Grey squirrels are one of the most common pest species that we get call outs for, and this is in part due to the damage they cause to your home and the noises squirrels make at night if they are in your roof – which can be very distressing.
Because grey squirrels are an invasive pest species, it is against the law to re-release a grey squirrel if it’s been caught alive, per the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 and Invasive Alien Species (Enforcement and Permitting) Order 2019. That means that any person who catches a grey squirrel alive is legally obliged to humanely dispatch it.
As their numbers have increased in the UK, so has the damage they cause. This is where EnviroShield come in.
There are three reasons we control grey squirrels:
- Their potential to damage to your home, business and health
- The destruction of UK forests
- The impact on our native wildlife, in particular the red squirrel.
Grey squirrels have 2 litters each year, one at the start of spring and one at the end of the summer. They can have between 2-7 babies in each litter. So with 2 adults as well, you could potentially have up to 9 squirrels in your loft, wreaking all kinds of trouble.
When it comes to treating a squirrel problem, the vast majority of the time we will set traps in a loft space where they have made their drey. Sometimes your attic made not be accessible to set traps where they are nesting and so occasionally we can secure different traps to your roofline or gutter, and catch the squirrel on their route to their entry point in the roof.
DIY squirrel control is definitely not recommended. There are only a few specific types of snap traps that are approved for use against grey squirrels and these can be very dangerous to yourselves or non target species if used incorrectly. There are also no amateur use poisons available to buy yourselves, in fact there is only one type of poison approved for use on grey squirrels inside buildings by professionals but this is not a method that we consider as trapping is much more effective.
Once all squirrels are caught we can look into blocking the entry point and investigate any other means of access such as overhanging branches etc. There may be more extensive roof repair work needed for broken soffits or roof tiles, in which case we may suggest having a roofer look at it but that can be decided upon a survey.
Click here to enquire about EnviroShield grey squirrel pest control services
EnviroShield Pest Management - Bishops Stortford 