Ruble has a degree in wildlife management from Lake Superior State University and happened into pest control by chance.

“My boss’s wife managed an apartment and they had a squirrel problem and they knew I dabbled in trapping, so I started getting rid of the squirrels,” Ruble said. “With that money I bought some live traps and I started getting rid of skunks, I was a skunk guy for a long time.”

Ruble has been operating Ruble’s Rodent Removal for 19 years, starting out slowly for the first seven years or so by taking care of a handful of problem skunks and squirrels a year, with all the money going back into traps and tools.

When Ruble is not busy with his business, he works full-time as a project manager with a communications company. Ruble said he probably does not charge enough to make Ruble’s Rodent Removal his full-time job.

NATHAN RUBLE OPERATES Ruble’s Rodent Removal out of his home, with a truck dedicated to his part-time business. (Jim Paul/Daily News photo)

“I charge what I would feel comfortable being charged,” he said.

Ruble spends nights and weekends taking care of his customers, often with 7-year-old son, Henry, as an assistant. On a single Saturday he often does seven or more houses, as he knows what to look for, he said.

Although work keeps him busy, Ruble is hesitant to bring on additional help.

“I like interacting with people,” he said. “I probably overexplain. I always go over the different scenarios and if there are still problems what else we can try.”

Ruble’s Rodent Removal handles a wide variety of pests, including skunks, raccoons, squirrels, woodchucks, bats, mice and even snakes.

The work demands change with the seasons. Spring is a busy time for skunks and raccoons, summer for squirrels and bats. Now that the weather is turning cold, mice are finding their way indoors.

Ruble’s favorite pests to deal with are mice and, if the roofs aren’t too steep, bats and squirrels. With those types of pests Ruble gets to play detective, going around the house inspecting for ways for pests to get in. Mice usually can get in through gaps in the window sill plate or where utilities come into the house, he said.

Squirrels and bats are not harmed. In fact, it is very illegal to kill a bat, given the current low populations due to the onset of white-nose syndrome, a fungal disease that has killed large numbers of hibernating bats in North America.

With squirrels and bats, Ruble installs “doors” that allow them to get out but not get back into the house.

Raccoons and skunks are not so lucky. Ruble’s license prevents him from releasing them back into the wild.

While raccoons can do the most damage, bats, though unsettling, do very little in the way of harm.

Woodchucks fall closer to the raccoons in terms of damage, he said, adding he’s not a fan.

“Usually it is four or five at a house,” Ruble said. “When people see them move in, it is mom and babies and they are cute and then all of a sudden it is mom and five teenagers and they are wreaking havoc.”

Other challenges Ruble faces are high roofs, overgrown bushes and angry skunks caught in a wire trap. Ruble’s traps don’t allow a skunk to see or spray, but wire traps are a different story, although Ruble said he has never been directly sprayed.

Ruble’s Rodent Removal is licensed and insured for work in Michigan and Wisconsin.

Ruble’s Rodent Removal can be contacted at 906-221-0021. For more information, go to https://upbats.com.