Critters keep trapper busy as housing spreads to woodlands
As subdivisions continue to spread into rural areas, varmints like moles, mice and opossums that used to run wild in the pastures and woodlands are increasingly becoming unwanted houseguests.
Critter Control of Central Missouri, which opened in Columbia in June 2005, fills the void left by the inability of public animal control departments, conservation agencies and insect exterminators to meet all the needs of homeowners battling nuisance wildlife.
Peter Riney, Critter Control regional manager, has managed the local franchise since its inception and says growth has been steady.
“It’s seasonal with winter being slow, but we have definitely seen quite a bit of growth since starting the business,” Riney said.
Riney, who earned a degree in fisheries and wildlife sciences from the University of Missouri in 2004, was picked to run the local operation by franchise owner Gene Jezek, who also has a St. Louis-based franchise. Although Riney’s education and background helped prepare him for the job, he said extensive corporate training in trapping has been crucial to his success.
“I really had no experience in trapping,” he said. “I use several types of traps, depending on the animal. We use live traps and lethal traps both.”
Critter Control’s service area lies roughly within a 45-mile radius of Columbia and serves Moberly, Jefferson City, Fulton and Boonville.
“I can work up to an hour and half away from Columbia, but the fees are quite a bit higher and I won’t trap outside the 45-mile radius,” Riney explains.
Inspection fees start at $69 for a first-time home inspection for common pests, like mice or bats. For three-story homes or apartment complexes, the fee can be as high as $279.
“The bigger the building is, the longer it takes,” Riney said. “I inspect the full roof, gutters, attics, and vent openings.”
Although the most common pests in mid-Missouri are rodents, bats, squirrels and moles, Riney has seen his share of snakes, bees, opossums, raccoons and skunks. He works with both residential and business customers and he anticipates hiring additional operators within the next 12 to 24 months.
“There’s definitely no shortage of development and urban sprawl,” Riney said.
Riney’s most unusual experience came recently when he was called to a three-story apartment complex where the apartment residents and manager repeatedly heard what sounded “like a small dog” between the second and third floors. Most nuisance animals enter a dwelling from the exterior, but Riney could not find any signs of entry. He set his normal traps, re-inspected, but still no captured critter. Finally, Riney saw a dryer vent on an upper level and set up a ladder to investigate further. While climbing the ladder, Riney said a ferret poked his nose out of the vent.
Because the apartment complex did not allow pets, the ferret owner had not come forward when the ferret escaped.
“That ferret had been in there for three weeks, and because he came from inside the building there was no point of entry,” Riney said. The malnourished ferret was turned over to the Humane Society.
Riney says he works closely with both the Humane Society and the Missouri Conservation Department. Finding areas to relocate live-trapped animals has become increasingly challenging as development continues to encroach into rural areas.
Critter Control is a 20-year-old, Michigan-based national chain with more than 100 franchises throughout the country. Franchises are staffed primarily by degreed biologists, zoologists and wildlife specialists and also sell supplies, like traps, baits and lures, to brave homeowners who want to try their hand at pest removal.