Squirrels in the Attic in Chorley, Preston and Leyland.
May 29th, 2010 | 
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The grey squirrel population in the North West U.K. has rocketed over the last 20 years to the degee that they have grown to be a major household pest dealt with by Squirrels in Attic Pest Control
The grey squirrels which we see in our parks and gardens (Sciurus carolinensis) are not native to the British isles, having been imported here less than two-hundred years Canada and America.
Like many members of the family Sciuridae, the Grey Squirrel is a hoarder; it hoards food in many small caches for later recovery. Some caches are temporary, especially those made near the site of a sudden surfeit of food.
Others are more permanent and are not collected until weeks later. It has been seen that each squirrel makes several thousand caches each year. Squirrels have very good spatial memory for the positions of these caches, and use far and near landmarks to relocate them. Smell is used once the squirrel is within a short distance of the cache.
The nest of the squirrel is called a dray (or drey) and it is standard for the female to have two litters per year, with two to four babies each.
They are often minor problems, digging bulbs and stealing food intended for birds but can be major pests when they enter our houses.
It is increasingly common for Trafford Pest Control to be called out to properties where a dray has been constructed in a loft or attic space.
Squirrels are rodents and as such have teeth which never stop growing; the very word rodent comes from the Latin word rodere which means to gnaw and this they do very well indeed.
It is rare to enter a roof space where a dray has been found and find that they have not chewed electrical wiring, indeed it is estimated that forty percent of fires without an obvious cause may be started by rodents chewing on the wiring.
Unfortunately they can also chew through water-pipes, especially with the modern movement towards plastic push-fit piping.
As if that is not enough, most household insurance policies exclude damage done by vermin so if a squirrel floods your home by gnawing through a water pipe in the roof void you may find yourself without insurance cover.
Removing Squirrels in Loft needs professional help, not least in as much as the law regarding squirrels is ever changing. You cannot simply obtain a packet of poison from your local store and deal with them that way as you would be committing an offence.
Furthermore you cannot trap them and move them some distance away, not only would removing a squirrel from the area of its food hoards probably starve it to death, it is also breaking the law under the Wildlife & Countryside Act 1981 which makes it 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 the only option and this must be done in a specific manner with routine, regular inspections of the traps.
Trapped squirrels should be then humanely dispatched.
If you have a squirrel infestation in Lancashire, Cheshire or Manchester call us on 01925 670375
Posted in General Stuff