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Squirrel Control in NYC, Long Island, and New Jersey

Everything you ever wanted to know about squirrels -- and then so me..

There several species of squirrels in the United States, but the one most commonly encountered as a nuisance animal in New York City, Long Island, and New Jersey is the Eastern gray squirrel.

Eastern gray squirrels, like all squirrels, are rodents. In fact, aside from their fuzzy tails and legs adapted to leaping and climbing, they are actually very anatomically similar to their less-popular cousins, the rats. They feed primarily on acorns and other nuts, and in nature nest in tree cavities or leaf nests.

 

Squirrels: Pets or Pests?

In urban areas, squirrels can become quite apparently tame as they grow accustomed to people feeding them nuts and other treats. Some people even consider them almost like pets, and have learned to mimic sounds that attract squirrels out of hiding. But don't ever try to hold a wild squirrel: They are very nimble and timid animals who have very powerful jaws that are adapted to cracking nuts -- and they won't hesitate to use those jaws to inflict a very serious bite when they feel threatened.

But even if urban squirrel lovers can forgive squirrels for biting the hands that feed them, not everyone is quite so fond of these middle-class rodents. In fact, a National Pest Control Association survey rated the tree squirrel as the number one nuisance animal in America -- and for good reasons.

Tree squirrels damage homes when they try to get into attics and roof soffits to nest. They steal nuts, fruits, and vegetables from farms and gardens. They steal birdseed and pet food. They can even cause fires and communications outages when they gnaw on electrical, telephone, and other cables.

Squirrels are also susceptible to parasites such as fleas, ticks, mites, and bot flies, and therefore can act as reservoirs of potentially serious arthropod-borne illnesses. Contrary to popular belief, however, squirrels and other plant-eaters do not carry rabies.

 

Prevention and Control of Squirrel Problems

Prevention of squirrel problems begins with habitat modification. Proper sanitation, the use of squirrel-resistant bird feeders, using tight-fitting trash can lids, protecting gardens and fruit and nut trees with fencing, mesh, or commercial squirrel guards, and discouraging people from intentionally feeding squirrels, can go a long way toward making a particular area less attractive to squirrels.

Most squirrel problems in buildings can be prevented with sound construction and exclusion techniques. Although, like all rodents, squirrels have powerful jaws and skeletons that are mainly cartilage (allowing them to squeeze through small openings), They do need a starting point to sink their teeth into to gain access to a home. So sealing all potential entry points (such as vents on roof soffits and gaps in the sheathing) with metal flashing, hail screen, hardware cloth, or copper wool wall often discourage gnawing. Chimney caps are also a necessity, as squirrels are accomplished aerialists who can easily scale a roof and gain access to a building through an unprotected chimney.

Squirrels can sometimes be discouraged from entering buildings along utility lines by the use of various sorts of squirrel guards, like the one shown on the right. Placing loose-fitting PVC pipe around cables helps discourage squirrels because the pipe rolls around the cable when the squirrel steps on it. Disc baffles are difficult for squirrels to jump over because they can't see through them to judge their leap in such a way as to land on the wire on the other side.

Once squirrels have made their way into a home, it becomes necessary to use traps to remove them prior to doing any any exclusion work. Otherwise, the squirrels will either find another way out, or will die inside the building, causing odor problems and health hazards.

Trapping squirrels can be a difficult and time-consuming job because of the hazards involved and the necessity of frequent return trips to check the traps and remove any trapped squirrels. (Trapped squirrels must be promptly removed because it would be inhumane to leave them in the traps without food and water for prolonged periods of time.)

 

If squirrels have become a problem in or around your home, contact Pest Quest Pest Management. We can design a custom squirrel removal plan that addresses all aspects of squirrel prevention and control.