Squirrels can wake you up in the middle of the night scratching and scurrying throughout your attic, walls, and crawl spaces. Sometimes it sounds like they are going to burst through the wall or fall through the ceiling onto your bed. It feels a bit terrifying, not to mention the thought of the destruction they are causing to your home.
Ways Squirrels Gain Entry to Homes
It all starts when squirrels find a gap to squeeze through, or a hole to gnaw on, and they gain access to your home during colder weather. Since squirrels are good at running, climbing, and jumping, it is quite easy for them to climb a tree or run up utility wires to rooftops in order to get inside your home.
Common areas of entry are roof edges, soffit intersections, gable vents, plumbing mats, and chimneys. These entry points allow squirrels and other small rodents to come and go as they please.
Squirrels do damage to insulation, wood, and personal belongings inside your attic, storage, wall voids, and other spaces inside your home where they have managed to intrude. Since they have ever-growing incisor teeth, their need to keep them at a manageable length causes them to chew incessantly. One of the biggest problems with their chewing is that they create a fire hazard in your home when they gnaw through electrical wires. Flooding can be caused when they chew on plumbing pipes. Squirrels introduce parasites like fleas and ticks into your home, and they leave odorous urine and feces in hard-to-reach places.
How to Keep Squirrels Out of Your Home
It is important that squirrels do not gain entry into your home. However, if you find yourself faced with an infestation you should call on a professional pest control company.
Here are a few prevention tips to keep squirrels out of your attic:
- Replace or repair any missing or damaged screens covering vent and chimney entrances.
- Keep trees trimmed away from the exterior of your home and rooftop.
- Place bird feeders away from your home.
- Block all holes, cracks, and gaps in your home's exterior walls.
Keep in mind that the removal of squirrels can be dangerous and should be left to wildlife professionals. Call on Big Blue Bug Solutions in New England for your squirrel and other wildlife problems. Our knowledgeable technicians offer effective solutions for squirrel removal and prevention to avoid future infestations.
Contact us for more information at Big Blue Bug Solutions. We are here to serve you!