A squirrel infestation may sound cute; however, it can be anything but! Squirrels can cause damage to areas of your home and generally make your life miserable. If you have an infestation, there will be more than just one little furry friend. This is when things get tricky. So how exactly do they damage your home and garden?
1. They Destroy Plants
Squirrels can wreak havoc in a yard in a number of ways. They disturb bird feeders, dig up bulbs and seeds, and destroy plants. It is frustrating spending time and money on plants in containers around your yard to be dug up and destroyed by annoying squirrels. There are ways to control the damage they cause without harming squirrels and ways to discourage them from harming your plants. But if left, they will destroy plants and tear up flowers and more. This will not be pleasant for the budding gardener!
2. Chewing Through Chimneys and More to Build Nests
Squirrels in the yard sometimes enter homes through power cables or long tree branches. They usually settle in the attic of a building, where they build nests to disperse. In this case, the presence of squirrels increases the risk of rodents, plagues and diseases entering a house, not to mention structural damage to the residence because, while building their den, squirrels gnaw on electrical cables and furniture and sometimes get stuck in the building. This can cost money to fix and even devalue your home.
3. Spread disease
If you have children, you will know that they touch things and play around the home often. If they come into contact with these rodents or touch any of their droppings or nests, it can pose a health risk. These parasites, such as ticks and lice, may even add extra problems and damage your home further! If this occurs in the attic, for example, you may find more issues with damage to your personal possessions.
4. Holes, holes and more holes!
They like to chew through things, so you may find that there are holes in your home and your garden. This can lead to leaks or dampness. It can also lead to heating issues which therefore ups your gas bills for the month!
How to get rid of them?
You should remove all food sources to tempt them. This includes any waste around the home in bin bags. To further reduce the risk of smells, you can wash the bins to minimize the development of further odours. Wintertime is often when they strike as they come foraging for food and build nests around your home. Alternatively, you can call in an expert!
At Pest Detective, we will be more than happy to assess the situation and safely remove your problematic rodents. After all, we have years of experience, so we know what we are doing!
