Fungal spores grow over piles of bat guano which can become air borne if disturbed.


In Pennsylvania it is illegal to evict bats from a home or building during the months of June and July. These restrictions are enforced to protect maternity colonies of bats that are raising this year\'s young bat pups during this time. If bat colonies are evicted from a structure during this time of year the young bat pups will likely perish or they may enter the living space of a home as they desperately try to get outside.


If you have a problem in any of the other months, Peerless Pest Control can safely remove any bats that may be roosting in your attic space or overhangs. After that we can securely seal any openings that the bats are entering the structure. For a free estimate on bat removal, call 215-324-4719 to set up an appointment.

Birds

Birds cause millions of dollars in commercial property damage every year — and the mess they leave behind costs billions more in lost revenue.


At Peerless Pest Control, we are dedicated to solving your bird problems without harming the birds, your customers, your facilities or the environment. All of our bird control solutions are carefully planned, expertly installed and monitored for safety and effectiveness.


We service residential homes, apartments, apartment complexes, offices, medical facilities, medical offices, businesses, hotels, motels, college apartments, college homes, college residences, and any other type of buildings.


Our highly trained, experienced technicians have many different options available to eliminate and exclude the birds that may be causing you problems.

Opossums

Opossums are scavengers, and they often visit human homes or settlements to raid garbage cans, dumpsters, and other containers. They are attracted to carrion (decaying animals) and can often be spotted near roadkill. Opossums also eat grass, nuts, and fruit. They will hunt mice, birds, insects, worms, snakes, and even chickens.

While you should always exercise caution when approaching any wild animal it is worth noting that opossums are less scary than they look. Opossums are known for bluffing by holding their large mouth open and giving a threatening look even though they are probably more scared than you and will often do nothing to harm you. Their next defense is to play dead, or play 'possum'. Still, it is always advisable to let a trained professional handle wild animals as it's still possible for them to bite when they feel threatened.

Another interesting fact about opossums is that they are not considered a rabies vector species due to their lower resting body temperature than nuisance mammals like raccoons, foxes, stray cats and dogs, and groundhogs. This means that threat of getting rabies from an opossum is very low. Opossums also do a lot of good when it comes to tick control. They pick up ticks but also groom themselves often (which involves eating any ticks attached to them) which helps keep tick populations in check. One study showed that an opossum will eat up to 5,000 ticks in a single season - more than 90% of the ticks that latch on!

We service residential homes, apartments, apartment complexes, offices, medical facilities, medical offices, businesses, hotels, motels, college apartments, college homes, college residences, and any other type of buildings.

Raccoons

Due to its adaptability, the raccoon has been able to use urban areas as a habitat. The increasing number of raccoons in urban areas has resulted in diverse reactions in humans, ranging from outrage at their presence to deliberate feeding. Raccoons without a fear of humans are a concern to those who attribute this trait to rabies, but scientists point out this behavior is much more likely to be a behavioral adjustment to living in habitats with regular contact to humans for many generations. Raccoons usually do not prey on domestic cats and dogs, but individual cases of killings have been reported. While overturned waste containers and raided fruit trees are just a nuisance to homeowners, it can cost several thousand dollars to repair damage caused by the use of attic space as dens.


Raccoons are omnivorous and eat almost anything, including: nuts, berries, acorns, leaves, grasshoppers, crickets, grubs, worms, dragonfly larvae, clams, wasps, salamanders, frogs, crayfish, snakes, turtles and their eggs, bird eggs and nestlings, fish, voles, and squirrels. They often eat garbage scraps and at times have been seen eating dead animals on the sides of roads. Raccoons are very agile. They climb trees well, moving forward or backward on their way up or down the tree. They are one of few animals which can descend a tree headfirst. They can also drop, unharmed, 35 to 40 feet. They are fast runners (15 mph) and excellent swimmers. If cornered, raccoons are ferocious fighters and can kill a dog. Raccoons are also know for their excellent night vision and keen sense of hearing.


We service residential homes, apartments, apartment complexes, offices, businesses, hotels, motels, college apartments, college homes, college residences, and any other type of buildings.


Our highly trained, experienced and PA Game Commission licensed technicians have many different options available to trap, remove and exclude the Raccoons that may be causing you problems.

Squirrels

Squirrel, a small, active, bushy-tailed mammal. The name comes from the Greek for “shade-tailed.” Squirrels are gnawing mammals, or rodents. They are native to every continent except Australia and Antarctica. There are about 250 species of squirrels divided into two groups—those that live in trees and those that live on the ground.


The squirrel's claws are suited for climbing and for clinging to branches. In jumping, the squirrel's tail acts as a rudder, enabling the animal to hold its course or to swerve.


The squirrel has paired incisors in each jaw. These chisel-shaped teeth can cut into the shell of a nut. The squirrel holds the nut up to its mouth with its front paws. It either gnaws the nut or, keeping its jaws still, twirls the nut against its teeth.


