Protect Your Home from Furry & Feathered Freeloaders

Throughout the fall, maybe you heard the occasional bump or scurry in your attic. As November faded into December and the cold settled in, those noises faded too — along with your concern.

A nice, quiet winter. A nice, quiet home. 

You settle into the peace. Maybe even take comfort in it. But then January rolls around, and suddenly, you start hearing a familiar sound: 

Thump. Thump. Thump.

That’s when it hits you: whatever was up there in the fall didn’t simply vanish with the season. 

Whether you’re a first-time homeowner or a veteran one, few things feel more overwhelming than discovering a wild animal has taken up residence in your living space. But what’s even more overwhelming is being caught off guard, especially after months of assuming the problem had resolved itself.

For many nuisance wildlife species, like raccoons, skunks, and some squirrels, breeding picks up in mid to late winter. Others, like bats and certain squirrels, follow different cycles, but the homeowner experience is similar: winter quiet gives way to renewed commotion.

That means the noises you’re hearing might signal more than just one persistent visitor… there may soon be more of them.

Why now?

As mentioned, mid to late winter typically marks the beginning of the breeding season for many nonhuman inhabitants of human homes. 

In the fall, critters like raccoons and squirrels scout for a place to hunker down and escape the cold. They don’t truly hibernate, but raccoons may slip into short periods of winter torpor during severe cold, and squirrels prefer to remain den-bound with storms. Both species drastically reduce their movement, which is why activity seems to drop off before “love is in the air.”

Once that period ends, they need to replenish. That’s when they wake up, stretch, and head back out in search of food and water, often stirring up activity in your attic once again.

But that’s only the beginning.

Here’s the homeowner timeline most people don’t realize they’re experiencing:

• Fall: In the fall, animals test entry points and build dens, often creating the first wave of noticeable noise
• Early winter: Activity drops, and homeowners assume the animals left
• Midwinter: Breeding begins, bringing new bursts of movement
• Spring: Young are born, and a second, much louder wave of activity follows as juveniles become mobile

Breeding timelines vary by region, but the pattern is the same nationwide: winter quiet followed by renewed activity and, often, newborns. What seems like “the same raccoon again” is often a family growing in number — and noise.

Other pests and wildlife behave similarly. Their breeding seasons typically stretch from late winter through early summer, but variable winter weather can shift these timelines significantly.

How mild winters change everything

Milder winters tend to increase the survival and activity of many pest and wildlife species. Warmer temperatures mean:

• More survivors: Fewer adults — and fewer juveniles or overwintering eggs or larvae, depending on species — die from extreme cold.
• Earlier breeding: Warmer days can trigger earlier emergence from hibernation or dormancy. Rodents and insects may expand to multiple breeding cycles, whereas larger mammals like raccoons and squirrels stick to their usual cycles, but they become active earlier and survive at higher rates.
• Disrupted rhythms: A warm spell followed by a sudden deep freeze can cause some animals to emerge early, only to be hit with cold they’re not prepared for. Insects may die, young birds may hatch before their food sources appear, and entire food chains can be thrown off balance. Regardless, they’re out, and they’re out early.

Good for the animals? Usually. Good for homeowners? Absolutely not.

And harsh winters? They have their own effect

A brutal winter doesn’t always solve the problem. It depends on the details.

• Snow can insulate overwintering ticks and insect life stages, helping them survive lethal cold
• Extreme cold without snow can reduce populations dramatically
• Long stretches of cold often delay breeding seasons, giving animals less time while also pushing them indoors more often as they seek warmth

Deer mice, for example, slow outdoor breeding but continue reproducing non-stop inside heated homes. House mice and rats will also breed constantly no matter the season.

What can you do?

Fortunately, pests and wildlife in your home are entirely preventable.

Exclusion products prevent necessary openings in your home from becoming convenient entry points. Various screens and guards can seal spaces like chimneys and vents without restricting airflow.

At HY-C, we manufacture nuisance and wildlife control products under our HY-GUARD EXCLUSION brand name. As a proud partner of the National Wildlife Control Operators Association (NWCOA) and the National Pest Management Association (NPMA), we’re committed to supporting technicians as they support homeowners.

Discover HY-C’s Nuisance & Wildlife Control Products

​​The advantage of exclusion products over traditional pest control is simple: they address the root cause before it becomes a problem.

But what if the furry or feathered freeloaders have already moved in?

If you place exclusion products on your home while animals are inside, they’ll still do their job — just maybe a little too well. It’s a common mistake: homeowners hear activity, panic, and immediately try to block it off, not realizing they may be trapping animals instead of keeping them out.

The outcome is… gruesome. And very, very smelly.

To avoid a moral (and olfactory) crisis, it’s essential to call in a wildlife or pest professional. They’ll know exactly what strategy to use, whether it’s installing one-way doors at the entrances, setting traps, or timing the removal safely around breeding cycles.

Because in the battle between you and your unexpected upstairs roommate, prevention is both peace of mind and population control.