How to Prevent and Control Squirrel Infestation?

Answer 1

Squirrels can be viewed as a cute animal of the natural ecosystem unless they find a home in your abode or yard. The greatest way to control a squirrel problem is to prevent the infestation. Consider these steps to eradicate or control your squirrel problem.

• Step 1: Maintain your property. Squirrels will find a home where it’s easiest. Make sure to cover or repair any holes in the exterior of your home; these are open spaces for the squirrels to get in and make their nest. Trim any branches or trees extending over your home and remove any piles stacked beside your house. Once a squirrel has nested in your home, they will nest and reproduce making it even more difficult to eradicate the squirrel infestation.

• Step 2: Ensure proper sanitation of your home. Do not leave food lying around unattended; this could include an open garbage can or compost, dog food or bird feeders. Leaving around food such as this offers a complimentary feast to any famished squirrel and it’s a lot easier than foraging for its own food. Cover or remove garbage cans and compost, remove unused pet food and move bird feeders far from your home.

• Step 3: Maintain your barbeque. Keep your barbeque clean from food particles and drippings and cover; squirrels can feed off barbeque drippings and build a nest inside. Placing your barbeque farther from your house can help evade your home from becoming infested.

• Step 4: Maintain your garden and flowers. Squirrels love to dig, especially where there is food. Keep your garden free of weeds and unused or spoiled food. Remove any ripened fruit from fruit trees and any spoiled fruit that may have dropped from the tree to the ground. For flower gardens or pots, you can use a thick landscape fabric or metal screen like chicken wire just below the soil and small rocks for coverage.

• Step 5: Cover exposed cords, wires and hoses. Squirrels love to chew, usually they choose tree branches but sometimes they can select the gas hose on your barbeque or an extension cord you may have lying around. One way to protect your wires or cords is to place a metal cord covering over top of the cord or wire; the squirrel will not be able to chew through the metal covering.

• Step 6: Use a high frequency emitter or animal scent. Although these sound emitter’s or animal scents may seem effective at first, often they are only effective for a short period of time. Beware of squirrel sprays, such as Squirrel Away; these squirrel sprays can harm the animal or other animals that come in contact with the spray, in some cases causing blindness.

• Step 7: Use moth balls to deter the squirrels. The moth ball smell does deter the squirrels but only for a short period of time before the squirrel will simply get used to the smell and push it out of its way. Placing these moth balls in a homemade metal screening bag and tying it to a solid object will be much more effective. Replace the moth balls every few days to keep the smell at its most effective.

• Step 8: Consider the time of year before placing a trap. Female squirrels will have a litter of approximately three babies in early spring and sometimes in the fall. Babies cannot be trapped; they will have to be removed by hand and relocated with the mother. Failure to relocate the babies with the mother will result in their deaths as they cannot fend for themselves at this tender age.

• Step 9: Trap the squirrel. In most cases, squirrels must be trapped in order to remove the infestation completely. Consult your local government agencies for information on laws regarding the removal of squirrels by use of a trap. If laws allow, rent or buy a trap in the appropriate size for the squirrel you are trying to capture and set the trap with crunchy peanut butter on the trip lever. Place the set trap on a stable surface near the squirrel’s path; this may require you to observe the squirrel prior to setting and placing the trap. Check the trap often to avoid other animals from getting inside.

• Step 10: Use heavy work gloves when handling the trapped squirrel. The squirrel is a wild animal and will be quite unhappy and may try to scratch and gnaw its way out; by using gloves you will avoid injuries to your hands.

• Step 11: Relocate the squirrel. Capturing the squirrel with a trap may take several days; the squirrel must consider the trap as part of their environment before they will become curious enough to venture inside. Prior to trapping the squirrel you need to decide where you will relocate the animal. Usually relocation is best achieved when the squirrel is released three or more miles from your residence.

• Step 12: Sanitize the entry point to the former squirrels nest. Using strong ammonia mixed with water cleanse the entry to the squirrels nest to remove any lingering scent they may have left. Doing so will prevent other squirrels from moving in.

• Step 13: Hire a pest control professional to trap the squirrel. If you do not feel you can remove the squirrel infestation effectively, hire a professional to do it for you.

Squirrel infestations can become a bigger problem if they are left unattended. Property maintenance and sanitation is the best method for squirrel prevention. By trapping and relocating the animal and cleansing the entry point to the nest when an infestation occurs, you can eradicate your squirrel problem and effectively prevent it from happening in the future.