Wisconsin Service Areas

The Eastern Gray Squirrel is the most commonly seen squirrel in Wisconsin. Most likely when someones say squirrel the first image in your mind in the Easter Grey Squirrel. As such they are also the most common wildlife species that can invade your home.

What Problems Can Squirrels cause?
The Eastern Gray Squirrel does pose two risks to the people living in a home they have invaded. While both can be rare it is important to note them. First, as with any wild animal, there is a risk of disease. For a human to contract a disease form squirrel it would require a bite or ingesting something that is contaminated with their feces. As squirrels rarely enter the in living area of a home the risk of contracting a disease from a squirrel is small. Second, and more likely than the first, is the risk of an electrical fire. Squirrels are of the rodent family (rodent means gnawing) as such their front teeth never stop growing and so they have to constantly gnaw to keep them worn down. They will gnaw on just about anything, including electrical wires that maybe running through your attic. And with just one spark it can ignite the insulation in your attic and cause serious damage to your home.

How Do They Get Into Your Home?
The Eastern Gray Squirrel will most often enter you house via the roof. Most commonly they enter where two roof lines intersect. Most home builders and roofers pay little attention to the small (sometimes large) gaps left between the soffit or fascia and the shingles, where the roof lines intersect. These small gaps, to a squirrel, are the same as leaving your front door open. And even if the gap is a touch too small for the squirrel to get through they may gnaw the opening larger to allow them easier access. Also, a squirrel can gnaw through any wood fascia or soffits, especially if they are rotting, making their own entrance.

How Can You Keep Squirrels Out Of Your Home?
There is two things that can help prevent squirrels form entering your home. First, and likely the only step needed, is to keep trees cut back 5 to 6 feet from the roof. And not just horizontally, branches above and below the roof line need to be cut back. A bush or small tree growing along side your house that is a few feet short of the roof line may still allow a squirrel access to your roof. Second, is maintenance. While cutting back tree branches may solve most problems squirrels have been know to scale houses with log, brick, stone, stucco and other course siding materials. As such make sure all gaps along the roof line are completely sealed and that any rotting wood is replaced. Do not use foam or steel wool as squirrels will just crew through it or pull it out, you will need to use metal materials like hardware cloth or sheet metal and make sure they are firmly secured to the existing structure. A good rule of thumb is, if your finger can fit in the gap so can squirrels.

How Do You Get Rid Of Squirrels If They Are Already In My Home?
This is where Prompt Action Pest control can help. While it may be possible to "do it yourself", to save a buck, if you are not experienced in wildlife control you may end up costing yourself more than if you called a professional. Squirrels can come and go at various times, sealing a hole without first making sure all the squirrels are out may cause them to enter the living area of your home. If they get into the living area they will be panicked and running around looking for a way out. They can knock over items as large lamps and they will try to crew out around the edges of windows, all of this could lead to several hundred, if not thousands, of dollars in damage. Also seldom is there just one squirrel, so even if you see one leave you may still trap others inside.

Do It Yourself Remedies?

• Moth Balls: As squirrels are mammals the amount of moth balls needed to evict them may chase you out as well.

• Bombing: These chemicals are specifically engineered for insects and at best may prove a temporary and mild irritant.

• Ultrasonic Devices: While this may chase them out temporarily many times the squirrels can get use to the sound. Also these have been know to produce sounds sometimes audible to humans.

• Mice and Rat Poison: Poison blocks or pellets may kill squirrels. However generally it requires large amounts and several meals to kill them, and some squirrels will not readily change their diet. Poisons that are available to the consumer may also be poorly mixed causing the squirrel to detect the higher levels of poison and avoiding it, or for the poison amount to be too low to have an effect. Also, these poisons are dangerous to humans and many other animals and if you have small children or pets you may not wish to have them available in your home. Also other animals (cats, dogs, predators) will be more able to catch squirrels that are sick causing a potential risk of secondary poisoning. And when the squirrel dies in the house it may cause an odor, especially if it dies during warmer parts of the year. Note: most poisons are not labeled for squirrels as such we strongly discourage using them.

• Trapping: This is the most effective method. While the Eastern Gray Squirrel is fairly easy to trap, there are several other types of squirrels in Wisconsin and most are not as easy as the Eastern Gray Squirrel to trap. Traps should be set on the roof, near the entrance. Setting traps on the ground may cause more of the squirrels in the neighborhood to be caught also you may find you catch your neighbors cats (or small dogs) or other wildlife that are not the problem adding a lot more time and work to solving the problem. Also the squirrel can not just be let go a few blocks a way, squirrels have been know to travel several miles. As well people generally do not take kindly to you dumping your problem on their property.

How Does Prompt Action Pest Control Solve Your Squirrel Problem?
When dealing with squirrels there are a lot of things that we take into consideration. First how are they getting in, we look for both the entrance as well as their access to the roof. Finding where they are entering the home is not always simple. While intersecting roof lines is problem area number one, if your roof doesn't have intersecting roof lines or they are well sealed finding where they are getting in can be very difficult, without a lot of experience. Second, the problem may not only be squirrels (or may not be squirrels at all). Knowing if you have other wildlife entering your home and how to identify them is key to solving the problem. Finally with all the need knowledge we can begin trapping and removing the squirrels. This process can take as little as a week but has very often gone into two weeks and on occasion more, depending on a variety of factors. Once we are certain all squirrels have been removed we will seal the entrances to prevent new squirrels from moving in.