How to deal with an excess of squirrels in your trees
In Quebec, several species of squirrels inhabit our cities and countryside:
- The red squirrel,
- The grey squirrel,
- large and small polatouche,
- striped tamia, etc.
These friendly animals usually live in the trees. However, it can happen that they settle and invade the gardens and backyards
In Quebec, it is forbidden to harm them. The exterminator’s mission is to capture and relocate them through the practice of integrated pest management. But how do you recognize one?
And first of all, what do squirrels in general look like? How do you distinguish them from raccoons, mice, rats and other pests? What is their life cycle? Are they really harmful? What for? How can you prevent them from colonizing your home?
These are all questions to which we provide professional answers below.
Squirrel invasion: how to identify it
Squirrels have four toes on the forelimbs and five in the hindquarters. Tree squirrels have bushy tails and small hands, while terrestrial species have less hairy tails and stronger hands to dig.
Ground squirrels and chipmunks carry food in abajoues. Flying squirrels have a skin fold along the flanks that, connected to the limbs, allows them to hover.
Squirrels show a lot of variations in their size. Not all squirrel species are the same.
Here are the two most common in Quebec
The Red Squirrel
The red squirrel is between 28 and 35 cm long, including the tail, which is 9.5 to 15 cm long. Said tail is hairy and thin.
His head is short and wide. His large dark eyes are surrounded by a thin white stripe. Long vibrisses are found on either side of his snout, eyebrows and cheeks.
It weighs between 140 and 250 g. Males are heavier than females, its coat changes color depending on the season. In winter, it takes on a reddish coloration. In summer, it is grey or olive brown.
The red squirrel builds its nest at a height of 3 to 20 centimetres from the ground.
The Grey Squirrel
The size of the grey squirrel ranges from 43 to 54 cm. It weighs between 395 and 680 grams. His head and rounded. Its snout is short and smooth. His eyes are small and round, surrounded by a whitish circle. Her belly is white.
This squirrel’s coat is thick. Its colour varies from dark grey to black. Its fur moults twice a year. In winter, it is adorned with a light brown stripe on its back.
Its tail is bushy and stuffed. Its slender body has short legs armed with curved claws.
Appeler René Gélinas Votre exterminateur local, Expérience et intégrité dans la gestion parasitaire
Tel 514 830 2819
Squirrel lifecycle
Reproduction and development:
The female’s gestation period lasts about 40 days. The female of the grey squirrel gives birth to 1 to 9 cubs, on average 2 or 3. As for the female of the red squirrel, its litter is 3 to 8 pups, on average 5 to 6.
At birth, babies are naked and tiny, but they grow rapidly.
Squirrels live in the wild for less than 6 years due to climate, lack of resources, but also numerous predators:
- Weasel
- Skunk
- red lynx,
- Raccoon
- Nozzle
- Hawk
- Marten
- Grand Duke, etc.
In captivity, he can live for 20 years.
Can squirrels be harmful?
The squirrel is omnivorous. It feeds on:
- Hazelnuts
- berries and other fruits,
- maple saps,
- bark,
- flowers and buds,
- eggs and chicks,
- insects,
- little rabbits, etc.
It normally lives in scrub forests. Trees are both the place where the animal protects itself, shelters and feeds.
In urban areas, it can enter an attic and set up its nest. It can also enter your home via the fireplace or fireplace. It can settle in your garden. The greenery of the parks remains his favourite place.
Squirrels often make up food reserves by burying them. If they enter your home, they will use your garden as a pantry and damage it.
In addition, this animal is a curious little one. It will try to reach hard-to-reach areas in your home. Unlike mice and rats,it will eat up electrical wires, sometimes causing fires. Let him break into a room and he will eat away at the mattresses and blankets.
The presence of these critters inside attics and other places of the house is a source of infestation of several other animals, such as:
- fleas,
- ticks or ticks
- other parasites
harmful to humans and their pets.
7 Exterminator Tips to Avoid Squirrel Damage
To keep squirrels fromattacking your house:
- Close openings (even those at height) that may let them inside. Replace broken windows,
- Install an electric fence. It will prevent the animal from accessing your garden.
- Squirrels are able to eat wood to enlarge the entrance to birdhouses and devour them. Place inverted funnel-shaped plastic materials on poles supporting bird feeders or nest boxes.
- Choose the bulbs least appreciated by squirrels: hyacinth, scille, fritillary, ornamental garlic, etc. And install fences to protect the bulbs you’ve just planted.
- Use repellents based on dog hair, cat hair or human hair, coyote urine or predator urine.
- Use composts made from hen manure. Squirrels hate the smell.
- Install a motion-sensing sprinkler system. After being watered once or twice, the squirrels will take the powder.
If squirrels have already colonized your space, it is better to call in a professional exterminator. They are the only ones who know how to capture them effectively.
You may be the victim of a squirrel attack if:
- You hear them sounding their deaf cry while you’re at home,
- You can hear them by their rapid movement in the ceilings and the attic.
- You find in your home oval-shaped feces measuring about 1cm,
- You notice holes and damage here and there,
- You find leftover food.
Contact an exterminator on Greater Montreal. He will confirm that and take the necessary action.
Squirrel Capture: The Solutions Used by the Professional Exterminator
It is not a question of killing squirrels, but rather of capturing them. The Quebec government prohibits hunting or extermination. Squirrels play their part in the ecosystem. For example, seeds and nuts left in the soil by the squirrel will germinate and give rise to new trees. Squirrels contribute to reforestation.
The exterminator will capture the squirrel by doing so:
- It will install small doors or a plastic pipe 10 cm in diameter at the openings created by the critter. These one-way gates will allow the enemy to exit, which will be captured immediately.
- He will set squirrel traps using the baits that the squirrel loves: sunflower seeds, nuts, grapes, etc.
- It will use anticoagulant, sticky products to prevent the squirrel from climbing and thus escaping.
However, you cannot call on any exterminator to do this work. For two reasons:
- Since squirrels are a protected species, you can only use an exterminator who practices integrated control.
- The squirrel is a less than one animal. Its capture can be difficult for amateur exterminators.
A true professional exterminator specializing in the capture of squirrels:
- Has an authorization from the Quebec Ministry of Wildlife and Parks for the capture and relocation of wild animals.
- Has a C5 licence from the Quebec Ministry of Sustainable Development, which means it catches squirrels by following Environment Canada regulations.
- Has a specific and precise work plan.
- It uses certified professional technicians to capture squirrels,
- He rushes to the scene to make sure they are squirrels, identifies the source of the invasion and measures the intensity of the attack.
- It uses the appropriate capture method.
- He intervenes with total discretion. For example, it uses vehicles that look nothing like exterminator vehicles.
- Gives you a written guarantee on the effectiveness of its squirrel capture.
And you, have you suffered a massive squirrel attack? If so, tell us in the comments below how you solved this problem.
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