Squirrel Control

Squirrels may look cute and cuddly but they are far from it and are increasingly becoming a garden pest throughout the UK. The Grey Squirrel and the Red Squirrel are both found in Britain but the Grey Squirrel is the most prevalent. It is approximately 25cm long, with a tail length of 22cm and a grey coat with white underside. The Red Squirrel is dying out and is now a protected species. The official name for Squirrels is “Sciuris carolinensis”.

Traditionally they lived in woodland and parks, sheltered in the trees, but with increasing numbers they can now be found in urban areas and gardens. The traditional squirrel diet consisted of fruit, nuts, bird’s eggs and baby nestling birds, but in cities and towns their main staple is stealing food put out for birds from nut feeders and bird tables, they then dig holes and bury any food they can store up for later. In gardens they often dig holes in borders and lawns, which is considerably annoying to homeowners.

Squirrels are active through the day and spend their time busying themselves with building nests and stealing food, they are particularly busy at dawn and dusk. They build their nests in trees, these nests are also known as dreys and they are made from twigs, bark and leaves. They line their nests for comfort using dried grass, moss and feathers. During the nest building process they strip the bark from trees, which can cause considerable damage and even cause the tree to die.

Squirrels also cause damage by nesting in loft and roof spaces where they can chew up plasterboard and woodwork and strip or tear up insulation from electrical wiring.

Squirrels breed twice per year. The first litters are born in February/March and the young squirrels take approximately 10 weeks to be fully weaned. The second litters of the year are born in June/July. Baby Squirrels are known as kits, kittens or pups, they are born with their eyes closed, without teeth and with no hair. After about seven weeks they look just like miniature versions of their parents and they are able to begin reproducing from 1 year of age. The female squirrels live between 4-6 years, whilst the males live between 2-3 years.

Red Squirrels are a protected species in the UK so it is important that you don't try and kill Squirrels with kill-trapping or poison, not even grey ones, for the off chance that you may kill the wrong type and find yourself in legal trouble. The best way to discourage them is to stop their food sources, therefore don't feed the birds, or just use squirrel proof feeders.

To stop Squirrels becoming bothersome in the first place it is important that any entry points to roof spaces are blocked up, but this should only be done before Squirrels arrive or after they have been removed. Gaps can be covered with tightly wedged wire netting and missing roof tiles or slates should be replaced. If your home is close to trees then any overhanging branches should be cut back to stop the squirrels gaining easy access. Squirrels are able to chew through pretty strong materials so it is important that any proofing is strong enough to withstand the squirrel teeth. Squirrels are also very clever and crafty when it comes to getting what they want so if there is a way for them to find their way into a building, the chances are they will find it.

Some people enjoy watching squirrels scrabbling about, running up and down trees, gnawing on nuts and playing amongst themselves, but others truly hate them and consider them to be nothing more than irritating tree rats, they particularly upset gardeners who repeatedly have their young trees destroyed by squirrels.

If you are concerned you may have squirrels, signs to look out for are scratching noises and droppings, they don't transmit diseases to humans but if they are scared they may bite you so you should be checked out by a doctor if this should occur. Squirrels are also known to pass fleas on to domestic animals.

If squirrels are particularly annoying you and you really can't cope with it anymore then the only other solution available to you is to call in the pest controllers to deal with the problem. They will use live trapping techniques and as it is illegal to release a grey squirrel into the wild, they will then be taken away to be humanely destroyed.