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Termites are most active and cause the most damage during the spring and summer, as warm temperatures and increased moisture accelerate their activity. This is also when swarming typically occurs, allowing colonies to expand. However, termites remain active year-round, especially in warmer climates or heated homes. Once a colony is established, it can continue to damage wood 365 days a year, even during cold weather.

Although raccoons aren’t particularly picky regarding food, certain sounds, metals, and smells bother them. You can place these items around your home to keep raccoons away:

• Place wire mesh screens around and underneath decks and porches to prevent raccoons from nesting. 

• Put metal sheeting around the edges of your roof or at the base of trees to deter raccoons from coming close. 

• Place a loud battery-operated radio near the raccoon’s den to keep them from nesting.

• Keep a bowl of cider vinegar on your deck or porch.

• Remove old raccoon scents by thoroughly cleaning and disinfecting underneath porches and decks.

Using chemicals with harsh odors is a natural way to repel bears. While the animal’s strong sense of smell is an asset in the animal kingdom, it’s a weakness here. Simply place bleach or ammonia in a bucket and leave it outside day or night. Ironically, bears also dislike the smell of pine, so you can use pine oil or a pine-based cleaning agent. Avoid using cleaning products with fruit or citrus smells, however.

In general, mouse droppings can remain infectious for 2 to 3 days at room temperature. Through their urine and feces, rodents can spread harmful diseases to humans. Common infectious diseases include hantavirus, salmonellosis, leptospirosis, and LCM.

However, depending on the specific virus and environmental conditions, mouse droppings can carry viruses for shorter or longer periods of time. For example, Salmonella can survive in mouse droppings several days and even weeks.