You may be having a peaceful evening in your home, watching your favorite television show on Netflix, when all of sudden, you hear a weird sound coming from upstairs. As you head up the stairs to investigate, it continues, and you realize that the noise is coming from your attic. Suddenly you realize: the sounds are probably caused by squirrels in your attic.
During colder months, the gray squirrel finds attics or chimneys for shelter during harsher weather. For example, squirrels can scurry up trees, cross a branch, and climb onto your roof. From there, all they need is a one-inch hole or weak area in the soffit or fascia to chew through and start building nests in your attic. Like all rodents, squirrels can wreak havoc on your home in a number of ways. Are you hearing unusual sounds on your roof? Noises in your attic in the early morning or late evening hours? Do you suspect that you might have squirrels in your garage, chimney, or fireplace?
Perhaps it’s more than just a fear of squirrels in your attic and you’ve seen them entering your attic. After all, squirrels have powerful jaws that are designed to chew. They can easily get into your home and make a variety of different types of damage and sounds. If you’re hearing gnawing, scratching, and pattering sounds–especially in early morning or daylight hours–it’s usually squirrels. To help, the following will highlight the dangers of squirrels, the importance of their removal, and how to get rid of them (especially if they are in the attic).
Damage From Squirrels in Your Attic
If you hear what you suspect are squirrels in your attic sounds, they must be removed immediately. Squirrels in house eaves and attics can damage insulation and electrical wiring. They can even cause power outages and may start fires. If squirrels are trapped inside a building or an attic, they run around and can knock down and destroy anything in their path. Furthermore, they can chew on your windows, which can be expensive to repair. To help keep your peace of mind, then simply listen. If you hear any noises in your attic, this likely indicates squirrels (or another critter) are in your attic and invaded your home.
Additionally, squirrels cause a lot of damage because (like all rodents), they need to manage their teeth. Squirrels have incisors that continuously grow, so chewing helps wear them down, which prevents them from becoming too long. This helps squirrels self-regulate and avoid health issues. However, this same chewing causes issues in your home. Within your home, this natural behavior of squirrels could result in:
Damaged Wiring
Squirrels love to chew on wiring, which has a hard surface for gnawing. The damage may be gradual – starting as bite marks along electrical cords – or could be so swift that a fire suddenly starts with no apparent source.
Exterior Damage
Squirrels can also chew on vinyl and wood siding. Between these parts and your attic, moisture is allowed to pass through, leading to leaks, water damage and flooding that also appears to have no source.
Insulation
If squirrels have invaded your home and attic, they could be tearing apart your home’s insulation or ruining it with bodily fluids. This could cause your heating and cooling bills to increase. In all cases, it’s less effective, damaged beyond repair, and will need to be replaced.
Fire Hazard
Squirrels may build nests in your chimney or vents. Plus, as squirrels use whatever materials they can find to build the nests. As such, the nests are likely flammable (being made from materials such as paper and cloth), so a small spark could quickly go up in flames, spreading to the rest of your home if you’re not prepared.
Flooding
Squirrels also target your home’s pipes to trim down their teeth on a firm surface. The damage to your pipes may be slow, resulting in leaks and mold, or could result in a flood with no warning.
It’s important to be proactive against squirrel damage; keep an ear out for squirrels in your attic so that you can get rid of these pesky critters immediately.
Health Hazards From Squirrels in Your Attic
In addition to the damage they typically cause, it is important to get rid of squirrels because they can also cause health hazards. For example, as they nest and live in your attic, the insulation absorbs their urine and feces. Not only does this damage the insulation, but also reduces its effectiveness (which might increase your heating and cooling bills). Furthermore, their waste can leave a strong odor and stains throughout your attic. Finally, and most importantly, squirrels’ urine or feces could expose humans and pets to salmonella, rabies, Leptospirosis, Tularemia, as well as other diseases and bacteria.
Unfortunately, if you hear squirrels in your home and attic, their bodily fluids are only one health hazard. When one or two squirrels die, their bodies either remain in your attic or get trapped in your walls. Not only are these carcasses difficult to remove, but they also cause an odor problem and can attract other pests. Finally, it’s important to remember that squirrels may be carrying ticks–especially in the summer–and their carcasses could attract mites and fleas.
How to Get Rid of Squirrels in Attics
Like most homeowners, if you suspect that noise in your attic is coming from squirrels, then it is always a good idea to contact a local pest control company. With the various health impacts, a professional squirrel exterminator has the knowledge and experience to remove the squirrel (or other rodents) and protection to get rid of them safely with a humane approach. For a few ideas to understand the process, then the following steps will help get rid of squirrels.
Ways to Remove Squirrels from Attics
- Identify Entry Points: Look for holes, gaps, or openings in the roof, eaves, vents, or other areas. Please keep in mind that squirrels can squeeze through very small openings.
- Install One-Way Doors: Once finding the applicable entry points, installing one-way exclusion doors allows squirrels to leave the attic but not re-enter. Make sure all squirrels have exited before sealing the entry points permanently.
- Remove Food Sources: Make sure there are no food sources attracting squirrels to your home. For example, keep bird feeders away from the house, secure trash cans with tight-fitting lids, and remove any outdoor food sources.
- Trim Tree Branches: Trim tree branches that are close or might be touching your roof because squirrels frequently use them as a bridge to your attic.
- Use Repellents: Some people use repellents like mothballs, ammonia-soaked rags, or commercial squirrel repellents to deter squirrels. These should be used with caution and according to the manufacturer’s instructions. For more, detering squirrels from your yard with repellents like cayenne pepper will help mitigate the risk of them entering your house and attic as well.
- Set Live Traps: If the natural methods did not work, then consider live trapping, but remember to relocate the squirrels at least 10 miles away from your home to prevent them from returning.
Proactive Maintenance to Avoid Squirrels Entering Your Home Again
- Seal Entry Points: After ensuring all squirrels are removed, seal all potential entry points with materials like steel mesh, hardware cloth, or heavy-duty caulk to cover holes and gaps. It is vital to ensure the attic is completely sealed to prevent future infestations.
- Clean and Repair: After removing the squirrels, clean the attic thoroughly to remove any droppings, nesting materials, and odors. Repair any damage caused by the squirrels to prevent other pests from being attracted to the area. Working directly with materials, such as insulation, that have been directly infected with urine and feces is dangerous, so your local pest control company may offer attic cleanouts.
Eliminate ‘Em Gets Rid of Squirrels
At Eliminate ‘Em, we provide a multi-step squirrel extermination (including flying squirrels) process to get rid of squirrels. Our team humanely removes them, cleans up the waste, identifies and seals entry points, and repairs any damage. So, if you hear strange sounds coming from your attic and you suspect that you have squirrels in your attic, call Eliminate ‘Em immediately (see here for our service area). Don’t put up with squirrels’ noise in your attic; they cause physical damage and health hazards. Contact ‘Eliminate ‘Em Pest Control Services today!
