Protect Your Home From Wildlife and Rodent Damage

Removing a mouse, bat, squirrel, bird, or other unwanted animal solves only part of the problem. If the opening it used remains accessible, the same pest or another one may get back inside. Dominion Pest Control provides professional pest and wildlife exclusion services that locate and close potential entry points around homes and businesses.

Our team serves properties throughout Berks, Chester, Cumberland, Dauphin, Lancaster, Lebanon, and York Counties. The region’s mix of farmland, wooded properties, waterways, older homes, barns, and expanding suburban development creates frequent contact between buildings and wildlife. 

Cold Pennsylvania winters can also drive rodents, bats, squirrels, and other animals to seek protected spaces inside attics, walls, basements, garages, and crawlspaces. Raccoons use their powerful paws to tear off shingles, destroy soffits, rip up fascia boards, and bend chimney caps just to force an opening into your attic. Skunks and groundhogs can undermine your foundation: They dig massive, deep tunnels directly underneath your concrete slabs, front porches, decks, and sheds. Over time, this constant displacement of dirt hollows out the ground below, causing walkways to crack, decks to sag, and structures to structurally shift or collapse.

We inspect each structure, identify vulnerable entry points, and recommend exclusion materials or repairs suited to the pest, opening, and building type.

Do I Need Exclusion Work? Signs You’ve Got Too Many Pests Inside

• Scratching, scurrying, or fluttering in walls, ceilings, or the attic
• Droppings, nesting material, feathers, or animal odors
• Chewed wiring, drywall, insulation, boxes, or stored belongings
• Gaps around utility lines, pipes, vents, doors, or the foundation
• Loose screens, damaged soffits, deteriorated fascia, or unsecured attic vents
• Repeat mouse, rat, bat, bird, or squirrel activity after removal or treatment
• Daylight visible through parts of an attic, crawlspace, garage, or basement

Do not seal an opening if an animal may still be inside. Closing the wrong entry point at the wrong time can trap wildlife within the structure. Trapping an animal inside a structure causes immense panic, leading it to destructively chew through drywall, wiring, and insulation to escape. If it cannot break free, it will starve and die within the walls, creating a biohazard. The resulting decay produces an intense, lingering odor and attracts secondary pests like flies, maggots, and fleas. Removing the carcass often requires cutting into walls or ceilings, resulting in costly structural repairs, professional sanitation, and potential fire or health hazards from damaged wiring and bacteria.

Rodent Exclusion for Mice and Rats

Mice and rats can enter through small structural gaps and then travel through wall voids, basements, crawlspaces, garages, and attics. Sealing visible holes without identifying the full travel pattern may simply redirect activity to another part of your home or building.

Dominion can coordinate exclusion with professional mouse control or rat control. This combined approach addresses active rodents while reducing the chance that more will enter through accessible gaps.

Wildlife Exclusion for Bats, Birds, Squirrels, and Other Animals

Wildlife commonly uses rooflines, attic vents, soffits, fascia, siding gaps, chimneys, and other protected openings for shelter. Dominion’s wildlife removal services address nuisance animals such as bats, birds, squirrels, raccoons, and other species found around Pennsylvania properties.

Wildlife exclusion must be planned around the species and season. For example, a one-way device may allow bats to leave without returning, but work must be timed so young bats are not trapped inside. 

Unlawful bat exclusions in Pennsylvania carry severe legal, ecological, and financial risks. Performing a DIY exclusion during the state’s restricted maternity window (May 15 to August 1) traps flightless pups inside, violating Title 34 of the PA Game Code and federal endangered species protection laws. Inadvertently harming or killing protected species like the Indiana or Northern Long-Eared Bat can trigger heavy state and federal fines. Also, trapping bats can force them into living spaces out of desperation, creating critical public health and rabies exposure liabilities.

These complications make calling a licensed professional essential. Our technicians know Pennsylvania Game Commission regulations, understand species-specific maternity timing, and use approved non-lethal equipment to clear bats legally. Hiring a professional protects homeowners from potential law enforcement penalties, health risks, and costly property damage caused by trapped wildlife.

