Name something that’s cute, cuddly but at the same time condemnable. Those who are looking forward to prevent squirrel attacks in and around their place of residence shall require no time figuring it out. Chances are that they also have found their respective homes infested with fleas or other parasites; in that case, the remedy is a pest control agency who also undertake squirrel control assignments. However, there also stay associated factors like scheduling for the big day; therefore, till the pest control personnel arrive, you need to apply certain homegrown remedies initially to prevent squirrel attacks.
Squirrels, belonging to the rodent family, are infamous for their habit to chew on things like woodwork and cables and tearing through the loft insulations and drowning in water tanks. If gardening is your hobby, then you must have noticed the little devils strip the bark off, killing the young trees and destroying other garden plants. But before embarking upon the squirrel control measures, you need to know the differences between the ground squirrels and the tree squirrels.
Squirrel Types
Ground Squirrels: Gophers, their other name, ground squirrels live in underground burrows and leave mounds of earth everywhere besides eating away the crop in the fields.
Tree Squirrels: This variety lives in the trees and can grow as massive as around 10 inches long. A nuisance to gardeners’ due to their habit of feeding on flowers, plant buds, nuts and fruits.
Flying Squirrels: Rarely noticeable and of least threat. We can leave out the flying ones from the
list for the time being; it’s the other two varieties that are the real troublemakers.
How squirrels enter buildings?
Mostly through the chimneys, though open windows and skylights also serve as potential points of entry. mostly as they run along the roof. That results in shredded wires, ruined insulations, damaged furniture and frustration. Squirrels often use the attic as their favorite hideout, so our squirrel hunt begins by checking the attics periodically.
Squirrel Control Measures
Prevention is better than cure. So apart from checking the attic from time to time, also take care that you are not leaving pet/bird food out. If your neighbor is feeding birds, then build a scarecrow to scare away birds. It’s the best way to stop them dropping food in your backyard.
If you think a certain variety of plants are attracting the squirrels in your garden, cage the plants up with metal-meshes. And if consistency is your middle name, then opt for the mothballs as an effective squirrel control measure.
To do that, place the mothballs inside a metal sheet that’s given the shape of a bag and tie the bag(s) to a tree. You need to change the mothballs at regular intervals; else, the squirrels shall get used to the odor.
The last one is by using squirrel traps, but their usage depends on the time of the year. Like in spring, squirrels give birth to the babies. You definitely do not want to create a squirrel orphanage. Besides, it’s an inhuman act. With baits like cereals, nuts, sunflower seeds, apples and popcorn, you are bound to catch them by dozens; still, if you can do with mothballs and by caging the plants, then it’s better not to opt for the traps as a squirrel control measure.
