What's that Sound?

Ever heard strange noises in your home and thought, “Well, that’s unsettling”?

Those late-night scratches or mysterious scurrying sounds aren’t your imagination; they’re pests hiding in your walls.

As the days get colder, critters have the knack for turning your peaceful sanctuary into their winter getaway in search of warmth.

The good news is that identifying those noises is the first step to reclaiming your home. We’re here to help you decode the symphony of pest sounds and learn how to silence these tiny troublemakers for good.

Common Sounds You’ll Hear and What They Mean

Pests are surprisingly noisy roommates, each with their own distinct sounds.

Here’s what to listen for:

• Scratching in Walls or Ceilings: This is often the work of rodents like mice, rats, or even squirrels. They scratch while burrowing into insulation or scurrying between wall voids.
• Scurrying or Running Sounds: Fast-moving pests like rats or mice make these sounds as they dart around, especially at night. Squirrels are louder and often active during the day, making their movements easier to identify.
• Chirping or Squeaking: High-pitched chirps or squeaks are rodent chatter, often heard as they communicate or fight. Birds roosting in attics or vents might also chirp, especially in the early morning.
• Gnawing or Chewing: Rodents are relentless gnawers, often targeting wood, wires, or even plastic. The repetitive sound of chewing is a red flag for structural or fire hazards.
• Buzzing: Insects like wasps, bees, or flies generate buzzing as they move or get trapped. A persistent buzz near windows or light fixtures signals their presence.
• Flapping or Fluttering: This sound means there is a bird or bat trapped in the attic, chimney, or vents. Their wings create fluttering or flapping noises as they try to escape.
• Thumping or Thudding: Larger pests like raccoons or opossums make heavier sounds, like thuds or thumps, particularly in attics or crawl spaces, as they move around or drop something.
• Clicking or Tapping: Some insects, such as termites, produce faint clicking sounds as they chew through wood or communicate within their colonies. This is often hard to detect but becomes more apparent in severe infestations.

The Usual Suspects

1. Rodents (Mice, Rats, Voles)

Rodents are the masters of stealth, making their presence known through tell-tale noises. You might hear scratching in walls or ceilings as they move between nesting spots or scurrying sounds as they dart across floors. Gnawing is another giveaway as they chew on wood, wires, and even plastic to keep their ever-growing teeth in check.

Rodents are nocturnal and opportunistic. They seek warm, secluded areas to build nests, often using insulation, paper, or fabric. Their fondness for snacking leads them to chew into food packages, leaving contamination in their wake. Unfortunately, their gnawing habits pose serious risks, including potential electrical fires.

Common Sounds: Scratching, scurrying, and gnawing

2. Squirrels

Squirrels might seem harmless outside, but once inside, their noisy antics are hard to ignore. Thumping and scurrying sounds often signal their presence as they dash through attics or crawl spaces.

Since squirrels are excellent climbers, they often use tree branches to access roofs. From there, they exploit loose shingles or vents to gain entry. Inside, they build nests using leaves, twigs, and even insulation, creating both mess and damage.

Common Sounds: Thumping or scurrying, particularly in attics

3. Raccoons

Raccoons may look like cute little burglars, but their heavy thumping and occasional growling in attics or chimneys can quickly sour the charm. These trash pandas are infamous for tipping over bins and leaving trails of destruction.

As opportunistic scavengers, they are particularly active at night. They often enter homes through chimneys, vents, or open crawl spaces. Once inside, they tear up insulation and can carry diseases like rabies.

Common Sounds: Heavy thumping or growling, particularly at night

4. Bats

Bats have carried an aura of horror due to their association with vampires, but in reality, they’re more interested in shelter than scaring you. Their high-pitched squeaks and fluttering wings are common in attics or behind walls.

These winged rodents roost in dark, undisturbed spaces during the colder months. While they play a beneficial role in the ecosystem by eating insects, their droppings can pose health risks and create a strong odour.

Common Sounds: High-pitched squeaks or fluttering wings

5. Insects (Spiders, Roaches, Cluster Flies)

Insects may not make as much noise as larger pests, but their presence is no less intrusive. Buzzing flies, faint tapping from cockroaches, or scratching from spiders in dark corners are subtle but telling signs.

Spiders weave webs in quiet spaces, cockroaches scuttle around damp areas, and cluster flies group near warm windows. These insects often thrive in winter, seeking warmth and food indoors.

Common Sounds: Buzzing, tapping, or faint scratching.

When to DIY and When to Buzz the Boss

When pests invade your space, the first instinct might be to tackle the problem yourself. And while DIY pest control methods work for smaller infestations, they often fall short of long-term solutions.

DIY Methods for Pest Control

• Traps and Baits: Effective for small infestations but can miss hidden nests or breeding sites. Plus, resetting traps gets tiresome.
• Repellents: Natural solutions like peppermint oil or vinegar sprays work temporarily but rarely deter determined pests.
• Sealing Entry Points: While caulking and steel wool help, identifying every tiny gap is challenging, especially for larger infestations.
• Glue Traps: While they can catch pests like rodents or insects, they don’t address the source of the problem and can be inhumane.
• Ultrasonic Repellents: Devices emitting high-frequency sounds promise to drive pests away but often lack scientific backing for effectiveness.
• Diatomaceous Earth: Useful for controlling crawling insects, but it requires precise application and loses effectiveness in damp areas.
• DIY Poison Baits: Risky if you have pets or children, and poisoned pests can die in hidden spaces, leading to unpleasant odours.
• Home Remedies: Common suggestions like baking soda for cockroaches or mothballs for rodents rarely deliver significant results, especially for severe infestations.

When to Call the Pros

• Recurring Infestations: If pests keep reappearing despite traps, repellents, or sealing efforts, it’s a sign of a deeper, hidden problem that needs professional intervention.
• Property Damage: Chewed wires, gnawed furniture, shredded insulation, or visible nests are red flags that pests are causing costly damage behind the scenes.
• Health Risks: Pests like rodents, cockroaches, and bed bugs can spread allergens, and diseases, or cause bites. If you notice unusual symptoms, like respiratory issues or rashes, it’s time to act.
• Noises You Can’t Identify: Persistent scratching, scurrying, or squeaking noises in walls or ceilings suggest an infestation that’s larger than you can handle alone.
• Large-Scale Infestations: When you find droppings in multiple areas or spot pests during daylight hours, you may be dealing with a population too extensive for DIY solutions.
• Ineffective DIY Efforts: If traps remain empty or repellents fail to deter pests, it’s a sign the issue requires advanced techniques and tools.
• Preventive Maintenance: For businesses or homes prone to pest issues, hiring professionals ensures long-term prevention, saving you from repeated infestations.

Silencing the Sounds for Your Peace of Mind!

Pests and their sounds don’t stand a chance when you’re armed with the right solutions. Whether it’s sealing your home’s entry points with expert pest exclusion services or safely removing uninvited wildlife like raccoons and squirrels, Buzz Boss has you covered.

Our humane trapping methods and long-term prevention strategies ensure your home stays safe and pest-free all year round.

Ready to enjoy the peace and quiet of a pest-free space? Get a free estimate today! Buzz Boss proudly serves Calgary, Edmonton, Red Deer, Regina, Saskatoon, Winnipeg, and the Okanagan region.