General Damage Prevention and Control Techniques for Squirrels

Squirrels can be quite hassling to have around the house. They sure are cute and cuddly and all but they can definitely cause property damage if given the opportunity to do so. And you wouldn't even know when that will happen. That's not all which makes squirrels annoying to have around. They also feed on human food and that makes no less than a common house rodent you would want to get rid off right away. Grains and other bits and morsels that fall of the dining table are among the most favorite food sources for any squirrels. Some species of squirrels may carry transmutable diseases and that may eventually become a complication to the members of the household. With all these hassles mentioned above about squirrels, it is imperative to make sure that you get rid of them once and for all.

There are many known methods and approaches on how to deal with pest squirrels inside the house. You have to be careful though. There are certain species of squirrels that are protected, like the fox squirrels and the flying squirrels. Both squirrels are considered endangered species and are not allowed to be exterminated. There are also some others that are exclusive in certain states or other places in the world which are deemed to be imperatively protected. Therefore, you are not allowed to kill or harm them in any way at all. You must check on them first through research so that you will be able to identify them right away and be able to prevent yourself from accidentally killing them. You can then just call the animal welfare hotline for them to get rid of the squirrels for you. The other squirrels however, are legally on your target range.

Excluding Vegetation, Crops and Plantations

Squirrels are known to damage majorly on vegetation as they dig and burrow themselves on the ground which does more than just aerating the soil. The topsoil could possibly erode causing an unstable foundation to the plants or vegetations on the surface. Also, squirrels do damage on certain trees, not only in the forest but also in the garden. Since their consumption in inclusive of fruits, you're fruit bearing tree in the backyard is also not safe. It is in danger of being inhibited from bearing fruits and as well as it growth if squirrels happen to infest on it. In order to prevent squirrels from doing so, you have to make sure first that these vegetations, crops and tree plantations are properly secured by garrisoning them.

The garrisoning process would entail you make use of metal wires or collar around them, of course relative to the size of your vegetation or plantation. Encircle the entire area such that squirrels could no longer come across the barriers. It is ideal to use metal wires for the barrier to ensure effectiveness in preventing the squirrels from ever entering. Wires are more effective than just mere collars because of its sharp edges which can often hurt or injure invading squirrels right away. That itself will prove to be a much more efficient deterrent. You may also install electrical upgrades on the wires. A low voltage induction will give the little critters a bit of a shock once they come in contact with the metal surface of the barrier. However, that's not practical, especially if you have children at home. The risk of mild electrocution may give away everyone that could possibly come in contact with the metal barriers.

Electrical poles are also a major target for squirrels and they could do a lot of damage to them. Not only to the wood parts of the power poles (if ever there are) but also to the wirings themselves. They may potentially die because of electrocution, but the fixing you would have to do afterward is truly hassling and potentially expensive.

One way to deal with squirrels that go through the wires is to enclose the wires with plastic tubes or pipes. Make sure the diameter of the tubes or pipes are wide enough to make a round surface. This will disable squirrels from travelling through the wires as they could just slip off the round surface of the pipe or tubes. You have to ask professional assistance though in installing these plastic pipes into your electrical wirings.

Modifying the Habitat

Modifying the habitat would definitely entail a lot of cutting and trimming in your part. This will prevent squirrels from thriving nearby your area. If you somehow be able to curtail their access, or curb their resources then they may get discouraged to ever get anywhere near your house.

One way to do that is to trim high growing tree limbs that cross over the rooftop areas. If you trim these trees' limbs, it would prevent squirrels from using them as bridge to crossover your roof and thus entering your house. Make sure the trims are long enough for squirrels not to be able to jump across anymore.

For squirrels that cause problem to bird feeders, garden plants, you may consider providing these squirrels alternative food resources. This can be done by planting another food resource far from your house. For example, you may choose to plant and acorn tree of some distance to your garden proper. This way, squirrels will get deviated from their direction to your house and direct themselves on that acorn tree. Diversion would prove to be quite handy if they are placed on the right location so make sure that you have been able to identify already the waypoints of the squirrels and plant the acorn tree along that path.

This would also work for high value vegetations and crops. It would definitely help to plant tree orchards along the squirrel highway to block them.

Repellents

There are many variations of repellents that you can use in order to keep the squirrels away from your house. One of it is naphthalene balls or moth balls which are very commonly used by a lot of people to keep the squirrels away. However, these balls cause distress to humans as a side-effect. It would help to place a cat instead. Ro-pel and Capsaicin are taste repellents used on grains and seeds to discourage squirrels from eating anything in your house.