The initial call to the property was for the neutralization of a dead animal carcass found inside of the HVAC system on the roof of the commercial building in North Etobicoke. The customer was aware of a smell permeating through the vents and hired our company to have the animal removed or the smell neutralized.
The visit is located in Highfield in North Etobicoke. Wood bine casino is a short trip from the location. Highfield was a post office village at the intersection of what is now Rexdale Boulevard and Highway 27, maps of the area of Etobicoke in 1878, published in the York County Atlas. On the southwest corner wasHighfieldPost Office which opened July 1, 1866, and closed November 12, 1913. This made the area important to smaller local towns as a post office was a very important structure and the only way to communicate long distances. This led to the industrialization of the area later in the 20th century.
Exterior Inspection
The initial inspection of the roof of the building found large openings in the mesh cover of the intake vent for the HVAC system. There were multiple HVAC units on the roof and were all inspected for animal activity. While no carcass was found the area was sterilized and deodorized effectively and the smell was eliminated. The customer also felt that a squirrel and possibly mice had entered the accessible HVAC system on the roof and were living in the building. The damage to the HVAC vents was apparent and after an inspection, it was found the rodents, possibly rats were present in the building. These vents would have to be excluded to prevent rodents and wildlife from entering the building. Exterior bait stations will be needed on the front ride side of the building to deal with exterior rats as that is a very highly active area and must be treated to ensure the interior treatment is effective.
Damage to the roof HVAC system caused by squirrels trying to enter the ventilation system for protection and to nest. While it was not baby season the presence of immobile squirrel babies would have made this removal very difficult.Further damage to the HVAC system caused by squirrels can also allow other rodents and animals to enter. Had these areas not been sealed they could have led to an infestation of anything from mice to carpenter ants to a wasps nest deep inside a vast ventilation system.This cover was torn entirely off by a squirrel. Many people do not realize what a squirrel can do physically to a vent cover like this, imagine what it could do to your home attic.The various entryways demonstrate how severe an animal occupancy can be. with every single ventilation point accessed and destroyed the building is open to invasion from anything.The number of squirrels that invaded was unknown. While smells were frequent sounds were not. Taking the precaution of attaching one-way doors to every unit was necessary to get the squirrel out without letting it get back in.
Interior Inspection
The interior inspection for the building found rodent activity in the walls, in the ceilings of the building, and in the vents. Tamper-proof bait stations were placed in areas of high activity to control and exterminate the rodent issue. Feces was found inside of the ceilings and in other places denoting an ongoing rodent issue.
A hole was found through the ceiling into the office space that could be accessed by the squirrel. This could have been a disaster as all work would have been halted and for the safety of the staff the building would have to be vacated, while raccoons and large animals can be snarred, squirrels cannot be. The only way to remove them is with a one-way door.
Animal feces is an obvious sign an animal is in your building. the feces is not only an alert to the issue but also a dangerous hazard. While squirrel feces is dangerous, raccoon feces is deadly. Stay away from any and all animal feces.
Initial Measures
The initial measures taken by the technician included baiting the exterior of the building with large weighted tamper–proof bait stations containing commercial-grade rodenticide which is an anti–coagulant poison that causes the rats to feel sick and to return to their underground burrows and die from dehydration. The interior of the building also needed to be treated for rats and other possible rodents. Tamper-proof bait stations containing commercial-grade rodenticide were arranged in areas of high activity to ensure the control and extermination of rodents on the interior.
Proposed Exclusion
The proposed exclusion by the technician was to seal off, using waterproof galvanized steel mesh, the ventilation points of the HVAC system in the building. These ventilation points are located on the roof and have been damaged repeatedly by both rodents and wild animals. The exclusion was done using galvanized steel mesh to prevent animal entry and a series of nine squirrel-sized one-way doors were installed on the ventilation points to allow wildlife to leave while preventing them from getting back into the HVAC system.
A raccoon one-way door, as well as a squirrel one-way door, was attached to the now excluded HVAC system on the roof. Galvanized steel mesh was used to seal off the entry.
Nine one-way squirrel doors were attached to the galvanized steel mesh exclusion of the HVAC units in total in order to guarantee the squirrel removal.Another squirrel door was used to allow the animal to exit
Conclusion
In conclusion, the dead animal visit revealed a number of openings that could allow wild animals and rodents into the commercial building. This was resolved by treating the exterior rodent issue as well as the interior rodent issue. By excluding and sealing off the HVAC roof ventilation points the rodents and wildlife like squirrels will have a far more difficult time getting into the building. After the animalshad vacated and rodents were gone the one-way doors were taken down.
The nine one-way doors used to resolve the squirrel occupation of the HVAC system were taken down and the customers have not heard or smelled anything since.
