Are you hearing scurrying noises in your ceiling or walls, or a chirping sound coming from your attic? Have you seen holes in the siding or gutters of your home? These can be signs of squirrel infestation, a problem that demands your immediate attention.
Squirrels can cause major damage to a home as they burrow into attics to escape winter’s cold. Fox squirrels, common to this area, breed twice a year, once in December, the other in spring. Each litter yields 3-5 offspring. If squirrel issues aren’t quickly addressed, the problem will multiply quickly. Because their teeth are constantly growing, squirrels need to chew in order to grind the teeth down. This can result in severe damage to your home’s support beams, electrical wiring or phone lines.
Denver Critter Control, a local arm of the national wildlife company, notes that there are two approaches to solving a squirrel problem: One is to trap the animals and relocate them. The other is to install one-way doors at the squirrels’ entry point. Once a squirrel leaves the building, it can’t re-enter. (The latter solution isn’t entirely successful, however, as often squirrels simply chew a new hole for re-entry.)
To keep squirrels at bay, Denver Critter Control suggests:
Removing bird feeders. Squirrels enjoy eating the seeds the birds drop or discard and often sit on the roof watching the activity around the feeder. As they spend time on the roof, they may then chew their way into the attic. Removing bird feeders eliminates this hazard.
Trim trees. Squirrels build tree nests that they use in summer, but in the fall, they look for a new place to breed. If they have easy access to your roof, this can lead to infestation. Ideally, all trees should be trimmed so the branches are 15 feet from the house, in order to keep squirrels away.
Source(s): http://www.crittercontrol.com/services/howtogetridofsquirrels.html
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