Mastering Squirrel Prevention: Tips To Safeguard Your Pearland Property

Squirrels are fun. They bound through the yard, zip up trees, and use wires as superhighways. When they find a nut, they sit on your back deck and go to town eating that tasty treat. While common, squirrels are still a bit of an attraction, particularly for children. But even some seniors stop what they're doing to watch the squirrels. Some even feed them. But there are challenges to having any wild animal in your backyard, even squirrels. Join us today as we share some important insights and special tips to help you prevent trouble with squirrels so you don't have to call a professional for squirrel removal services. If you're too late in finding this article and you need to control squirrels that have found their way into your home, feel free to contact us for advice and service options. Modern Pest Control offers wildlife trapping and management in Pearland. We'll help you get those squirrels sorted out. With that said, let's dig right in and look at all you need to know about squirrels.

Squirrel Behavior And Biology: Insights For Effective Control

There are basically two types of squirrels in Pearland. One lives in the ground. One lives in the trees. The squirrels that live in the ground are called ground squirrels, and the squirrels that live in the trees are called (you guessed it) tree squirrels. These are two almost entirely different kinds of rodents. Let's take a look at a few key differences.

Ground Squirrels: These rodents tunnel in the ground. They are between 14 and 20 inches from nose to tail tip. There are a few species with varying colorations, so the best way to tell if you're looking at a ground squirrel or a tree squirrel is to walk up to it. If the squirrel bolts up a tree, it is a tree squirrel. If it bolts into a hole, it is a ground squirrel. The most common behavior of ground squirrels is to make numerous holes in the ground. These holes are about the size of a baseball, and the dirt excavated from the holes will likely sit in a pile near the hole rather than around the hole.

Tree Squirrels: These rodents live in tree holes or on tree branches. If you look up into a tree and see a ball of twigs, you're likely looking at a tree squirrel nest. But a tree squirrel would much rather live inside a tree cavity, where it is safer. That is one reason they get into Pearland homes. Tree cavities tend to be small, and squirrels have to squeeze into them and share the space with their offspring. The attic and wall voids of a home feel like a mansion for a squirrel.

Understanding the behavior and biology of squirrels can help you control them. In many cases, all you have to do is alter the conditions that promote an infestation to get rid of squirrels or prevent them from entering in the first place. And it is important that you do take steps to get rid of them because squirrels aren't as harmless as you may think. Before we discuss specific prevention tips, let's stop and take a look at how squirrels can cause harm to your health and property.

Squirrel-Related Health Concerns: Handling Droppings And Disease Risks

We bring up the top of health concerns for two reasons. First, it is helpful to understand how squirrels cause harm so that you can reduce the risks. Second, it is good to understand the level of threat these animals present as they are mostly harmless in direct contact. Squirrels are far more likely to run away from you than attack. It is the indirect way they impact humans that is a concern.

House Fire: The worst outcome of a tree squirrel infestation is that a squirrel can cut through a wire with its teeth and spark a fire. Squirrels chew on wood and other objects to file their teeth down. They're known to cut wires that are stapled to wood, wires fastened in bundles, and the coating on single wires. If a live wire is cut, it can produce a spark and that spark can cause a flame.

Outdoor Wires: Squirrels don't just chew on wires in your home. They can sever outdoor wires – which was once a big issue when homes had phone lines entering. But most families now have cell phones rather than one central phone. But, if you still have a landline, keep this in mind.

Ticks: Squirrels pick up many ticks in their travels. A single squirrel can have more than a hundred seed ticks clinging to its skin. This is bad news for human health as there is an increasing concern regarding tick-related diseases, particularly Lyme disease.

Droppings: The fecal matter left by squirrels inside your attic can present a respiratory or bacterial concern. Wear a ventilator, gloves, and protective clothing when cleaning infested spaces. Two diseases commonly linked to squirrels are tularemia and ringworm.

Damage: There are many ways squirrels cause damage. They can chew holes or scratch at window and door screens. They can chew through siding and soffits. They can gnaw holes in wood. Once inside, they can damage insulation, items in storage, HVAC equipment, and more.

It is best not to have squirrels around the exterior of your home if you can help it. Contact a professional for tree or ground squirrel control at the first sign of activity. If you don't have a squirrel problem yet, let's take a look at a few ways you can prevent trouble.

Tips For Squirrel-Proofing Your Yard: Protecting Your Home And Garden

When considering how to prevent squirrels, once again, you'll need to consider what type of squirrel you're hoping to keep away. Many of the squirrel control methods used are different for each type. Here are our best tips for tree squirrel and ground squirrel prevention in Pearland.

