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Squirrels In The Attic? How To Prevent Them

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There’s nothing more spooky than waking up in the middle of the night to the sound of scratching noises in your ceiling or walls. Those creepy noises are created by squirrels, and while squirrels might appear cute and harmless they can do a lot of damage to your attic. Their bodies are small, they can make their way into your home through tiny entry points, as well as a hideout in the hard-to-reach places of your attic and walls.

Not only is it important to learn how to safely remove squirrels from your home, but also how to keep them out of your home. In this article, we’ll give you a few effective steps that help to make your home squirrel free and keep them from coming back.

Look For The Entry Point

If you’re hearing the sounds of pests living in your walls and ceiling, that means those critters are getting into your home from an entry point. Go outside and walk around the perimeter of your home, look at the roof, and around the gutters to see where the entry point is. If you’re having a hard time finding it, go up in the attic with a flashlight and look for any entry points. But be careful when going up into the attic while squirrels are living there, they scare easily and can run into other parts of the attic or other parts of the house.

If you do find holes in the roof, gutters, etc, repair the holes with animal-resistant patches. Another great solution is to apply seals with caulk or plaster around electrical wiring and plumbing fixtures to prevent squirrels from entering.
Another point of entry for critters is the chimney. By placing a chimney cap on top of the chimney it keeps critters like squirrels from entering, and it allows the smoke to escape the chimney.

Give Squirrels A Reason To Leave

Squirrels are stubborn and may not leave on their own, especially if a mother squirrel just gave birth to a litter. If a squirrel is feeding its litter, it will leave and reenter bringing food to its litter, but if you cover up the entryway while the mother squirrel is away, you’re left with a litter of squirrels. If that’s the case, that’s when you call Amco Ranger and we’ll safely remove the litter of squirrels (dead or alive). To prevent that scenario, remove the squirrel as soon as it’s detected. A cheap and easy to run them out is to soak a rag in ammonia and then place it near the nesting site or entryway in the attic. The strong smell of ammonia will irritate the squirrels and they view the attic as a bad place to live, driving them to leave.

Prevent Re-Entry

Yay, so you got rid of those squirrels living in your attic, now it’s time to protect your home from critters reentering. Take a look at your roof, and if you notice and tree branches that are hanging out next to your roof, cut them off. Squirrels will use tree branches as a bridge to your home, and that tree could be the squirrels main home and uses your attic as a space to nest and keep comfortable during the winter months and bad weather. Plus, having too much plant matter next to or on your home can give other pests like insects, mice, and mites easy access to your home.

Keep Critters Out With Insulation

You’re probably going to ask how insulation will keep squirrels out of the attic, but our InCide® Pest Control Insulation is infused with a powerful pesticide that kills pests once it’s been ingested. The active ingredients that are used to treat our insulation are safe to humans and pets, and there are no irritating side effects related to the insulation or inhalation of this EPA registered product.

The best way to deal with squirrels in attics, walls or around the home is to call a pest solutions group, like Amco Ranger. A professional from Amco Ranger not only knows how to get squirrels out of the attic (safely), but how to keep them out for good. Give us a call today, and we’ll put an end to the critters living in your space.

How to Get Rid of Squirrels in Your Attic

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Squirrels are interesting and funny creatures to watch in nature, but you certainly don’t want them invading your home. Squirrels tend to come inside and make nests in the attic to escape cold weather. They can create a mess and be quite noisy.

 

Here are some ways you can get rid of squirrels in your attic:

 

Through Exclusion

The first method to get rid of squirrels in your attic is exclusion, which is the process of sealing potential entrances to prevent squirrels from entering your home in the first place.

 

The first step in the exclusion process is to seal off your attic. Patch up any visible holes and make repairs as needed to prevent squirrels from squeezing in. When sealing your attic, keep these steps in mind:

  • Cover your chimney: It may seem crazy, but a dedicated squirrel can make his way into your home through your chimney. The simple addition of wire mesh or a chimney cap can prevent squirrels and other animals from entering.
  • Make sure vents are covered and sealed.
  • Patch any visible holes on the outside of the home (even the smallest hole can be chewed into a viable entrance).

If there are still squirrels in your attic, you need to give them a way to get out that won’t allow them back in. This is most often done by professionals, where a funnel shaped exit, baited with food, is used to lure the critters out but prevents them from getting back in once they’ve squeezed through.

 

Removal by Trapping

When placing traps, put them in corners and away from open areas of your attic, as squirrels may be wary of obvious traps placed in traffic areas. Squirrels won’t go near your traps without the right bait, so make sure to use something that will attract them like peanuts, crackers, bread pieces, or apple slices. Be sure to place the bait far enough toward the back of the trap to make sure they get in, while leaving it far enough away from the edge to prevent squirrels from grabbing the bait from the outside.

 

Prevention Through Repellents

Whether you purchase a specific ultrasonic device or simply leave a radio on in your attic, sound can be a great deterrent to any squirrel looking to make a home in your attic.

If leaving your radio on in the attic sounds a bit annoying, consider purchasing a strobe light or leaving the light on in your attic for a brief period of time. Any squirrels that enter your attic will prefer the darkness, and the constant light source may work to deter squirrels from sticking around.

The last option available is to use commercial spray repellents. These chemicals can be applied to your attic to deter squirrels from building nests. These repellents can be made from predator urine, like the fox and can be purchased at hunting supply or farm supply stores. The other option is to use ammonia soaked rags. Simply soak a folded rag in ammonia and leave them placed around your attic in areas you suspect may be home to squirrels.

 

We can help

No matter how intimidating or pervasive your pest problem, you can trust that Amco Ranger knows exactly how to handle it and make sure it doesn’t happen again. Give us a call today if you need helping getting rid of squirrels in your home.