Squirrel Removal
Squirrel Removal
Squirrels are a common feature of many parks and neighborhoods across the US. When observed from a distance, they can look like pleasant additions to these spaces as they scavenge for nuts and fruits and scurry around the grass or trees. However, in or around your home, squirrel encounters may look different, inviting the potential for disease and structural damage in your space.
If you suspect a squirrel problem in your own space, give us a call right away and we’ll assess the situation and determine a course of action.
About squirrels
In Connecticut, the squirrels we see most often are gray, red, brown, or black. While we commonly associate “squirrels” with larger tree squirrels, animals like chipmunks and groundhogs are actually technically part of the squirrel family. Squirrels typically eat nuts like acorns and walnuts. Here is a great source to learn more about squirrels’ diet squirrelhelpers.com
Like raccoons, squirrels don’t technically hibernate, but they will spend more time in their nests in the winter months, requiring them to hoard food in warmer months to eat during the winter. This food is often buried in small holes to help protect it from other animals until it’s needed. In the event that a squirrel forgets where it has buried a food store for the winter, the nuts and seeds will often flourish into full-grown trees over time, helping to maintain forest populations over time.
Tree squirrels include many common species like fox squirrels and gray squirrels. There are over 100 species total, and they can be found on every continent worldwide except Antarctica. As the name suggests, tree squirrels often make their homes in or around tree trunks or branches. In the absence of trees (or if your home is especially lush), squirrels can easily adapt to nest in many areas of your home, instead.
Squirrel habits
Squirrels enter residential and commercial spaces using a few common methods. First, squirrels are especially talented climbers. This means that your roof or any other elevated spaces in or around your home are fair game for squirrel access—we most often see squirrel infestations in attics and chimneys. Second, squirrels are adept diggers and can actually gain access to your space by digging into new or existing holes until they’re large enough to enter.
For these reasons, it’s especially important to carefully seal any potential openings, even if they’re not quite large enough for a squirrel to access right away. What may look like an unproblematic opening now can quickly become a squirrel’s main access point with just a little digging.
Squirrel damage
Squirrels can cause significant damage to your home despite their relatively small size. As with most pests, one of the primary issues is the potential contamination and spread of disease related to their urine or feces. Beyond that, we also see damage to soffits (the undersides of rooflines or other overhangs on your building’s exterior) and gardens/landscaping.
If you notice stolen birdseed or damage to your home’s wood features (especially siding), these issues may also indicate a squirrel problem.
Our squirrel removal process
In Connecticut, fall is the unofficial “squirrel removal season” for our team at Gray Brothers Wildlife LLC. Many of our removal processes will take place between August and December when squirrels nest indoors in an effort to stay warm and have babies.
We’ll begin our removal process with a thorough inspection of your home (or commercial building) and the surrounding area. Our goal is to identify any and all potential entry points so that we can later seal them off. As we mentioned above, we’ll also note any openings that can’t currently fit a squirrel but may pose a risk long-term.
Once we’ve located all of the potential entry points, we’ll either trap and remove the squirrels or seal off all but one entry point to force the squirrels out. We’ll also make sure to remove any baby squirrels or food sources that may be lingering in your space to improve the odds of success long-term. It’s important to monitor fallen berries or excess birdseed year-round to make your space less appealing long-term.
If there were any dead squirrels left behind, we’ll take care of that removal process as well. Our final step will be cleanup, including removing any squirrel droppings that may be left in your space. This step is important to prevent any contaminants from spreading disease.
Rest assured that our entire process is designed to be both effective and humane for the animal involved. Our state-of-the-art technology, including drones, field cameras, borescopes, and thermal imaging allows us to gain a more thorough understanding of the problem before we begin, helping to ensure success and a smooth process for everyone involved. From start to finish, we carefully follow all applicable laws and regulations that govern the squirrels’ removal.