DRE PEST CONTROL BLOG

Pest control for grey squirrels

30/10/2018

Whilst they may be very cute to look at, especially with their playful acrobatics and cheeky personalities, grey squirrels can cause quite a bit of damage to our homes and gardens, and are considered a pest problem in the UK. 

Grey squirrels are bigger than our threatened native red squirrels and are most likely to be the species you see in your garden or running about in your attic. They are active during the day, foraging for food in trees and on the ground – they often visit peanut feeders in gardens. In the autumn they spend time storing nuts to eat during the winter.

 

Why do we provide pest control grey squirrels in the UK

Even though the grey squirrel is widely appreciated for its grace and ‘cuteness’ by much of the UK – the pest management industry knows that there are times when the lethal control of grey squirrels is necessary.
 

There are three reasons we control grey squirrels:
 

• Their potential to damage to your home, business and health
• The destruction of UK forests
• The impact on our native wildlife, in particular the red squirrel.

 

Signs of squirrels in your home or business

These are the seven signs easiest signs to spot when looking for evidence of squirrels in your home or loft.

1. Scratching and rustling sound from your loft or a wall cavity
2. Spotting droppings in the loft – although you might need a pest controller to identify these droppings
3. Smell of urine in the loft area might indicate the infestation has been going on some time
4. Spotting lots of other squirrels around your property, particularly near your roof or on high fences
5. Fruit and nuts being stolen from bird feeders, or the feeders being disturbed/knocked over
6. Bark being stripped from trees in your garden
7. Holes in vents or damage to your insulation foam.

Preventing damage to your home or business from grey squirrels isn't easy, however there are a few ways in which you can make things more difficult for them:

 

• Block up holes in the roof and drainage pipes to prevent squirrels from entering into your loft
• Cover plants and shrubs with netting 
• Squirrel proof any bird feeders
• Various types of squirrel traps are available including poison-based traps, (chemical traps should only be used by professional pest controllers).

The release of grey squirrels caught in cage traps is illegal, please contact DRE Pest Control in Cambridge to help you safely remove grey Squirrels from your attic or garden.