Squirrel Chewing = Damage

Can squirrel chewing cause a lot of damage to a home?

Can it cause a whole gutter to pull off a house?

Squirrel Removal

If you are not one to underestimate the damage potential of the grey squirrels’ incisors, you know the answer to these questions is a definite “Yes”.

Squirrels left to live in a structure for a prolonged period of time can definitely wreak havoc.  Today’s blog highlights one of these cases.

Read on and watch the included video to find out more.

Squirrels Chewing Rafter Ends

squirrel damage stark county squirrel removalToday’s highlighted squirrel problem is one where squirrels were actually chewing on the ends (tails) of the roof rafters down the side of the house.  They literally created a tunnel of sorts down the side of the building.

The problem with this widespread damage is that the fascia is also attached to the rafter tails and the gutter is attached to the fascia.  With a hole in between two elements that are designed to be flush, an obvious problem exists.  Connections with nails that were secure at one time are no longer secure.

In fact, this is one of the worst case scenarios we’ve ever witnessed attributable to squirrels and not water.  Honestly, squirrel damage in and of itself is not often this bad.

Take a look:


As you can see, these tunneling squirrels caused a lot of repair work.  The gutter was removed.  The fascia was removed.  New rafter tails were cut and installed next to the old ones so that there would be a flush surface for the fascia to attach to.  Then the fascia and gutter needed reinstalled.  Any damaged or loose soffit had to be reinstalled as well.

This was definitely a lot of work.

For us, it makes a point that letting squirrels inhabit the attic too long is an invitation for more troubles.

Squirrel Removal for Akron, Canton, Kent, OH

Over the years, we’ve highlighted more typical squirrel damage in many posts. If you’d like to see more typical squirrel damage, don’t forget to check out our main squirrel removal page and other squirrel removal blogs.

Source here - http://www.frontlineanimalremoval.com/squirrels-chewing-damage/

HOW TO GET RID OF A SKUNK IN YOUR GARDEN

Squirrel Removal

Skunks are attracted to gardens because they provide both food and shelter. Skunks eat vegetables and dig for insects and grubs, which can disturb or destroy plants and make a mess. If you have skunks in your garden, there are several simple methods you can use to get rid of them.

STRATEGIES TO KEEP SKUNKS OUT OF YOUR GARDEN

One of the simplest ways to keep skunks out of your garden is to light it up at night. Since skunks are nocturnal and have light-sensitive eyes, they tend to avoid areas with bright lights. You can set up a light with a motion sensor that will come on whenever a skunk enters your garden.

Some smells can repel skunks. They don’t like the smell of citrus fruits. You can discourage skunks from entering your garden by putting orange or lemon peels around the perimeter.

Skunks also don’t like the smell of ammonia. You can soak rags or cotton balls in ammonia and place them around the garden. You will need to repeat this periodically because the ammonia will evaporate.

You can frighten away skunks by making them think there is a predator nearby. You can buy dog, coyote, or other predator urine and spray it around your garden. You will need to reapply it after it rains.

HOW TO KEEP SKUNKS FROM COMING BACK

These repellents might get skunks to go away, but in order to keep them out of your garden, you need to eliminate the reason why they came in the first place. Get rid of any food sources, such as compost piles, grubs, or bird feeders, in your garden. Put a low fence around the plants to keep skunks out. They cannot climb well, so a low fence can be effective.

Look around your garden for the burrow where the skunks are living. You can fill it in with dirt at night after the skunks have left. A skunk may have babies in the burrow in the spring, so make sure there are none in there before you fill it in.

WHAT TO DO IF THESE METHODS FAIL

If you have tried these methods but they didn’t work, you have another option: You can trap and relocate the skunks. You should not try to do this yourself because you could get sprayed.

Anderson Wildlife Control has experience trapping and relocating skunks. We use humane, environmentally friendly methods. We do not utilize any poisons or pesticides, and no animals are harmed. We can trap the skunks in your garden and move them to another location to keep them from coming back. Contact us today for an estimate for skunk removal services.

See here - http://www.andersonwildlifecontrolllc.com/blog/how-to-get-rid-of-a-skunk-in-your-garden/

During Burlington Pest Control Inspection We Find Bay Windows Are The Problem

Bat Removal

A few days ago we were dispatched to a home in North Burlington for a mouse control job and found what we term a classic mouse entry underneath newly installed bay windows. Why was it a classic? This mouse entry has all the hallmarks and signs that home owners can look out for themselves if they decide to do a home inspection on their own just to make sure before calling in the professionals.

This textbook mouse entry we discovered was in a home that was a part of a new development project just North of Highway 5 (Dundas St.). The homes in this area were built not too long ago so naturally a home owner would be under the impression that their new home is generally safe from wildlife and pest intrusions.

That’s an understandable assumption but the fact is that new and old homes are both quite susceptible to intrusions; albeit older homes are generally more susceptible because if they’re not up-kept, mice and other forms of wildlife can much more easily chew through rotted wood or get through holes that have become bigger over time.

