Squirrels in the Attic in Northwich, Middlewich and Weaverham.
The grey squirrel population in North West England has boomed over the last 20 years to the degee that they have grown to be a major pest species dealt with by Squirrels in Attic Pest Control
The grey squirrels which we see in our gardens and parks (Sciurus carolinensis) are not native to the U.K., having been brought here here less than two-hundred years ago from America
Like other members of the Sciuridae family, the Grey Squirrel is a hoarder; it staches food away in lots of small caches for subsequent recovery. Some hoards are temporary, particularly those made near the source of a sudden surfeit of food.
Other hoards are more permanent and are not retrieved until many weeks later. It has been observed that each squirrel makes several thousand caches each year. They have very good spatial memory for the locations of these caches, and use far and near landmarks to find them. Smell is used once the squirrel is within close range of the cache.
The nest of the squirrel is called a dray (or drey) and it is normal for the female to have two litters per year, with two to four babies each.
They are minor pests in the garden, uprooting bulbs and stealing food intended for birds but can be major pests when they come into our properties.
It is increasingly common for Trafford Pest Control to call out to homes where a nest has been constructed in a loft or attic space.
Squirrels are true rodents and as such have teeth which never stop growing; the word rodent comes from the Latin word rodere which means to gnaw or eat away and this they do very well indeed.
It is rare to enter a roof void where a dray has been constructed and find that they have not chewed electrical wiring, indeed it is estimated that up to 40 percent of fires without an obviously attributable cause may have been 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 caused by vermin so if a squirrel floods your house by eating through a pipe in the roof void you may find yourself without cover.
Dealing with Squirrels in Loft needs a professional, often because the law regarding squirrels restricts your options. You cannot simply buy a packet of rodent poison from your local store and deal with them that way as you would be committing an offence.
Furthermore you cannot catch them and relocate 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 a criminal offence under the Wildlife & Countryside Act 1981 which makes it illegal to release a grey squirrel in Britain.
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, timed inspections of the traps.
Trapped squirrels should be then humanely dispatched.
If you have a squirrel problem in Lancashire, Cheshire or Manchester call us on 01925 670375