How Wildlife Control Can Help With Opossums Invading Durham Homes

It’s not often that a creature comes along that is equally a benefit and a problem, however, this could not be more true about opossums. These invasive yard pests are most definitely terrifying to look at and they do cause serious issues for homeowners in our area, but they also bring a few unique benefits. To help you better understand opossums, here are some things to consider and some wildlife control tips to help you keep them away from your Durham home.

Benefits Of Opossums

At first glance, it is easy to think that opossums are nothing but bad creatures. The truth is, there is one thing these furry yard pests do that makes them extremely helpful. They eat ticks, and not just a few ticks, bucket fulls. In one season, a single opossum might eat up to 5,000 ticks. One way they do this is they let ticks get onto them and then consume them out of their fur. All of this is to say, next time you see an opossum near your property, show your appreciation from a distance because they are doing their job to take care of dangerous ticks.

Problems Opossums Cause

Although opossums are beneficial out in nature, there are a few serious reasons you don’t want them in your yard or near your home. The main reason is that they are dangerous. Thankfully, they are not directly harmful. You don’t have to worry about opossums running up to you or attacking.

In fact, these pests will avoid fights in any way possible and will even faint from shock if it seems like they might get into a tussle. The way opossums threaten people is with the diseases they carry. Four diseases connected to these furry pests are leptospirosis, tuberculosis, coccidiosis, and tularemia. The closer opossums are to your home, the more likely they are to get you and your family sick.

The other ways opossums cause problems is by tipping over trash cans and tearing up gardens to find food. This type of behavior is not just destructive but it might attract other pests to your yard and home.

Why Opossums Invade Properties

Opossums prefer to live in forested or bushy habitats. They will also find shelter in burrows, rock crevices, woodpiles, hollow stumps, and other places that provide them with shelter from the elements and from predators. If your property offers these pests areas like these to hide in, opossums may decide to build a nest nearby. They will also come onto properties to feed out of trash cans, snack on garden crops, and search for dropped fruits and berries.

Some Strategies To Keep Opossums Away

There are many natural ways to deter opossums from your property. Our favorite three are to make sure your garbage cans are tightly sealed, keep your lawn and landscaping well maintained, and install a fence around your yard and garden.

How Professionals Deal With Opossums

It is sometimes difficult to keep opossums away. If you suspect these pests are sheltering on your property, let the wildlife control experts at THE ECO MAN PEST SOLUTIONS, LLC come out and take a look. We will identify where opossums are hiding and safely remove these furry invaders from your yard, garden, and bushes. We will also work with you to make your property less attractive and accessible to these dangerous pests.

Contact our team today to discuss our wildlife control methods and schedule a time to have your Durham property inspected and treated for opossums.