The Twin Cities area in Minnesota is home to various critters, including raccoons, squirrels, and birds, which often find roofs attractive. Protecting your roof from these critters is essential to avoiding costly repairs from chewing through roofing materials, creating entry points, and building nests.
Why let critters compromise the integrity of your home? Effective critter protection measures can include installing mesh, sealing gaps, and using repellents to keep animals at bay. Read on to discover expert tips on critter protection for roofs in Minnesota.
Key Takeaways
- Regular maintenance, such as trimming overhanging branches and sealing entry points, is essential to keeping critters off your roof.
- The warmth, shelter, and nesting materials provided by St. Paul roofs make them attractive to wildlife, especially during harsh winters.
- Early detection signs such as droppings, damaged vents, and scratching noises can help homeowners identify critter infestations quickly.
- Roofers collaborate with pest control experts to seal gaps, repair damage, and update attic insulation, enhancing your home’s protection against critters.
How to Protect Your St. Paul Roof From Critters
Krech Exteriors offers six ways to protect your St. Paul roofs from critters.
Trim Nearby Trees
Nearby trees and tree limbs offer easy access for critters who can leap from branches to your roof. Minnesota’s abundant trees make this a crucial step to address.
To reduce the attraction for critters, cut back branches that overhang or touch the roof. Then follow these steps:
- Distance: Keep tree branches at least 6-8 feet from the roof.
- Regular Maintenance: Trim trees annually and fit lids to garbage cans properly.
- Professional Help: Consider hiring a tree service for large trees.
Seal Potential Entry Points
Sealing entry points is crucial because critters can squeeze through small gaps or holes. These entry points often exist in areas near wood siding, solar panels, shingles, or vents.
To prevent an animal infestation, crucial actions include:
- Common Entry Points: Gaps in wood siding, damaged shingles, vents, and eaves.
- Materials: Use metal mesh, caulking, or expanding foam.
- Process: Check and reseal shingles and apply caulk around windows and doors.
Install Gutter Guards
Gutters can serve as pathways for critters, especially when clogged with debris. Keeping gutters clear and installing guards can help. Installing gutter guards prevents access and maintains cleanliness.
Consider this actionable advice:
- Types: Mesh gutter guards or solid cover guards.
- Benefits: Keeps gutters clear of leaves and prevents critters from nesting.
- Installation: Attach directly to existing gutters; consider professional installation for complex systems.
Consider Critter-Proof Vents
Roof and ridge vents can be entry points for small animals that create nests, such as bats and birds. Consider this practical advice when using vent covers:
- Types: Metal mesh roof vent guards, stainless steel covers.
- Benefits: Prevents entry while maintaining airflow.
- Installation: Secure vents with screws; check periodically for damage.
Regular Inspections
Routine roof inspections help catch potential issues before they lead to serious animal damage. So, regular inspections should be performed to identify signs of critter activity.
Here are actions to take as most damage goes undetected:
- Frequency: Inspect once every season.
- Areas to Check: Roof shingles, siding materials, attic, insulation.
- Signs: Look for droppings, gnaw marks, or nests.
Humane Critter Removal
When critters have already entered your roof space, humane removal is essential. This step ensures the safety of both animals and residents.
Hiring professionals for humane removal avoids harm. Here’s how it’s done:
- Methods: Live traps, relocation.
- Professionals: Contact licensed pest control.
- Aftercare: Seal entry points to prevent re-entry and clean affected areas thoroughly.
Why Critters Target St. Paul Roofs
Various factors draw wild animals and nuisance wildlife to find shelter in and around homes.
Warmth and Shelter
Animals love seeking warmth and secure spots, especially in areas with harsh winters like Minnesota. To survive and thrive, they seek shelter under roofs because of reasons like:
- Protection from cold weather: Roofs protect against harsh winds and freezing temperatures.
- Safe from predators: Height and inaccessibility of roofs keep many predators at bay from bird nests.
- Dry and insulated spaces: Attics and crawl spaces beneath roofs can offer dry and insulated environments.
Nesting Materials
Critters also target roofs for the ample nesting and other materials found there. These resources are particularly attractive to small animals during the breeding season:
- Insulation fibers: Soft and plentiful, perfect for nest lining.
- Wood fragments: Chewed up into fine pieces ideal for supporting structures.
- Shingles and leaves: Provide cover and a sturdy yet malleable building material.
Food Source
Roofs and attics can sometimes hide food sources that attract hungry wildlife. To critters seeking easy meals, a steady food supply and resources can be inviting:
- Insect populations: Carpenter ants and carpenter bees in roof spaces and eaves.
- Stored food items: Unsecured items in attics can attract assorted wildlife.
- Trash remnants: Any garbage or remnants can be a consistent food supply for critters.
Signs of Critter Activity in Your St. Paul Roof
As homeowners, you should look for signs of critter activity and damage to your home and roofs.
Knowing the Critters
It’s essential to recognize the different animals that might invade your roof. Each critter has unique traits and behaviors that can help you identify its presence quickly.
Different critters that invade roofs include:
- Squirrels: Known for gnawing on wood and wires.
- Raccoons: Often rip up shingles and insulation.
- Squirrels, Mice, and Rats: Leave droppings and chew through materials.
- Bats: Found nesting in attics, leaving guano behind.
- Birds: Build nests in gutters and attic vents.
Identifying Critter Presence
Certain telltale signs indicate that critters might have made a home on your roof. It’s important to spot these signs early to prevent further damage.
Signs of critter presence:
| Signs | Description |
| Droppings | Found around attic or roof area, varies by animal size. |
| Damaged vents | Attic vent screens torn or displaced to gain access. |
| Scratching noises | Heard from the roof or walls, especially at night. |
| Gnawed materials | Chewed wood, wires, or other structures. |
| Nests | Birds or rodents’ nests made of twigs and debris. |
| Footprints | Tracks or footprints in dust or insulation. |
How Professional Roofers Can Help You
Professional roofers in the Twin Cities of Minnesota offer specialized services that protect your property from critter infestations.
Critical services provided by roofers include:
- Pest Control Integration: Collaboration with pest control experts to implement preventive measures.
- Seal Gaps: Using durable materials to seal entry points.
- Repair Damage: Fixing shingles, vents, and other areas where critters have caused roof problems.
- Attic Restoration and Protection: Installing barriers and updating attic insulation to deter critters.
These steps are essential to creating a strong barrier against critter intrusion, ensuring that unwanted pests don’t disrupt your day-to-day life.
When to Call a Professional Roofing Contractor
As homeowners, you may sometimes struggle with critter infestations on your roofs. If you spot extensive damage and mold growth caused by critters like raccoons or squirrels, the best option is to let the experts handle it for peace of mind and proper protection.
Protect your home with Krech Exteriors. We specialize in roofing solutions that safeguard against wildlife damage, enhancing your home’s durability and security. Our team is ready to fortify your roof against unwanted guests alongside our expert window and siding services.
Call us at (651) 688-6368 or complete our online form to get a free estimate and start securing your house.
