The Trick To Keeping Problematic Squirrels Away From Your Katy Home

Have you ever gone to a park and sat on a bench to watch the local wildlife? One of our favorite creatures to observe is squirrels. These common rodents are playful, energetic, and extremely agile. Watching them jump from tree to tree and chase each other around is nothing short of entertaining. What is less entertaining is finding out these bushy-tailed rodents have taken up residence in your attic. If you did not know that squirrels can be pests or if you have recently started hearing noises above your head, you are in the right place. We are a wildlife advisor for Katy and are here today to provide you with everything you need to know about squirrels. If you need direct assistance removing these pests from your home or property, call our team at Modern Pest Control. We are dedicated to members of our community and offer fast-working treatments to identify, remove, and deter rodents like squirrels. If that type of pest control in Katy is what you are after, we are here to help. If you would like to learn more about these pests before deciding on control options, keep reading.

The Types Of Squirrels That Hang Around Yards

Katy is filled with a variety of rodent species. We have mice, rats, squirrels, groundhogs, moles, and many more. Squirrels are one of, if not the most, agile of the bunch. The two most common types of squirrels in our area are the fox squirrel and the grey squirrel. The fox squirrel grows to be 27” long and can weigh between one to three pounds. This local rodent typically has grey to black fur on its back and a more orange-tinted belly. Its tail is cinnamon-colored mixed with black. The grey squirrel is much smaller, only growing to be 12” long and just over one pound. Its back coat is yellowish grey to silver grey while its belly is a lighter grey to white.

Populations of squirrels fluctuate every year. These fluctuations are mostly based on the availability of nuts. More food equals healthier pups, which means more problems for you come spring and fall. Nuts flourish and grow more readily in mild, wet springs and summers. Keep an eye on these conditions to best track how likely you are to see these bushy-tailed rodents around your property.

Although a problem when they invade homes, squirrels are not entirely bad. These local rodents do a lot to benefit the environment. One simple thing they do involves not digging up all their buried nuts. This allows for new tree growth which is especially helpful in deforested areas.

One cool fact about squirrels is that they are able to gather and bury thousands of nuts in a season. They are then able to track down where each of these burial sites is located whenever they get hungry during the colder months. Squirrels will even pretend to bury a nut if they suspect a thief is watching. This is a good way to define just how intelligent these pests are and can show you why they might be difficult to control inside your home.

Another nutty fact about squirrels is that their teeth never stop growing. This is the same for all rodents. If these pests find an entry point into your home that is not big enough to squeeze through, they might chew on it until it is. It is also common for squirrels to gnaw holes into storage boxes and rip up things like insulation, clothing, and paper to gather materials for their nests. If you value your stored goods, you don’t want these small rodents inside your home.

Something you should know about squirrels is where these rodents hide. Most species live in wooded areas up in trees. They find cozy little spots to build their nests in preparation for the colder months. As it doesn’t get too cold here in Katy, Texas, hibernation is less common. If the opportunity presents itself, these wild rodents will invade local homes and take shelter in attics, basements, and other secluded areas.

Now that you know more about squirrels, let’s talk about the main reason they break into local homes. These bushy-tailed rodents require a few things to survive; food, moisture, and a place to lay their heads. Food is mainly found in the wild. Moisture is gathered from water build-up, streams, creeks, and other bodies of water. Finding shelter is where things become challenging. If there is not a good place to burrow underground or hide in a tree, squirrels will become motivated to invade homes. Easily accessible attics are squirrels' favorite places to hide as they are usually temperature controlled and fully protected from harmful weather and predators. Things that might make your attic more accessible to these pests include damage to your roof line, damaged or open windows, and an unprotected chimney. We will talk more in a bit about ways to address these potential entry points.

The Potential Dangers Of Squirrels In Your Yard

Squirrels are not aggressive creatures. They won't go out of their way to bite you or one of your family members. They will bite, however, if you try to pick one up or manage to trap one in a corner. One worry we want to address is rabies. Although this harmful disease can be spread by squirrels through their bites, it is not common in these small woodland creatures. You are much more likely to contract this disease from foxes, skunks, raccoons, and bats. The real threat of squirrels comes from the parasites they carry on their bodies. Fleas and ticks are two parasitic pests that love to ride on the backs of wild animals. If squirrels carry these pests get into your attic, they will shake them off. Fleas and ticks may then find their way down through cracks and gaps. One big threat associated with fleas and ticks is the spread of disease. Fleas spread diseases like murine typhus, tungiasis, and tularemia while ticks spread Lyme disease, Rocky Mountain spotted fever, and anaplasmosis. If you own a cat or dog that does not have protection against these smaller pests, they could be at risk of contracting tapeworms, heartworms, and other harmful conditions. Our goal at Modern Pest Control is to help homeowners like you find protection against squirrels and the pests they carry indoors.  

