Spring seems like the season of love, but canoodling comes earlier for a handful of furry critters prominent on the south coast of B.C.

Squirrels, raccoons and skunks are all looking for love, which means a bunch of noise, followed by nesting.

Mating season is February through March so all three species are on the hunt for a mate. Squirrels in particular get real chatty, says Trine From, Fraser Valley branch manager for pest control company Orkin Canada.

The females send out a pheromone that brings all the boys to the yard, and itsa国际传媒檒l draw them from kilometres away, From said.

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Then the males compete for the female attention. The chittering can get noisy.

While desire to mate brings them out, the next phase sa国际传媒� nesting sa国际传媒� is where pest control comes in.

sa国际传媒淥nce mating season is over they disperse,sa国际传媒� From said. sa国际传媒淪ame for raccoons, Isa国际传媒檝e even seen them in my yard digging up my entire yard, same with the skunks.sa国际传媒�

Theysa国际传媒檙e looking for a place to have their young, and once they get in itsa国际传媒檚 noisy, messy and stinky.

None of the species are great tenants, From said.

sa国际传媒淥nce theysa国际传媒檙e in there and having their babies, we cansa国际传媒檛 get them back out again until the babies are strong enough or have gone,sa国际传媒� she said.

When pressed, shesa国际传媒檇 say the squirrels are the worst. Any of them will get into an attic, or under a shed, but squirrels can get into tiny spaces or even set up house in a chimney.

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Once inside they make a stink and a mess and residents will hear them fighting and chewing on things.

Pest control cansa国际传媒檛 remove them until the young are grown enough or gone. They can remove the critters if they pose a danger to humans.

Once removed, theysa国际传媒檙e relocated.

sa国际传媒淚tsa国际传媒檚 in our best interest to release them on the property we get them from. In the environment theysa国际传媒檙e familiar with,sa国际传媒� From said. If itsa国际传媒檚 a raccoon deemed vicious or a skunk that keeps spraying, theysa国际传媒檒l venture out 10 kilometres to release the animal.

Trapping can involve a one-way door installed where they gained entry, so the critters can leave but cansa国际传媒檛 get back into their makeshift den. There are other live traps used, with skunks getting their own special setup.

sa国际传媒淵ou have to use special traps to capture them, because if you catch them in a regular say raccoon trap then a skunk is going to lift its tail and release those glands,sa国际传媒� From said, noting technicians have been nailed in the past. sa国际传媒淭heysa国际传媒檙e cute but they stink.sa国际传媒�

Residents can try and avoid the situation altogether by sa国际传媒渆xcludingsa国际传媒� wildlife.

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sa国际传媒淎nywhere theresa国际传媒檚 shelter and itsa国际传媒檚 vaguely warm theysa国际传媒檙e going to get in there,sa国际传媒� From said, suggesting any hole larger than a dime should be sealed to eliminate mice and more.

The first line of defence is sealing every hole, but not using spray foam.

sa国际传媒淎ny pest that want to get into your home or shed will just chew through that spray foam and use it as nesting material.sa国际传媒�

Similarly, simply sealing a hole under a shed wonsa国际传媒檛 work.

sa国际传媒淚f you have a shed and the raccoons are under there, once you know for sure theysa国际传媒檙e gone, just sealing the hole they made isnsa国际传媒檛 going to help you,sa国际传媒� the Orkin official explained. sa国际传媒淭heysa国际传媒檒l just dig under.sa国际传媒�

To remedy it, dig down two feet and install wire fencing around the perimeter.

From recommends a similar solution for beavers sa国际传媒� except above ground. Orkin is called frequently for beavers taking down trees and the solution in that case is four feet of half-inch or quarter-inch mesh around the base of the trees.

sa国际传媒淭hatsa国际传媒檚 something we offer, or if people want (they can) do it themselves,sa国际传媒� she said.

As El Nino winter brings some unseasonably warm weather, From also reminds residents to use screen doors.

Raccoons in particular will just waltz right through an open door.