Bay windows usually always have mice entry points

Bay windows are quite popular in Halton Region, and they do look nice, but our experience has shown that their one of the main areas of concern when it comes to pest control and doing inspections.

As I mentioned, we weren’t too surprised at being able to quickly discovery this entry point because it had all the signs of being a mouse hole – they are;

grease marks and streaks from the mice fur around the outside (and inside) of the mouse hole
mouse feces scattered in and around the entry point
an obviously chewed out flashing at the base of the window
irregular dirt and debris which is carried by mice scattered around the mouse hole
You can watch the video below to actually see what we’re talking about:

What’s interesting with this entry, like many others, is that they usually go unnoticed for quite a while. Home owners are usually surprised to see a mouse in their home and when we show them mice holes like this they wonder how they never noticed it.

It not hard to understand why though. Home owners aren’t generally expecting to have pest and wildlife issues and looking for signs isn’t on the top of their list. It’s usually only after hearing thumping in their walls or attic, or actually seeing an animal in their home that they start to wonder how they got in.

View more info here - http://www.allwildlife.ca/burlington-pest-control/during-burlington-pest-control-inspection-we-find-bay-windows-are-the-problem/

Bolton Squirrel Removal Shows How Drip Edge Was Badly Needed

Raccoon Removal

We were recently called out to a home in Bolton to tackle a squirrel removal job and found another great example of how a simple drip edge installation could have avoided big problems, and big squirrel holes. We’ve mentioned the benefits of installing drip edge many times over the years, especially when it comes to keeping out squirrels but it’s usually after the fact (the squirrel problem) that home owners realize it’s tremendous benefits.

What are the benefits of drip edge?

Squirrels and raccoons have it easy when it comes to breaking into an unsecured home, but have one hell of a tough time ripping apart or chewing through drip edge. The drip edge we install is made from extremely strong galvanized steal – steal of which all wildlife simply cannot penetrate no matter how strong their teeth and chewing capabilities are.

When it comes to securing a home from wildlife intrusions, the strength of drip edge is one of the obvious benefits, but there are a few more benefits related and un-related to squirrel prevention, and they are;

drip edge strengthens the roof line/roof board
it reduces roof-rot and deterioration
it acts as a reliable weather guard
reduces chances of water damage
All that strength, protection and reinforcement does great on it’s own to keep your roof line healthy, and maintaining it’s strength also helps keep wildlife at bay. Here’s another example of how drip edge was installed after a squirrel removal job in Oakville which shows you what it looks like and where it is installed along the roof line (watch the video).

See the massive squirrel holes in this Bolton home roof line

In the following video we were in the process of installing drip edge because of a squirrel problem and decided to pull out our cameras to give you an example of the large holes we found along the roof-line. If drip edge was installed years ago, these very large holes would not have happened.

Once drip edge is installed, all forms of wildlife are completely unable to use that area to get into a home. Combine that with full wildlife prevention, and you can rest assured that no animals will be able to break into your home anytime in the future.


Does my new home have drip edge installed to keep out squirrels?

The unfortunate answer to this common question is no; new homes aren’t automatically equipped with drip edge. Drip edge is usually an “after the fact” solution to a number of issues (see list above) unless you’ve specifically asked your builder to install it.

Drip edge installed along roof line for squirrel prevention BoltonThe problem is, that the vast majority of home owners usually don’t even think they’ll have wildlife issues especially when they first move into a new home so prevention is usually an after thought.

If you’ve never really encountered a wildlife issue in the past our experience has shown that we’ll usually get a call for wildlife help after the animal has broken in.

With squirrels and raccoons having “teeth of steel” new home owners shouldn’t be surprised if wildlife have chosen their home as a den site especially if no prevention measures have been implemented.

We like to tell our customers it was only a matter of time before some form of wildlife found it’s way in. With drip edge, this isn’t happening.

Set up prevention before the problems start

If this home owner had known before hand that it’s squirrel issue could have been prevented well before hand with drip edge do you think he would have opted in for installing it? Of course! The damage incurred to this Bolton home by squirrels was quite extensive, and compared to the cost of removing the squirrel, combined with the implementation of preventative measures, installing drip edge would have been a much more cost effective measure.

Try telling that to a home owner without a wildlife issue. It’s usually only after the damage has been found, and wildlife sounds are heard in the walls and attic that a home owner decides to take action, remove the animal and get the necessary repairs done to their roof and attic.

If it were up to us, all homes would have drip edge installed along the roof line while they’re being built but because that isn’t the case, we’re always going to calls for squirrel removal, but at least once the job is done, we can virtually guarantee the issue won’t recur again in the future.

Want to learn more about our squirrel removal process and get an idea of how it’s done professionally? Follow the following link and feel free to get in touch with us with any of your questions.

View more here - http://www.allwildlife.ca/squirrel-removal-reports/bolton-squirrel-removal-shows-how-drip-edge-was-badly-needed/

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