Squirrels, those cute and quick animals that play in your yard, can go from being friendly neighbours to invading your attic and making your home a fight. From a distance, they might look cute, but having them in your attic can damage things, bother you, and even pose health risks. In this guide, we’ll talk about how to keep these squirrels out of your attic and make your home peaceful again.
Figuring out how squirrels act
Before we talk about how to keep squirrels out of your attic, it’s important to know why they chose it in the first place. This preference is caused by a number of things:
- Shelter: Squirrels can stay warm and dry in attics because they protect them from the weather.
- Nesting: Female squirrels look for places that are safe and quiet to have babies and raise them.
- Store: Squirrels often keep their winter food stores in attics. These can include nuts and seeds.
These reasons explain why squirrels might come into your attic, but they also show how hard it might be to keep them out. It’s even more important to keep squirrels out of your attic because they are smart and determined.
Why squirrel infestations are bad
A squirrel in your attic isn’t just a bother; it can cause a number of issues for homes, including:
- Noise Problems: Squirrels are busy during the day and are known to make a lot of noise. There will be noise in your attic from them moving around, scratching, and even talking, which can make you miss the peace and quiet.
- Damage to Property: Squirrels have to chew all the time, which can damage lines, insulation, and buildings. This is not only dangerous for fire, but it also needs expensive fixes.
- Health Concerns: Having squirrels in your home can make you and your family sick. These mice can spread diseases like leptospirosis and salmonellosis, and their waste can make the air in your attic dirty.
Keeping your attic safe
Now that you know what could go wrong if squirrels get into your attic, let’s look at how to keep them out:
- Find the Points of Entry: The first thing you need to do to protect your attic is to find out how squirrels are getting in. Check your roof, soffits, vents, and any other places they could get in.
- Seal Entry Points: Once you’ve found these entry points, make sure they are safe by sealing them. Gaps, cracks, and holes need extra attention to make sure they don’t let air in.
- One-Way Exclusion Devices: Put one-way exclusion devices at the places where squirrels enter and leave your attic. This will let them leave but keep them from coming back.
- Do Not Use Poisons: Do not use poison to get rid of squirrels because it is cruel and the dead squirrels could end up in your attic, causing bad smells.
- Watch for Activity: For a few days, keep a close eye on your attic to make sure all the squirrels have left. Once you’re sure the attic is empty, close it up fully.
- To stop future infestations, cut back any tree branches that make it easy for squirrels to get to your roof, fix any holes they could use to get in and think about putting a chimney cap on your chimney to keep them from coming back.
Even though these steps will help keep squirrels out of your attic, remember that squirrels can be hard to get rid of, and do-it-yourself methods may not always work. In this case, hiring professional pest control services is the safest and most effective thing to do.
Finally, squirrels in your attic can cause a lot of problems, from soft friends to annoying enemies. To keep your home safe, you need to know how they act, what risks they might pose, and how to use effective defence tactics. By taking these steps, you can make sure that your living space is quiet and squirrel-free.