Pest Spotlight: How To Keep The Opossums In McAllen At Bay

A big hit toward the end of Frank Sinatra's crooning career was "New York, New York," a song that referred to the largest city in America as "the city that never sleeps." The same thing is true for our ecosystem because it never stops working. While we are asleep, many creatures start their activities; spiders are catching insects, rats are foraging in sewers, and opossums are actively looking for their next meal. 

If you have driven late at night on a country road, you have probably seen a few opossums scurrying for cover from the headlights or playing dead. 

Opossums play dead as an involuntary reaction to fear, which causes the rodent to foam at the mouth, emit a nasty odor, and become comatose for up to four hours. Opossums will growl and bare their sharp teeth when threatened to ward off potential predators. Showing their teeth, snarling, and foaming at the mouth, have given opossums the reputation of being carriers of rabies.

If opossums are on your property, you need the McAllen pest control team from Bugworks Termite & Pest Control. We have been removing opossums and other wildlife from McAllen properties for almost 20 years. We invite you to continue to read to learn more about these unusual creatures that walk around while we sleep. 

What To Do If There Is An Opossum Outside My House

Opossums need food, water, and shelter to survive, and since encroaching on their habitat, they have learned that humans can provide for those needs. Since opossums are nocturnal creatures, you won't likely see them during the daytime, but if you take a walk around your property at night, you may have an encounter. Upon discovering an opossum, remain still; do not corner or threaten the rodent. Opossums are not territorial; if you don't move, they will quickly leave for another area. If you are inside your house and look out the window and see opossums, turn on floodlights to ward them off. After witnessing the opossum, contact Bugworks Termite & Pest Control because we offer opossum control in McAllen.

What Do Opossums Like To Eat 

Opossums are omnivores that eat almost anything, whether dead or alive. Because opossums consume small animals, venomous snacks, insects, birds, fruits, seeds, and vegetation, you can understand why opened garbage cans and exposed compost piles attract them to McAllen properties. 

If you have opossums outside the house, you should do the following for opossum control the next day when they are asleep:

• Close outdoor garbage cans closed tightly.
• Store compost in sealable containers. 
• Pick up fallen fruit from fruit trees.
• Remove bird feeders or place them on a skinny, tall pole.
• Clear the yard of debris like wood and leaf piles. 
• Remove outside pet food and water dishes.
• Provide drainage to gutter downspouts, ditches, and puddles. 
• Store baby pools and other items that hold water upside down. 

One benefit of the opossum diet is that they eat ticks by the thousands and are immune to snake venom, scorpions, and bee stings, thus reducing the population of these dangerous pests around the property. Although there may be some benefits to opossums in McAllen, opossum removal is necessary when they are around your McAllen house. 

All The Dangers Opossums Can Bring To Your Property

If you are around an opossum playing dead, it will smell and lead you to believe it is a dirty creature; in reality, however, opossums groom themselves constantly. Despite their constant cleaning habits, they can spread disease through their urine and feces, as well as from the fleas and mites hitchhiking on their fur. 

Diseases opossums spread leptospirosis, salmonella, and toxoplasmosis. The rodents disperse these pathogens when they defecate on surfaces contaminating them. Opossums transmit disease-causing organisms indirectly from hitchhiking fleas and ticks. Illnesses these insects spread include bubonic plague, murine typhus, tapeworm, Lyme disease, Rocky Mountain spotted fever, and many more. In addition to the danger to humans, some disease-causing bacteria and viruses from fleas and ticks can harm pets. 

Total Nuisance Wildlife Control In McAllen

Opossum control methods for McAllen house include:

• Seal gaps between pipes and wiring entering the house with mortar or another hard substance. 
• Place wire mesh over the chimney, attic, and crawlspace vents.
• Trim tree branches and shrubs away from the structure.
• Keep floodlights turned on at night. 

Bugworks Termite & Pest Control provides opossum pest control in McAllen. We will inspect your McAllen property to determine attractions, likely nesting locations, hot spots, and entry points. With the information we gather, we will create a custom strategy to remove rodents from your property using humane traps. Contact us today and schedule your free inspection.