As the suburbs creep closer to rural land and homes are built far up the hills, people have frequent close encounters of the natural kind. This goes beyond spotting Bambi and her babies chowing down on your roses. This is home invasion.

We decided to track down an expert in the field of ridding homes of unwanted occupants -- not Uncle Fred, -- field mice, rats and other nasty vermin that belong outside.

Erin Davis is the owner/operator of Avalon Pest and Tree Service in Napa. Does Napa have a lot of varmints?

"Definitely," said Davis. "Napa has a lot of country land with multi-million dollar homes in prime rodent areas. Even in subdivisions, people don't want to share their house with a mouse or rat. This time of year, everything wants to stay warm. Rodents will even get into engine blocks in cars. They can sense heat."

To rid the residence of rats, Davis uses traps, glue boards or rodenticide.

"We go in and find out what the home or business owner has heard or seen. Often, they've seen droppings or heard scratching in the ceiling or walls. Sometimes a hole has been gnawed in the wall. After we set the traps or bait, we return 10 days later."

Avalon will also check the house for entry points and will rodent-proof suspected portals. They patch up the damage or holes on their return trip to make sure they've rid the space of all the offenders.

"It's common to see holes in sub-floor ventilation screens where pipes for things like air conditioning have been added. Other popular places for rodent entry are corners of the large garage door or damage to the weather stripping on the small outside door to the garage."

What does he recommend if larger wildlife such as raccoons, skunks and opossums assault your domicile?

"We can handle them, but we suggest you call the Agricultural Commissioner's county trapper. They'll take care of it."

Davis started his pest control service over seven years ago. He has worked in pest management in the Napa Valley for 15 years.

"A lot of companies want you to sign a contract, but we'll do one-time services. We tailor our service to what you need."

If you walk into your kitchen one night and come eye-to-eye with a rat, what should you do?

"Don't touch it bare-handed. They are disease carriers and not the cleanest animals. If it's cornered someplace like behind your refrigerator, you might want to use a glue board to trap it."

But then you're left with a live rat?

"Yes, that's why people call us."

Varmint control

Randy Kocher, the owner of Randy's Varmint Control in Vacaville, said he spends three to four days a week in Napa County.

"Napa has a lot of houses in the hills," said the affable Kocher. "You're going to get a lot of calls when people move in where animals live."

Kocher humanely traps the offending rodents, birds or bats in live traps and removes them from the vicinity of homes. He sees the usual variety of wild animals.

"In Napa, you also get rattlesnakes and wild pigs. The pigs don't usually get into the house, but they do go into vineyards and orchards and damage plants. It's not so hard to trap them."

Randy's Varmint Control started in 2001 when Kocher, a carpenter, wanted to try a different career.

"As a kid, I spent all my time in the creek catching frogs and snakes. It just seemed like a natural line of work."

Just because it's natural doesn't mean it's pleasant. Kocher sees a regular repeat offender -- a real stinker.

"The most common call I get this time of year is for skunks," said Kocher. "They get in under houses. It's mating season and the males are interested in breeding. Maybe the female isn't, so he sprays."

This seems like hazardous work. Does Kocher ever get in the way of the business end of a skunk?

"Oh, sure, I've been sprayed a few times. Actually, I'm smelling a little bit right now."

Kocher mentions that might be part of the reason he's single.

What often attracts raccoons, rats and the like is pet food left outside for Spot and Fluffy. Varmints wander onto a deck looking for shelter, eat the food and keep coming back for more. Raccoons are particularly fond of this type of buffet.

"I recommend feeding pets inside," said Kocher. "In addition, raccoons can rip through regular screen foundation vents like they're not even there. I suggest replacing regular vents with louvered vent screens made of sheet metal."

Even beneficial animals aren't much fun up close. Bats, for example, eat insects in the vineyards, but are pests when they invade your attic.

"They can get in up under tile or even a half-inch or smaller crack. Seal up cracks and under tile roofs. Squirrels and other rodents can get into your walls. I find out where they're coming in, either under the house or the attic and trap them at the entrance point, then seal up the openings."

Kocher is a member of the California Nuisance Wildlife Association and says that regulations vary by county as to where the animals can be released back into the wild. If the animals are sick, he is forced to perform euthanasia. This is the part of his job he likes least, along with removing dead animals.

Most pest experts also repair home damage from pesky varmints.

"That's where my carpentry skill comes in," said Kocher.

"If an animal comes in your doggie door, give it a wide berth," he advised. "If you try to confront it, it could turn into a bad situation quickly. Most people don't have the experience to handle a wild animal. Leave it alone and call a professional."

Most wildlife removal experts work alone, but not Kocher.

"I have a 14-month-old black lab. I use his nose to find out where the varmints are getting in or to find a dead animal. He's really good and his name is Opossum."