Wildlife Removal on Long Island

You have wildlife nesting on your Long Island property if you hear thumping or scratching in the attic or ceiling at night, smell strong skunk or urine odor near a deck or shed, see torn soffit corners or a hole in a gable vent, or find scat piles under a shed or in an attic corner. Suffolk County wooded lots and Nassau County properties near preserves and parks see the highest activity, particularly with squirrels, raccoons, opossums, and skunks. Chimney interior activity is common in older Nassau homes without caps. Any suspected nesting animal should be inspected quickly, since a mother with young can cause serious insulation and wiring damage in weeks.

Bobby Bugs handles wildlife on Long Island in two very different ways: full removal when animals are nesting inside the structure, and a 10-day trapping program for exterior-area problems. Nesting removal jobs carry a 6-month written guarantee; the 10-day exterior trapping program has no guarantee.

1. 1Free phone triage confirming likely species and whether the animal is inside the structure.
2. 2On-site inspection: attic, chimney, soffit corners, decks, and sheds.
3. 3For in-structure jobs: trapping, removal, and sealing openings with wire mesh.
4. 4For exterior jobs: a 10-day trapping program with checks and adjustments throughout.
5. 5Handling in compliance with New York State wildlife regulations.
6. 6Written 6-month guarantee on in-structure jobs.

Most Long Island wildlife jobs are functionally complete in 5 to 14 days. Trapping catches the target animal in the first several days in the majority of cases, followed by sealing on the same visit or a scheduled return. Very cautious animals or mothers with young can push the timeline out. The 6-month written guarantee on in-structure jobs covers reentry through the sealed openings during that window.

To keep squirrels and raccoons out of a Long Island house, cut off the routes and the reasons. Penn State recommends trimming tree branches back 6 to 8 feet from the roof, since that's the bridge squirrels use, and closing the entries they exploit: loose siding, unscreened vents, chewed fascia and gaps at the roofline, all repaired with hardware cloth or metal, with a cap on the chimney. For raccoons, NYSDEC's advice starts with food: don't leave pet food outside, feed pets only what they finish, and keep garbage in metal cans with the lids strapped down, ideally up off the ground. Seal openings to attics and porches, but not while animals are inside. NYSDEC's advice for raccoons is to put a temporary cover over the opening while the animals are out foraging at night, sprinkle flour, grass or twigs in the opening to check for tracks, and seal it permanently only once you are sure every animal is out. In spring, look and listen for young first. Squirrels have litters in spring and again in late summer, so the same rule applies to them. A sealed entry with a mother locked out and babies inside is the worst outcome for everyone, which is why we confirm the attic is empty before we close it.

• Dix Hills

  Tree canopy touching the roofline on nearly every wooded lot.

• East Meadow

  Streets bordering Eisenhower Park's 900-plus acres of woods and ponds.

• Rockville Centre

  Homes along Hempstead Lake State Park and the Mill River.

• Oceanside

  Raccoons and opossums from the marsh edges and the Marine Nature Study Area.

• Valley Stream

  Homes backing Valley Stream State Park and the brook corridor.

• Islip

  Homes along the Seatuck National Wildlife Refuge.

• Setauket

  Yards on Frank Melville Park and the Patriot's Hollow forest.

• East Hampton

  Seasonal houses that sit closed all winter with woods and privet on every side.

• Visit our full services list.
• See every area we serve across Nassau, Suffolk, Queens, and The Bronx.
• See our rat extermination page.
• See our bird nest removal page.

Wildlife removal cost on Long Island depends on the animal, how many entry points it uses, and how much sealing the structure needs. A single opossum under a Hempstead deck is a short trapping job; squirrels in a colonial attic usually mean a week of trapping plus finding every roofline gap, and that is the real cost driver because trapping without sealing just resets the problem. Raccoons and skunks each need different setups. Bobby Bugs gives you a free written quote before any work begins, and the number on the invoice matches the quote. Nesting removal jobs include the 6-month written guarantee; the 10-day exterior trapping program has no guarantee.