As the weather gets cold outdoor animals such as squirrels are looking to make attics, chimneys, basements and garages their home for the winter. Squirrels, rats and mice are well equipped to live outdoors, however, like humans they prefer warm, interior spaces. Our homes are ideal for protection from predators and a perfect place for them to reproduce, increasing their offspring's chances of survival. It's important for home owners to be proactive in effectively pest-proofing your homes in an effort to keep these creatures out.
Inspection Is The Key!
Many articles are written on how home owners should walk in and around their homes and look for certain defects and make repairs such as sealing small holes, repairing the siding, caulking around windows and doors, installing door sweeps, repairing soffit vents etc. This cannot be over emphasized, why? because inspection is the key! Preventing pest from entering your home starts with an inspection that home owners can do themselves. Once these creatures get into your house, it can be difficult, dangerous and expensive to remove them. Doing a seasonal walk through and making repairs will help protect your health and wallet.
How Do Squirrels Get In?
Gray squirrels are extremely quick and agile, they can stop on a dime, as the expression goes, and make turns in an instant. Gray Squirrels are also excellent climbers and can make jumps up to eight (8) feet or more. They can balance themselves perfectly on electrical wires.
With all these abilities it's important to keep overhanging tree branches cut back at least 10 feet away from the structure, especially the roof. They also gain access from power lines. If your power line terminates under your soffit vent check that area, since squirrels have razor sharp teeth they can, over time, chew a hole in the soffit vent. They can also use their claws to climb up siding and make their way to soffit vents and the roof.
Damage And Prevention
The pictures above shows the damage done by the gnawing action of a squirrel. It made its way into the attic and made a nest for its young. Squirrels are social animals, meaning that when they invade a house its usually more then one.
Prevention takes some work, but is well worth the effort. Here are some ways to prevent them from entering your home:
- Replace plastic attic vents with metal vents or screen them with half-inch screens
- Seal openings at the joints of sidings and cover large holes with half-inch sheet metal
- Cover chimney flues with commercial chimney caps
- Trim overhanging tree branches and limbs 10 feet from the building
If you suspect that some wildlife animal is in your home, don't try to remove them yourself, instead call a wildlife control operator, they have all the safety equipment and traps to remove them safely.
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