A field guide to the rodents and wildlife we handle.

Attics, eaves, palm trees, citrus trees, garages, and the upper third of any building. Excellent climbers, prefer to nest above ground level.

Scratching in the ceiling at night. Greasy rub marks along beams. Smaller, pointed droppings (about a half inch). Citrus or avocado fruit chewed at the top.

Snap traps in the kitchen do nothing. The colony is in the attic, not on the floor. Without sealing entry points along the roofline, new rats fill the void within weeks.

We trap inside the active runways, then map every entry on the roofline (vents, eave gaps, AC penetrations) and seal with heavy hardware cloth.

Ground level. Crawlspaces, under decks, sheds, woodpiles, sewer lines, and burrows along the foundation. Larger and stockier than roof rats.

Burrow holes (1.5 to 3 inches across) along the foundation, fence line, or under a deck. Larger blunt droppings. Heavy thumping at night, not light scurrying.

Filling the burrow without trapping just sends the colony to a new spot in the yard. Poison in the open is dangerous to dogs, cats, and birds of prey.

We bait and snap-trap the active runs, then exclude entry into the crawlspace and harden the foundation perimeter so the burrow can't be re-established.

Inside walls, behind appliances, under cabinets, in garages, and in stored boxes in the laundry room or pantry. They squeeze through any gap larger than a pencil.

Tiny dark droppings (1/8 inch) along baseboards or in drawers. Shredded paper or insulation in storage boxes. Small chew marks on cardboard, food packaging, or wires.

Glue boards near the dishwasher catch a few but never solve it. Mice multiply fast: one breeding pair can become forty in a few months.

Strategic snap-trap placement along walls and entry routes, plus full sealing of pipe penetrations under sinks, behind the dryer, and around the foundation plate.

Cabins, sheds, garages, ADUs, and homes near open space (Los Altos Hills, Woodside, Portola Valley, foothill neighborhoods). Less common in urban downtown homes.

Two-tone fur (brown back, white belly), large dark eyes. Nests of shredded fabric in stored gear. Droppings similar in size to house mouse.

Hantavirus is a serious risk with deer mouse droppings. Sweeping or vacuuming dry droppings can aerosolize the virus. This is not a DIY clean.

We use HEPA-vacuum and proper PPE for the cleanup, then trap and seal. We strongly recommend professional handling for deer mouse infestations.

Attics (especially after spring kit-rearing season), under decks, in chimneys, garages, and sheds. They're strong, smart, and use the same routes night after night.

Heavy thumping or fighting in the attic. Latrines on the deck or roof. Damaged shingles or torn vent screens. Dog food vanishing overnight from the porch.

A trapped mother without her kits is a disaster: the kits starve in the wall and create a much bigger smell problem. California rules also restrict who can relocate or euthanize wildlife.

Inspection for kits first. Live-trapping per California Fish & Wildlife rules. Full exclusion of the den entry, plus chimney caps, vent guards, and deck skirts.

Under decks, porches, sheds, and crawlspaces. They follow grub-rich lawns, so you'll often see lawn damage before you ever see the skunk itself.

Persistent musky smell around the house, especially at dusk. Cone-shaped holes in the lawn from grub-digging. Black-and-white animal seen at night near the foundation.

Sealing the den off without removing the skunk first traps it inside, where it sprays in panic. The smell can saturate the crawlspace for months.

We use covered live traps that prevent spraying, remove the skunk humanely, then seal the den with mesh skirts and treat the area to break the scent trail.

Under decks, in crawlspaces, sheds, and detached garages. Often passing through, but will den if there's easy food (cat food, fallen fruit, compost).

Cat-sized animal with white face, pink nose, and naked tail. Slow, ambling movement. Latrine spots in a corner of the deck or yard.

Opossums are actually one of the most beneficial wildlife species in California: they eat ticks, snails, and rodents. Killing them is unnecessary and often illegal without a permit.

Live-trapping when removal is needed, with relocation per state guidelines. Most calls are resolved by removing food sources and sealing the den entry.

Open lawns, slopes, vineyards, school yards, and large back gardens, especially in the South Bay (Almaden, Berryessa, parts of San Jose) and along the Peninsula hills.

Open burrow holes (3 to 4 inches across) without dirt mounds. Daytime sightings: ground squirrels are diurnal, unlike most wildlife pests.

Ground squirrels carry fleas that can spread plague. Smoke bombs and home poisons are dangerous to pets and don't address the colony at depth.

Targeted trapping at active burrows, fumigation where the law allows, and physical exclusion where they're damaging foundations or hardscape.

Attics, soffits, and chimneys, especially in older neighborhoods with mature oaks (Palo Alto, Menlo Park, Willow Glen, Saratoga). Active during the day.

Loud chewing and scampering in the attic during daylight hours. Chewed eaves or soffit corners. Squirrels seen running along power lines or roof edges.

Sealing the entry hole during nesting season can trap babies inside, where they die in the wall. Squirrels also chew through standard screens in a single afternoon.

Inspection for nesting babies, one-way exit doors during the right season, then permanent sealing with heavy hardware cloth and chimney caps.

Lawns, vegetable beds, flower beds, and slopes throughout the Bay Area. They live underground their entire lives and almost never come to the surface.

Crescent or fan-shaped dirt mounds (different from the round mounds of moles). Plugged tunnel openings. Plants suddenly wilting or disappearing as roots get chewed off from below.

Smoke bombs, repellents, and store-bought baits almost never work because the gopher quickly seals off the part of the tunnel you treat. Flooding the burrow rarely reaches the deeper chambers.

We locate the active main run with a probe, set lethal cinch or box traps in pairs facing both directions, and follow up to confirm the colony is cleared. We also advise on root cages and raised-bed wire for long-term protection.

Paper wasps build umbrella-shaped nests on eaves, soffits, and patio covers. Yellowjackets nest in the ground, in wall voids, and inside attic vents. Bald-faced hornets build the large football-shaped gray nests in trees and on house corners.

Steady traffic of wasps in and out of one specific spot (a vent, a hole in the ground, or a corner of the eave). Visible paper nest. People getting stung in the same area of the yard.

Spraying a yellowjacket ground nest with a hose or store-bought aerosol almost always provokes the colony before it kills it. Burning a nest is a real fire hazard. Knocking down a paper nest in the daytime gets the swarm scattered, not eliminated.

We come out in the early morning or evening when the colony is calmest, treat the nest at the entrance with the right product, then physically remove it so the pheromone trail doesn't draw new wasps back to the same spot.