Five Simple Yet Effective Squirrel Prevention Tips

We are not the type of pest control company that completely discourages the use of DIY methods to control pest problems. We just want to make sure that the methods you use will be effective and do not pose a threat to the health of anyone you love. Keeping this in mind, avoid chemical-based pesticides, essential oils, sound-based deterrents, visual deterrents, and glue traps. We are especially adamant that you do not use glue traps for rodents as this method is incredibly inhumane. As for methods we recommend, here are five simple yet effective preventions tips for squirrels.

1. Walk around your home’s exterior and look for gaps, cracks, and holes. You are most likely to find these potential entry points in your foundation. To seal these up, fill them with some steel wool and then squeeze in enough silicone caulk to create a tight seal.
2. Inspect your home’s windows and doors. Replace damaged glass and make sure they are all fitted properly. While doing this, make sure all available screens are in good working order.
3. Take a look at your home’s chimney to see if it has a cap. If it does, make sure it is in good working condition. If it does not, have one installed. For those not experienced with climbing on roofs, be safe or hire a professional to do this for you.
4. Invest in squirrel-proof bird feeders. Be extra careful what feeder you buy as these furry rodents are incredibly clever and often find ways around simple deterrents and slippery poles. Also, even the most squirrel-proof feeder is useless if it is placed in an area where these pests can jump to it.
5. Invest in rodent-proof lids for all of your trash cans and keep bins clean. It also helps to store bins in protected areas until they are ready to go to the curb.

It is your job to protect your home and family against troublesome pests like squirrels. It does not, however, have to be your job to prevent and control these invasive creatures on your own. At Modern Pest Control we work hard to make sure members of our community have easy access to advanced rodent and pest control options. We would be more than happy to make your life easier by providing these services. All you have to do is talk with our team.

Contact The Professionals For Complete Squirrel Control For Your Yard

It is important that you know we are not your only option for pest control in Katy. We do, however, believe that we are your best option. There are many horror stories about bad pest control providers. Our team is trained in a way so that we can avoid adding stories to this growing book. One way we do this is by utilizing IPM strategies. If you have never heard about integrated pest management you are in for a treat. This method addresses factors that attract pests, entrance points local creatures use to get indoors, and conditions that allow local critters and bugs to thrive inside homes. Here are some things this might involve inside and around your home.

• Sealing potential entrance points that pests might use to gain access to your living areas. This reduces access to your home and creates a much more effective barrier than a traditional spray treatment.
• Addressing factors that lead to moisture build-up and eliminating existing moisture problems. If pests cannot find things to drink on your property, they will keep moving and be less likely to invade your home.
• Identifying pest pressures on a property to better design a plan of action to eliminate and prevent infestations. Understanding this helps us avoid unnecessary treatments and allows us to directly target the real problems.
• Determining an action threshold and matching treatments to keep pest activity below a certain point. Every homeowner has a different tolerance for pests. This helps us match treatments to the level of protection you are looking for.
• Exploring different treatment options to help the homeowner make an active decision for their home and property. There are many methods we use to combat pests. We design our pest control plans with what you are comfortable with.
• Evaluate the results of treatments and adjust them to adapt to changes in observed pest pressures. Pests are always on the move. If a new species is discovered on your property, we will notify you and adapt our services to best protect you and your home.

Many other local companies use spray-and-pray methods. This involved spraying general-use pesticides around the exterior of homes in the hope that they will eliminate invaders before they take root indoors. We believe this method is lazy, ignores the customer's needs, and only acts as a bandaid for a much bigger problem.

Modern Pest Control has been around since 1952. During this time, we have learned a lot about what works and what methods should be avoided. From glowing customer reviews to unmatched customer service that you can experience with one phone call, you will never regret choosing us for any and all of your pest control needs. To address existing squirrel problems or to prevent future infestation, let our team pay your home and property a visit. We will implement IPM strategies and make sure you are well provided for.

Contact our team at Modern Pest Control today to discuss our service options to deal with squirrels. We will walk you through everything you need to know and help you schedule an appointment for your Katy home and property.