Question
QUESTION: I have a lot of noise in my walls in the late evening - no scratching - just sort of bumps.  No noise on the morning or afternoon. Some times I think that my 40 year old ranch style house is settling or contracting from the sun and heat of the day (in GA).There are no apparent openings for the squirrels to enter.  I set rat traps in the crawl space under the house and had no one set off a trap.  What do you recommend that I do ?  thanks  John Lieberman

ANSWER: You need to have a proper inspection done. Squirrels only need 1.5" hole. Rats need 1/2 inch hole. Mice need 3/8" inch hole. Raccoons only need 4 inch hole (people never compensate for the big hair)

Stop trapping until you have properly identified the problem. To learn the fundamentals of inspection visit http://www.icwdm.org/Inspection/Default.asp   click the link that says inspection techniques. It is a short course on structural inspection for wildlife.

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Why do I only hear bumping noises in the late evening and never during the day.  And why don't I hear scratching at any time ?  thanks  John L.

Answer
There could be a myriad of reasons. First scratching is a lighter sound. Maybe it is too low for you to hear it. Maybe you aren't home when they scratch. Maybe the problem is something other than an animal.

Noise is a poor indicator of the problem. it is like going to the doctor and saying my knee hurts. It could be indicative of playing basketball too hard to cancer and everything in between. This is why a quality thorough inspection is critical. Until that is done, everything else is just speculation.