Bugs And Weeds Suburbia Gone Wild: Dealing With Construction displaced animals These animals are looking for what they have always looked for, but since that environment has been disturbed, they are searching elsewhere. Unfortunately, elsewhere may be be your neighborhood!

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  While most of the rest of the country is experiencing a downturn in real estate market, and a downturn in new housing starts, the Tyler, East Texas area seems to be in a building boom! There is construction going on in almost every quadrant of the area. This is great for our local economy, but the former inhabitants don't always want to leave!

While working in some of these areas, many of which had been wooded areas, and pastures a short time ago, I noticed a few usually unsocial animals popping up in unusual places. This is pretty normal for construction on this scale. The coyotes are not the only things being displaced. There are also a lot of rodents, insects, and even snakes that have lost their place as well. It is only natural, that they begin to seek new places to live and forage for food. I wanted to provide a few hints and tips, on keeping them away from your home.

First of all, they are looking for what they have always looked for, but since that environment has been disturbed, they are searching elsewhere. Unfortunately, elsewhere may be be your neighborhood! What are they looking for? Food, water, and shelter. The same things that any animal seeks.

If you have a koi pond with a sheltering shade, they have, what looks to them, like paradise! If you feed your pets outdoors, and leave excess food around, that looks like Mcdonald's to them. If you have a pile of brush and debris, that is the Hilton. If all of this is cloaked by heavy vegetation, or brush, that makes good cover, and looks like nirvana.

1. Make it hard for them to get onto your property without being exposed. This can be done by removing brush and debris from the area. Doing this will also remove the habitat for the rodents that snakes and other predators call food, and lower the insect and weed population as well.

2. Don't leave food for them to steal. Dog and cat food will attract them. If you feed only the amount of pet food that your pets will eat at one time, they will have fewer reasons to want to enter your property.

3.Keep outbuildings closed, and underpinned.

4.Firewood stacks on a rack, a couple of feet off the ground should discourage snakes and rodents.

5. Drain any standing water. Make a permanent drain. This will make it harder for them to have a drink with any meal that they might find, like a neighborhood pet! This will also help to keep mosquitoes away.

6. Oh yeah, you should protect your pets with fencing, and proper shelter, because some of the critters out there, think that "Fluffy" looks like a a nice juicy steak!