Dominion checks for animal activity before closing access points and follows applicable wildlife regulations. 

Our Exclusion Process

1. Inspect the Building

We look for pest activity, travel routes, nesting areas, exterior openings, and structural conditions that may allow access.

2. Identify the Pest and Active Entry Points

The right exclusion plan depends on what is entering the building. A mouse, rat, bat, squirrel, or bird may use different openings and require a different strategy.

3. Address Active Pest or Wildlife Activity

When animals are already inside, removal or pest control generally comes before final sealing. Dominion will recommend the appropriate pest control service or wildlife approach.

4. Complete or Recommend Exclusion Work

We close appropriate openings with materials selected for the location and the type of pest pressure. If an area requires work outside the agreed scope, we will explain the recommended next step.

5. Evaluate Contamination or Insulation Damage

Pests can leave droppings, urine, nesting debris, odors, or damaged insulation behind. Dominion may recommend fecal remediation and attic sanitization or TAP® Pest Control Insulation when conditions warrant it.

Why Exclusion Matters

Exclusion can help reduce repeat pest and wildlife entry, protect insulation, wiring, ductwork, and stored belongings, limit new droppings and nesting debris, and make pest-control and monitoring efforts more effective. By addressing hidden openings before seasonal pest pressure increases, it provides a longer-term solution than repeatedly removing individual animals. However, exclusion does not repair existing damage or guarantee that pests will never enter again. Regular inspections and property maintenance may still be needed, especially near woods, fields, waterways, and other wildlife habitats. 

Exclusion and Wildlife Repelling Services

Physical exclusion addresses the openings animals use to enter a building. Dominion may also recommend wildlife-repelling services to make areas around the property less inviting to certain nuisance animals. These options can complement exclusion, habitat changes, and ongoing monitoring, but they do not replace removing animals already inside or closing accessible entry points.

Learn more about Dominion’s wildlife-repelling and other new pest-control services.

After the Pests Are Out, Address What They Left Behind

If rodents, bats, birds, raccoons, or squirrels have contaminated an attic or other enclosed space, sealing the entry point is only one part of restoring the area. Dominion also provides fecal remediation and attic sanitization to remove accessible waste and treat affected surfaces. If attic insulation is soiled, damaged, or inadequate, ask whether TAP® Pest Control Insulation is appropriate for your property.

Why Choose Dominion Pest Control?

• Local knowledge of the pests and wildlife found throughout Central and Southeast Pennsylvania
• Pest control, wildlife services, exclusion, cleanup, and insulation options coordinated through one company
• A prevention-focused approach tailored to the animal and structure
• Humane wildlife-control methods when appropriate
• Service for both residential and commercial properties
• Clear recommendations based on the findings of an on-site inspection

Frequently Asked Questions About Pest Exclusion

Is exclusion the same as pest control or wildlife removal?

No. Pest control or wildlife removal addresses animals that are currently in or around the structure. Exclusion closes appropriate entry points to help prevent them from returning. Many properties need both services.

Can I seal a hole if I hear an animal in the wall or attic?

It is better to have the activity inspected first. Sealing an opening while an animal or its young remain inside can create a larger problem and may cause the animal to seek another way into the living space.

What areas of a home commonly need exclusion work?

Common problem areas include gaps around foundations and utility lines, garage doors, crawlspace vents, attic vents, soffits, fascia, roof intersections, siding, and openings around pipes or cables.

Does exclusion permanently guarantee that pests will never enter?

No service can prevent every possible future entry. Buildings change, materials deteriorate, and new damage can create additional openings. Professional exclusion reduces accessible entry points and can be paired with monitoring and routine maintenance.

What happens if pests have contaminated my attic?

Dominion can evaluate the affected area and recommend fecal remediation and attic sanitization. If the insulation has been damaged or replacement is appropriate, TAP® Pest Control Insulation may also be considered.