The diet of Eastern Gray Squirrels includes: acorns, hickory nuts, walnuts, beechnuts, maple (buds, bark, and samaras), Yellow Poplar blossoms, American Hornbeam seeds, apples, fungi, Black Cherry, Flowering Dogwood, grapes, sedges, grasses, American Holly, insects (adults and larvae), baby birds, bird eggs, and amphibians. Sometimes they even eat each other!


Eastern Gray Squirrels will also visit bird feeders, dig up flower bulbs, and steal garden vegetables. Squirrels will often bury their food at a new spot, near the surface of the ground. In Winter, when food is scarce, they will use their sense of smell to relocate their "secret" food. They don\'t always find all of their stashed food, so they help "plant" new trees and plants, letting them grow in new places.


Squirrels can cause a lot of damage if they get into your home or business. Being they are in the rodent family, unlike our human teeth, Squirrel’s incisors grow throughout their lives. They will chew their way into a structure, chew on wires and other items that could start a fire.


Are you hearing noise in your attic around sunset? Are you hearing it again early in the morning? Do you hear scratching and chewing? Does something sound like it\'s trying to get through your ceiling? Are your lights blinking? You probably have squirrels entering your property.


Our highly trained, experienced technicians have many different options available to eliminate and exclude the squirrels that may be causing you problems. We can identify where the squirrels are getting in and either trap the squirrels and remove them or exclude them using a one-way door.

Groundhogs

The groundhog, or woodchuck, are members of the squirrel family. These rodents live a feast-or-famine lifestyle and gorge themselves all summer to build up plentiful reserves of fat. After the first frost, they retreat to their underground burrows and snooze until spring, drawing their sustenance from body fat. While hibernating, the animal\'s heart rate plunges, and its body temperature is not much warmer than the temperature inside its burrow. Groundhogs are the largest members of the squirrel family. Though they are usually seen on the ground, they can climb trees and are also capable swimmers. These rodents frequent the areas where woodlands meet open spaces, like fields, roads, or streams. Here they eat grasses and plants as well as fruits and tree bark. Groundhogs are the bane of many a gardener. They can decimate a plot while voraciously feeding during the summer and fall seasons.


Woodchucks or groundhogs can remove 700 pounds of soil to complete a 20 to 25-foot-long burrow with multiple chambers which pose a serious threat to agricultural and residential developments by damaging farm machinery and undermining building foundations.


Our highly trained, experienced technicians have many different options available to eliminate and exclude the groundhogs/woodchucks that may be causing you problems.

Skunks

Skunks become a problem when their feeding and burrowing activities conflict with man\'s interests. In urban areas, skunks may damage gardens and lawns while hunting for insects and worms, as well as expose humans and pets to several transmittable diseases and parasites. In rural areas, skunks can cause losses to poultry operations, expose livestock to disease, and occasionally cause damage to crops. Skunks are usually considered a nuisance because of their odor. All skunks have the ability to discharge a nauseating, oily musk from their anal glands. They can discharge their musk several times with accuracy to about 10 feet. Pets often are sprayed when they confront skunks. When skunks take shelter under buildings, their odor can make them an intolerable nuisance.


Because skunks can cause damage and are an important vector of disease, it is often necessary to control individual members of a population when they are in conflict with man\'s health and economic interests. The most effective control programs will include both environmental and mechanical control measures.


At Peerless Pest Control, we use both environmental and mechanical control measures. We will inform you of the measures needed to prevent future skunks from making their home your property.

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Get In Touch.

Peerless Pest Control is based in the historic city of Philadelphia.

Olney

5246 N. 5th St.

Philadelphia PA, 19120

West Philadelphia

6150 Market St.

Philadelphia PA, 19139

(215) 324 4719

(215) 324 4720

WE'LL GET BACK TO YOU SOON.

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Hours

Olney

(215) 324-4719

5246 North 5th Street

Philadelphia, PA 19120

(Phones active at 9 a.m.)

Hours: M-F 10am-5pm

Sat: 10am-3:30pm

Sun: CLOSED

West Philadelphia

(215) 324-4719

6150 Market Street

Philadelphia, PA 19139

CLOSED WEDNESDAYS TEMPORARILY

Hours: M-F 10am-4pm

Sat: 10am-3:30pm

Sun: CLOSED

Our stores will be closed Christmas week through New Year's day. Happy holidays!

Please Note the Recent Change in Winter Store Hours

Service Dept. Hours

(215) 324-4719

Hours: Mon-Fri 9am-5pm

Sat: 10am-3:30pm

Sun: CLOSED

Winter Store Hours

(Closed Mondays)

Olney

(215) 324-4719

5246 North 5th Street

Philadelphia, PA 19120

Hours: Tues-Fri 10am-5pm

Sat: 10am-3:30pm

Sun: CLOSED

West Philadelphia

(215) 324-4719

6150 Market Street

Philadelphia, PA 19139

Hours: Tues-Fri 10am-4pm

Sat: 10am-3:30pm

Sun: CLOSED