Are Squirrels in Your Loft a Problem?
Squirrels if left in your loft can cause major problems so how do you get rid of squirrels in your loft?. Squirrels constantly need to chew to keep their teeth from growing too long and they will enjoy nothing more than chewing on your timber roof frame! They will also chew electrical wires, often stripping the coating and causing a risk of fire.
Squirrels will also pull up your loft insulation to create a nest, called a drey. They will roll up the insulation into a ball around a metre in diameter in which to nest and give birth to their young.
Squirrels will also use your water tank as a source of water often contaminating the water with urine or faeces. They will also occasionally drown in the water leaving you with a dead squirrel floating in your tank.
Squirrels have also been known to attempt to dig through plasterboard making holes in your ceilings and causing thousands of pounds worth of damage.
They also carry fleas and diseases, so it’s important to keep them from entering your living areas.
Why do Squirrels Come into Your Loft?
As the weather turns colder Squirrels will look for a warmer place to nest and breed.
Squirrels will often have more than one nest within their territory so may build a nest in your loft in the summer and return to store food ready for the winter.
Your loft will also offer them security as the enclosed space provides protection from predators.
Squirrels will also be attracted by a welcome food resource such as bird feeders in your garden so having more than one bird feeder in your garden can attract squirrels from miles around!
How Will You Know If You Have a Squirrel in Your Loft?
Squirrels are very loud! You will hear them.
They are generally active during the early morning or late evening so you will most likely hear them when you go to bed, or they may wake you as the sun rises.
Squirrels move very quickly, so you will hear their footsteps as they scurry and jump around. They also like to scratch so you will hear scratching noises as they attempt to pull up your insulation or hide their food.
How Do Squirrels Get into Your Loft?
Squirrels are excellent climbers and can jump around 8 feet from tree to tree. If you have trees close to your property, they may be able to jump from a tree to your roof.
They will take advantage of gaps in your property, often within soffits and facias or unfilled holes within walls. Squirrels have strong teeth and have been known to chew through facias where a small hole exists to make it big enough to use as an entrance.
They can also enter through holes lower down in brickwork getting into the wall cavity using the insulation to climb up and enter your loft space.
How to Treat a Squirrel Infestation in Your Loft
Once you have identified a squirrel in your loft you will need to contact a pest control specialist as it is not advisable to attempt to remove the squirrel yourself.
Firstly, it is illegal to use poison to kill squirrels as it is considered to be in-humane. Secondly if you catch a grey squirrel, it is illegal to release it into the wild under schedules 5 and 6 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981. If you catch a greay squirrel in your home, you are obligated to humanely kill it.
Your local pest controller will usually use spring traps to catch and humanely kill the squirrels.
Once the squirrels have been removed, it is vital to find and block the entry points to avoid re-infestation of squirrels or other pests.
What Not to Do if You Have a Squirrel in your loft
• Do not Approach them as they are very territorial and can become aggressive
• Do not attempt to block their entry point before they have been removed as they will attempt to re-enter often causing more damage to your property
• Do not attempt to use poison as it is illegal
What to Do if You Have a Squirrel in your loft
Contact your local Pest Controller immediately. Most pest controllers offer a 24-hour callout (although this is usually chargeable) and free quotations to remove pests from your home.
FurBeGone Pest Control offer a free survey before, and treatment is undertaken. We cover Stevenage, Letchworth, Hitchin, and surrounding villages.
Contact us through our website here or for 24-hour callout please call us on 01438 387005.