How do you stop tree squirrels?

First and foremost, refrain from feeding the squirrels. If you place nuts out for the squirrels, you're going to have lots of squirrels visiting your yard. The more you have, the greater the chance they'll do something you don't want them to do.
Consider refraining from putting birdseed out. Squirrels love birdseed as much as nuts. One solution is to stow the bird feeders away. But a better solution is to put out bird feeders that squirrels can't access. There are many suggestions online. One clever solution is to put the feeder on a greased metal pole. The squirrels can't climb a surface if they can't get their claws into it and claw their way up.
Do you have fruit trees? One solution offered by the experts is to put a tin pie bowl around the base of your tree trunks. Turn the bowl upside down so the squirrels climb up to it and can't get around it. Keep in mind that squirrels can jump about four feet straight up. Get your tin guards high enough to prevent them from just leaping over.
Cover your trash. While squirrels aren't especially drawn to trash receptacles, like rats and mice, they are known to get into trash in search of a meal. It is an easy fix. Just make sure to cover your trash, and watch out that you don't overfill your receptacles, which can prevent the cover from closing all the way.
Cut tree branches that hang near your roof. Squirrels can leap across to get onto your roof and access your attic by chewing through soffits, fascia, seals, and roofing materials. You may also use the pie bowl guard idea to keep them off these trees if you can't climb up there and trim the branches. If the truck is too thick, you may wrap sheet metal around the trunk. A band that is about two feet high may prevent squirrels from getting past.
Do you have veggies to protect? Hardware cloth is the best answer. You can use it as fencing material. Bend the tops of your fencing so that squirrels can't easily climb over, and make them tall enough so they can't easily jump over. If needed, create a roof of fencing over the top. If you haven't started a garden yet, we recommend creating raised beds as you can take better steps to keep squirrels and other animals out.
Do you have wires that attach to your roofline? Use the "guard" idea to prevent squirrels from getting all the way to your roof.
Do you have a pipe that runs up the side of your home? Once again, you can use a guard to prevent a squirrel from climbing your pipe like they would a tree trunk.

How do you stop ground squirrels?

Remove as much cover as possible. Ground squirrels love to hide under organic clutter, like branches, logs, weeds, tall grass, and stacked wood.
If you have trees that produce nuts or fruits, do your best to routinely pick those food sources up. Ground squirrels are going to love your property if this desirable food source is everywhere. So will tree squirrels.
Bury hardware cloth or chicken wire in the ground around the base of key landscape vegetation to keep these squirrels from tunneling to the bulbs and roots. Keep in mind that they can tunnel more than six feet underground. Your protection will need to go completely underneath your plants.
Ground squirrels can get into your garden. They are a bit more work to keep out. You'll have to insert the fencing material into the ground. And make sure there is a portion tall enough above ground to keep them out.

It takes a bit of planning, and more than a bit of sweat to keep squirrels away, particularly if you're trying to protect a food source like garden vegetables, certain landscape plants, fruits, nuts, or birdseed. If you need more control, remember that your Modern Pest Control team is here to help you with prevention as well as control.

Squirrel Control Done Right: Contact The Experts Today!

When you have an unwanted animal pest, Modern Pest Control can help you find the solution. We address all the common pests, such as squirrels, raccoons, skunks, possums, and bats. We customize your control solution to meet the specific needs of your home and pest control issues. Your technician will properly identify the pest, track activity, catalog conducive conditions present, and plan a strategy with you. For squirrels, we primarily use traps to remove them. We may also use a combination of exclusion materials and specialized exclusion devices. The exclusions we put in place allow the squirrels to leave but prevent them from reentering. As long as you don't have a momma squirrel in your attic or wall void, exclusion can get the job done. Your technician will find all entry points and seal them with professional-grade materials, leaving only the entry point the squirrels are currently using. It is in this location that the specialized exclusion device is installed. Squirrels can leave but not get back inside. If you have a momma squirrel, it is better to use traps and remove the young. You don't want a frantic mom trying to get back into your home to get her babies.

Each squirrel control job is a bit different, and we alter the control solution based on the factors present. These are only a couple of examples. If you'd like answers to questions about your specific issue, feel free to use our Contact Us page to ask them. Or you could just schedule a service visit. We can send a technician over to evaluate your pest control issue.

When it comes to local wildlife removal in Pearland, Modern Pest Control is the right choice. We have over 70 years of experience battling pests in the area, and our QualityPro certified team is fully equipped to handle the most challenging squirrel problems. Get help today!