Dangers Squirrel Infestations Bring to Homes in Southern Maine

Squirrels love Maine. For them, it is more than Vacationland, it’s a permanent residence! The Maine woods are filled with squirrels, so it isn't surprising that we find them bounding across our backyards, racing up the trees on our properties, or nibbling at the birdseed in our bird feeders. Squirrels are part of the urban landscape of Southern Maine. However, those adorable squirrels out in your yard can quickly become a problem if they find their way inside.

If you enjoy watching squirrels playing in your yard, we understand. We do too! They're definitely entertaining to watch. We even understand why you would want to feed them and draw them close to your deck or porch. But you really shouldn't invite those squirrels near your home as it can result in a variety of different problems.

Squirrels are rodents, which means they have incisors that never stop growing. To maintain those front teeth and prevent injury, those squirrels must continually file them down. Because of this, squirrels are highly motivated to gnaw on things. One of the first ways they'll use their powerful front teeth in a harmful way is by gnawing holes into your soffits, fascia, and other vulnerable locations along your roofline. They'll also chew on gaskets around exhaust pipes on your roof and flimsy vent covers. This can provide those squirrels entry points into your attic spaces.

If squirrels find a way into your attic, they will rip up your insulation and gnaw on other items to gather building materials for their nests. If you have stored boxes in your attic, squirrels can chew into them and damage the items inside, potentially ruining personal belongings as well as keepsakes that may be irreplaceable.

When squirrels chew on building materials, they sometimes chew on wires by mistake. If those squirrels accidentally chew on a live wire, it can lead to a house fire. While rare, this is definitely the worst possible outcome of having a squirrel infestation in your Southern Maine home.

There is another way squirrels can use their teeth to be harmful when they get inside your home. If you go up into your attic to try to get rid of a squirrel, you may be startled by what you encounter. Though we don't typically think of squirrels as dangerous animals, they can be quite dangerous when cornered or when protecting their young. For this reason, it is never a good idea to enter into a closed space with a squirrel. And if the squirrel doesn't attack you, it can still do damage as it scrambles around in search of a way of escape.

When squirrels get into a home, there are a few ways they can be an indirect danger as well. As we mentioned earlier, the holes they create can allow water to enter your home. This can create all kinds of problems. Water-damaged wood is inviting to carpenter ants, termites, and other wood-destroying pests. It also weakens the structure of your home and can cause cascading damage. Worse of all, excess moisture can lead to mold problems, which have strong medical implications.

Another indirect danger is the introduction of secondary pests. When squirrels invade, they can bring ticks, fleas, mice, lice, and other ectoparasites in with them. Under the right circumstances, these parasites can spread to the rest of your home leading to a secondary pest infestation. This can turn into far more than an inconvenience. As we're sure you know, Lyme diseases is a serious threat that is continuing to grow here in Southern Maine. If those squirrels carry ticks into your home, they are putting you and your entire family at risk of contracting Lyme disease and a variety of other harmful tick-borne diseases.

When they’re outside your home in your yard, squirrels don’t usually pose too much of a threat as long as you take a few measures to control them including trimming tree branches away from your home, removing items from the side of your home that allow squirrels to climb up, and installing fencing around the food sources in your yard. However, when they find their way inside, it is time to call a wildlife control professional. If you’re dealing with squirrel problems or issues with other invading wildlife, we hope you'll consider us at Big Blue Bug Solutions! Our wildlife control team is one of the best in the industry and have the experience, training, and equipment to completely resolve wildlife problems.

When it comes to controlling wildlife, it is important to have a comprehensive service, like the services provided by our wildlife team! Resolving wildlife problems is about more than just removing the animals. It is about preventing future infestations and addressing any secondary issues that may arise after extraction such as parasites and secondary pest problems. For wildlife control services, reach out to us at Big Blue Bug for immediate assistance!