The grey squirrel population in Manchester, Lancashire & Cheshire has boomed over the last twenty years to the degee that they have now become a major household pest dealt with by Squirrels in Attic Pest Control

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The grey squirrels which we see in our gardens (Sciurus carolinensis) are not native to Britain, having been brought here less than 200 years Canada and America.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Like the other members of the Sciuridae family, the Grey Squirrel is a scatter-hoarder; it hoards food in lots of small caches for subsequent recovery. Some caches are temporary, especially those made near the source of a sudden surplus of food.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Other hoards are more permanent and are not eaten until months later. It has been seen that each squirrel makes several thousand caches each season. Squirrels have very good spatial memory for the locations of these hoards, and use distant and nearby landmarks to relocate them. Smell is used once the squirrel is within a few centimetres of the hoard.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The nest of the squirrel is called a dray (or drey) and it is standard for the female to have two litters per year, each of two to four young..

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

They are often minor pests in the garden, digging bulbs and taking food intended for birds but become major pests when they enter our homes.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It is increasingly common for Trafford Pest Control to attend homes where a dray has been placed in a loft or attic space.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Squirrels are rodents and as such have continually growing teeth; the very word rodent comes from the Latin word rodere which means to gnaw or eat away and this they do very successfully.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It is rare to visit a roof space where a dray has been built and find that they have not damaged cables or water pipes, indeed it is estimated that up to 40 percent of fires without an obvious cause may be started by rodents damaging wiring.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Unfortunately they can also chew through water-pipes, especially with the modern movement towards plastic push-fit piping.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As if that was not enough, many household insurance policies do not cover damage done by rodents so if a squirrel floods your property by eating through a pipe in the roof void you may find yourself without insurance cover.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dealing with Squirrels in Loft needs a professional, often because the law regarding squirrels is ever changing. You cannot simply obtain a packet of rodent poison from your hardware store and deal with them that way as you would be committing an offence.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Furthermore you cannot catch them and relocate them some distance from your home, not only would removing a squirrel from the area of its food hoards probably cause it do die of starvation, it is also a criminal offence under the Wildlife & Countryside Act 1981 under which it is illegal to release a grey squirrel in in the British Isles.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

That applies also to rescuing and/or rehabilitating and releasing injured squirrels.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In most cases trapping is the most realistic option and this must be done in a specific manner with routine, timed inspections of the traps.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Trapped squirrels should be then humanely dispatched.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

If you have a problem with squirrels in Lancashire, Cheshire or Manchester telephone us on 01257 230637