When most homeowners think of pest control, they think of dealing with things like bed bugs, cockroaches, and termites. However, pest control is about a lot more than just those insects. For example, if you have a raccoon problem in your home, it's important that you reach out to a local pest control company right away. Raccoons can do a significant amount of damage to your home and can leave waste that may actually harbor diseases and other issues. Here's a look at some signs that you might have a pest control issue in your house.

Are There Signs Of Raccoons Outside?

Before raccoons decide to make your home their residence as well, they'll start outside the house. Signs of raccoon problems outside your house include things such as trash cans being knocked over, trash bags being ripped open, and similar issues. If you've noticed signs like this outside your home, that's an early indication that you might find yourself with raccoons inside the house, too.

Are You Hearing Unexplained Noises?

When raccoons make their way inside your home, you're bound to start hearing them. In most cases, raccoons settle into your attic, so you'll often hear scurrying, scratching, and similar noises above your head. Sometimes, you'll hear it in the walls as well if they've found ways to get into the walls and wander throughout your home.

Are There Signs Of Damage?

Raccoons are destructive little critters. They will chew on wiring, insulation, drywall, and other materials in your house. If you go up into your attic and you see signs that things have been chewed on, that's a definite sign of an infestation of some sort. This is concerning because chewed wires can leave your home at risk of an electrical fire.

Is There Visible Waste?

When you look around your attic, you should also look for signs of raccoon waste. You will often find it in piles, and the waste piles will smell pretty foul. Raccoons have a strong odor to their waste, including both their feces and their urine.

Can You See Fur?

Another thing you'll find around the attic and in other areas where raccoons frequent is fur. Especially where they are nesting at night, you'll see remnants of raccoon fur lying around. If you've found fur patches in an area in your attic, there's a good chance you have raccoons that need to be trapped and removed.

Can You Find A Hole?

In most cases, raccoons will chew a hole into your attic directly underneath the eaves of your home. This leaves a visible entry point if you know where to look and what to look for. It also leaves your home vulnerable to water damage, which can be costly to address later. 

In order to completely eliminate the raccoon problem, your pest control contractor will have to locate and seal the hole after trapping the raccoons. This is an important step because it helps to discourage other raccoons or other pests from getting into your home.

Raccoon infestations are costly in the damage that they can cause, and they can be hazardous due to the potential disease exposures. It's important that you take the risk of a raccoon infestation in your home seriously. The more you know about the signs of infestation, the easier it is to recognize a problem before it becomes a major disaster. If you see any of these signs of a raccoon infestation, it's important to reach out to a pest control contractor as soon as possible. Proper pest control measures are important for ensuring that all of the raccoons are removed from your home and their entry points are sealed. Contact a company like Good News Pest Solutions to learn more.