You have likely never heard the words “squirrel” and “dangerous” in the same sentence. These rodents are usually viewed as cute outdoor animals, busy collecting nuts and waving their fluffy tails in the fall breeze. They’re considered a staple of typical American neighborhoods, and most homeowners ignore them or even feed them.

However, squirrels can cause significant damage if they decide to gnaw into your home. During their nesting season, squirrels may decide to have babies inside your insulation. Once indoors, they’ll chew on structural wood, electrical wiring and even plumbing. If you have a squirrel infestation, it’s essential to call a pest control company as soon as possible.

Signs of a Squirrel Infestation

Here are a few squirrel infestation signs to look for:

• Sounds of running in the attic
• Visible gnaw marks
• Droppings and urine stains

Most homeowners notice strange noises coming from their attic first. Further investigation will help you discover if you have a squirrel problem — look for droppings, gnaw marks and disturbed insulation. Squirrels often tear apart insulation for their nests. Sometimes, homeowners find a nest of squirrel babies when examining their attic.

Walk around your home and examine your roof for gnawed holes where squirrels have gained entry. In some cases, you might even see squirrels entering or exiting your home through the roof. Once inside, squirrels may also gnaw through wood, electric wiring or other materials to help keep their teeth short.

Sometimes, it may be challenging to tell whether you have a squirrel infestation or are dealing with another pest. Roof rats, bats and mice can cause similar signs like odd noises, droppings and gnaw marks. If you can’t tell which pest you’re dealing with, call a professional pest service for help. Regardless of their identity, these critters need to go!

Why Do Squirrels Come Inside?

Pests come indoors because they want food, water or shelter. Most squirrels come inside for shelter since they can usually find food and water outside your home. Squirrels are more likely to move into your house if they’re nesting or if it’s cold outside.

Squirrels raise two litters of babies each year. They nest in late winter and summer, which gives the parent squirrels time to teach their babies how to survive before winter comes. Squirrels are most likely to invade your home in late winter during the first nesting season.

Although they can’t fit through tiny spaces like mice, squirrels can gain entry through small cracks thanks to their teeth. They’ll simply widen these cracks in your roof or siding until they’re large enough for entry. Common entry points for squirrels include roof vents, chimneys and utility lines.

Impact of Squirrels on Infrastructure

If squirrels move into your home, they can cause expensive and even dangerous damage. Here are just a few examples of home damage caused by squirrels:

• Gnawed holes in your roof or siding
• Chewed electrical wiring
• Damaged plumbing, causing leaks
• Gnawed wood
• Ripped and torn insulation

Squirrels will make use of whatever material they find inside your home for nesting and gnawing purposes. They may damage the structural integrity of your property by chewing through wooden beams or causing plumbing leaks that lead to rot. Rodents also frequently chew on electrical wiring, creating a risk for fire.

Although squirrels don’t eat building materials like wood or wiring, they chew on everything because their teeth are constantly growing. This behavior means they can cause significant damage to your home in a short amount of time. The droppings and urine they leave behind are also unsanitary and can make your house smell.

Do Squirrels Cause Health Risks?

Having a squirrel living inside your home can pose health risks. Although squirrel attacks are rare, they can and do happen. If a squirrel feels cornered, it may attack people or pets by biting or scratching. Additionally, while uncommon, squirrels can spread illnesses like tularemia and typhus if they come into direct contact with humans.

Squirrels can also be carriers for Lyme disease, and they may spread parasites like ticks and fleas to humans or pets. Some of these parasites and diseases can be spread indirectly through contact with squirrel droppings. Because of these health risks, it’s not recommended to clean up squirrel droppings without wearing protective equipment like gloves and masks.

Of course, the damage squirrels may cause to your home is also a health risk. Damaged infrastructure may make your home structurally unsafe, and leaks from chewed plumbing can cause mold problems. The risk of fire from chewed wiring is also a very real health risk.

Techniques for Squirrel Removal

If you have a squirrel stuck in your home, there are a few ways to handle it. However, it’s important to check the laws in your state before you get started. In some states, it’s illegal for homeowners to trap and remove wildlife. You can try waiting for the squirrel to leave and then sealing up their entry point, but this isn’t recommended during their nesting season since there may be dependent babies inside your home.

Some homeowners have reported success using ammonia-soaked rags and aluminum foil to keep squirrels away. However, the most effective way to handle a squirrel in your home is by calling a professional pest control service. Professionals will know the best way to handle your unique situation with the least harm to the squirrels. Squirrel removal costs will vary by location, but it’s always more affordable than repairing extended damage to your home.

Squirrel Infestation and Prevention

You can take several practical steps to prevent squirrels from entering your home in the first place. Most of these fall into the category of routine maintenance, so they’re good for your home in addition to keeping squirrels outside where they belong. To prevent squirrel infestation, you should:

• Repair damage on your roof.
• Put screens over any roof vents.
• Keep your chimney capped.
• Trim tree branches away from the roof.
• Inspect your home’s exterior regularly.

Homes that are well taken care of are harder for a squirrel to break into. If a squirrel does get in, you’ll notice quickly and can handle the situation they cause much damage. Hiring a pest control service for annual maintenance is another great way to prevent a squirrel infestation.

Call Pestech Pest Solutions for Squirrel Removal

Have a squirrel problem? At Pestech Pest Solutions, we help homeowners and business owners across the Hudson Valley and Central New York handle pest invasions. Whatever pest you’re dealing with, our professional technicians can help you identify the problem, fix it and keep the pests from coming back.

Our goal is to protect your property and preserve healthy living, all with minimal impact on the environment. We’ve been operating for more than 25 years and have a reputation for outstanding customer service. Our solutions are customized to you, and we offer the kind of personal attention you need for complete satisfaction with our services.

Contact us today to learn more about our pest solutions or to schedule an online service!