It’s known that iguanas have become a significant problem for South Florida. Their presence has impacted homes, Businesses and many municipalities in a negative way. But iguanas are also affecting local schools throughout our region as well, this has raised concerns for staff members and children. These invasive reptiles have caused many problems for schools such as damages to structures due to iguanas digging burrows, loss of vegetation & fecal matter in common areas. We have seen first hand the negative impact that iguanas have caused in many public and private schools in South Florida. In this article we will share knowledge information about invasive iguanas, their behavior & solutions to keep schools safe.
How Iguanas Ended Up In Schools and Why Iguana Removal for Schools is imperative
Invasive Iguanas can start appearing in schools no matter how far schools are inland. These reptiles can travel through canals and can make their way into urban areas including schools. Iguanas were released as pets and have thrived due to our favorable climate since the 1960’s. Once these invasive reptiles find a location with food and water, they will establish themselves and multiply rapidly. Female iguanas can lay 20-70 eggs a year which can cause a rapid infestation. With few predators in urban areas, iguanas can reproduce and infest local areas. Since many schools have dense vegetation, these reptiles can easily camouflage making them difficult to locate. Also, it’s important to check new trees and plants that are being installed as they may bring unwanted guests, iguanas.
Health Risks Due To Iguana Feces
The fecal matter of iguanas is easy to distinguish since they typically defecate in the same areas. The problem is iguana feces is known to carry salmonella which can lead to health risks to staff members and students. Typically, iguanas defecate from trees while they feed on vegetation & while sunbathing making it a mess wherever it lands. This can become a nuisance especially when droppings become a constant occurrence around common areas such as playgrounds. It’s important to clean off and sanitize any areas that iguana feces have been present to avoid contamination. Also, the shedding of iguanas can bring on allergic reactions to humans that have allergies.
Iguana Burrows Can Cause Personal Injuries & Property Damages
During the breeding season, iguanas tend to dig burrows to lay their eggs. These burrows can be as long as 70’ with interconnecting tunnels. Iguana burrows with time can cause the terrain to soften which can lead to structural damage, irrigation damages, and plant damages. When the terrain is compromised, this can potentially cause bodily harm such as children twisting their ankles. This is common around the playground since many playgrounds are covered in mulch. Structures can also become damaged due to erosion within the burrows. We have seen sidewalks, Seawalls and roads damaged due to these occurrences. It’s important to take action once burrows are located to avoid these personal injuries.
Landscaping Damages
Schools around our region have seen a tremendous loss of vegetation causing thousands of dollars in replacements. Since iguanas are herbivores, they like to munch on tropical plants. Once these invasive reptiles have found a plant or tree they can feed on, they will typically return to the same plant which can cause the plant to suffer or die. Replacing these plants or trees can become costly for schools. Trees that have leaves or flowers that iguanas can eat could potentially cause limbs to dry out. When this occurs there’s a possibility for bodily harm to tree limbs or tree trunks falling. If your school already has plants and trees that iguanas eat, installing deterrents such as our clear plastic wrap can deter iguanas from climbing and destroying these vegetation’s. Also, when installing new plants or trees it’s essential to install vegetation that iguanas do not eat.
Falling Iguanas
During the colder months in South Florida iguanas tend to fall from trees. Once temperatures fall below 45° these reptiles become immobilized. Since they are cold blooded reptiles, they need warmth to survive. This can become a problem with schools that have iguanas. These invasive reptiles can grow up to 6’ long weighing up to 25 pounds. Falling iguanas can also cause damages to personal property such as cars or delicate objects around schools. Once the temperatures warm back up, these immobilized iguanas become active again. To keep children and staff safe, it’s important to take action on the removal of iguanas before any of these issues occur.
Close Contact With School Members
It’s important for us to communicate with school members such as the Maintenance crew. This will ultimately help us effectively control and remove any new iguanas from the property. Once we have discussed the areas affected with iguanas, we can begin to address these areas efficiently. If certain areas are being affected with iguana feces, we can install deterrents to avoid these occurrences. Also, many of the school’s maintenance crew will see new burrowing activity, this is important to discuss so we can locate and remove any new iguana eggs on site. By removing the iguanas from schools, this gives more time to school workers to focus on helping the school and not worry about iguana burrows or cleaning their feces.
Safe & Humane Iguana Removal For Schools
Removing iguanas around schools can be tricky since there are always activities going on. But our team of professional iguana control experts have designed strategic plans to effectively remove iguanas without affecting children or staff members during regular school hours. Trapping is a great way to effectively remove iguanas since they work 24/7, we use repeating traps so multiple iguanas can enter the trap. These traps can be hidden in places where children are not active. Also, these traps are safe in the occurrence that a child touches the trap it will not cause any injury. Pole snare is another humane pest control method we use to locate and effectively remove iguanas. The pole we use extends to 20’ making it ideal to remove iguanas off of bushes and roofs. We also offer night time iguana removal, this method works very well since iguanas sleep on bushes & trees at night. Iguanas can also be removed by using an air pellet rifle if authorized. Using a pellet rifle is legal and is recommended by the FWC, our team members are trained to make sure they implement this removal method safely. Since no children or staff are on site after hours, using a pellet rifle is a method we use that has shown very positive results and it is done humanely. Also, our team continuously searches for iguana burrows to remove any potential iguana eggs that may have been laid.
Humane Iguana Control
Safety is our priority especially for children, staff & personal property for any job that we are contracted to do. Keeping everyone safe while we provide iguana removal services is our guarantee. All of our iguana control experts are trained and updated with every new property we service to assess any new problems. Also, we follow all local laws and guidelines to ensure our work is done in a humane manner. Our company is fully licensed and insured to bring reassurance and peace of mind to our customers. If your school is dealing with iguana problems and needs help on removing them effectively, choose Humane Iguana Control for a safe humane effective solution.
