The Ultimate Guide To Squirrel Control For Houston Properties
Squirrels can sometimes be fun to watch scurrying around a yard, running up trees, and chasing each other. While they may be cute, these furry pests can cause a lot of trouble on properties, and when they get inside a house or business, they can be downright dangerous.
Tree squirrels are the most common type of squirrel that become a nuisance pest in Houston. Their appearance can vary depending on the species, but generally, their bodies are between 6 and 15 inches long, with bushy tails between 4 and 14 inches long. Tree squirrels are usually gray and have white undersides.
Squirrels are rodents, and just like their cousins, rats, and mice, they have constantly growing incisors. They keep these incisors from growing too large by grinding them together when they gnaw or chew on just about anything they can sink their teeth into.
This guide is here to help you learn more about squirrel pest control in Houston and figure out the best course of action if these animals are wreaking havoc inside your home, business, or on your property. We’ll start by reviewing the role that squirrels play in our environment. Even though they can cause issues on your property, they are essential to the ecosystem, and we prefer to treat them humanely.
We’ll also explain some of the many ways squirrels can cause problems for property owners. Even some of their behaviors that benefit the ecosystem can be problematic when they occur on your property or inside a house or business. Understanding the potential damage squirrels can cause will help you make informed decisions when dealing with this pest.
We’ll also provide simple, practical steps you can take to keep squirrels away from your property, home, and business. You can deter these critters and protect your property with a little extra vigilance. If squirrels are already causing problems on your property, we can help with that too.
Modern Pest Control offers tree squirrel control services to get rid of your squirrel problems and protect your property from the dangers of these pests. Contact us today if you have questions about our wildlife control services, or continue reading to learn more about the safest and most effective way to deal with squirrels on your property.
The Role Squirrels Play In Our Environment
When a wild animal is causing trouble on your property, it can be hard to imagine they have any benefit to the world, but they all have some part to play in the environment. Squirrels have a few essential roles in the ecosystem, assisting with forest regeneration, helping truffles to thrive, and they have an important place in the food chain.
As most people know, squirrels tend to eat seeds, nuts, and vegetables, and you will often see them burying these food items to save for future consumption. This practice is known as caching, and while it may start as a self-serving activity, squirrels are forgetful rodents and don’t often remember where they bury food. When the nuts and seeds stay buried, they sprout and grow into trees and plants.
This process helps an ecosystem thrive, aiding in forest regeneration. Over time, this caching can alter the composition of the forest by introducing new types of trees. After considerable amounts of time, they even help the forest to expand.
If you enjoy eating truffles, you can also thank squirrels for helping them grow. Unlike mushrooms, whose spores disperse easily in the air, truffles grow underground. When squirrels dig in the ground to bury food, they sometimes feast on truffles, and their droppings allow the spores to spread, helping this delicacy to thrive.
Squirrels are also an essential part of the food chain. While they are most known for their seed and nut consumption, squirrels are omnivores and consume bird eggs, insects, caterpillars, and small snakes. They are also a food source for other animals, including foxes, wolves, weasels, owls, and hawks.
Although we appreciate the benefits squirrels provide to the ecosystem, they don’t necessarily need to be doing so on your property. If you have trouble with squirrels around your home or office, contact us at Modern Pest Control. We provide humane pest control for squirrels to eliminate your infestation and can help you prevent them from returning.
Squirrels Can Be Very Problematic For Property Owners
You probably already know how problematic squirrels can be if you found your way to this article. People often refer to squirrels as a nuisance, but these pests can be more than an annoying inconvenience. They can cause significant issues both outside your property and within the structure of your home or business.
If these pests are hanging around your property, you can easily prevent the trouble they can cause by teaming up with a company that provides squirrel control. We’ll briefly list some of the issues squirrels can cause in your home and business and then elaborate on them further below:
- Outdoor damage
- Indoor property damage
- Equipment damage
- Potential to bite
- Potential to spread illness
Before they even get inside, squirrels can cause various problems on your property. These pests are excellent climbers and will scale electrical poles or jump from branches to chew through telephone and electrical wiring. Squirrels are often the cause of blackouts and outages.
If you are someone who enjoys watching the birds, you already know how challenging it can be to keep squirrels away from bird feeders. These pests seem to find a way into every type of “squirrel-proof” feeder sold and will often destroy them. In their constant quest for food, they will also help themselves to any food in your garden.
Indoors, squirrels can cause considerable amounts of damage to the structure of your building or home. Part of the problem comes from those ever-growing teeth they have. Squirrels gnaw often and on just about anything.
While searching for a place to build their nest, they often find their way inside by chewing through the siding. Squirrels sometimes peel off roof shingles and chew through roof decking to gain entrance. In the process, they can damage gutters and tear holes in the roof soffit or fascia.
Once they get inside, your problems only get worse. Squirrels in the attic will damage insulation, their urine and feces create a terrible smell, and they will likely ruin belongings you put away for safekeeping. They also tend to chew on electrical wiring, creating a fire hazard, and can damage HVAC equipment.
Like most wild animals, squirrels also have the potential to bite and spread illnesses such as tularemia and ringworm. They will defend themselves if they feel trapped or threatened, making it especially important to work with professionals providing squirrel pest control, such as Modern Pest Control. Contact us today to learn how we can safely and effectively eliminate squirrels from your property.
Five Simple Yet Effective Squirrel Prevention Tips
After we eliminate your squirrel problem, it is time to take steps to prevent them from returning in the future. Prevention is the key to controlling squirrels and other wildlife around your home or business. Here are five simple steps you can take to help protect your property from these troublesome pests:
- Seal any cracks or gaps on the exterior of the structure.
- Cut back tree limbs.
- Screen vents and chimneys.
- Regularly dispose of garbage.
- If you have fruit trees, harvest ripe fruit promptly and clean up any dropped fruit.
Squirrels are clever rodents, and if there is any potential entry point into the structure, they will likely find it. Squirrels can squeeze through a hole as small as an inch and a half. Even a smaller crack can be a potential entrance if they can chew through the material to widen the gap.
Check around all of your windows and doors to ensure everything has a tight seal. Please pay close attention to attic windows because they are prone to damage from winds and storms that may go unnoticed. It is time to replace the windows if the glass isn’t tight in the frame.
Carefully inspect your property and look for branches close to the roof line. Squirrels can easily balance on even small branches to gain access to the roof. Cut back any branches or limbs six to eight feet from the structure.
If squirrels gain access to the roof, they can often easily enter your home or business. Make sure all vents and chimneys have intact screens to prevent these pests. Squirrels can sometimes chew through these screens anyway, so it is a good idea to have someone inspect the roof area periodically.
Squirrels are always on the hunt for their next meal, and it can take careful vigilance to ensure you aren’t accidentally providing them with a buffet. Regularly disposing of garbage in a securely tied bag and placing it in a tightly sealed receptacle can help deter squirrels’ interest.
Fruit trees can become an easy meal for these pests as well. Promptly pick up any ripe fruit that has fallen before it attracts squirrels. Food inside the structure can also attract them, so store everything in air-tight containers and try not to leave food sitting out.
Preventative squirrel control on your property can be challenging, but when you work with the pros at Modern Pest Control, we can simplify the process for you. Contact us today to learn more about how our services can help protect your home or business from pests and create a safer, healthier environment for your family, employees, and guests.
The Safe And Effective Way To Get Rid Of A Squirrel Infestation
We strongly recommend customers refrain from trying to trap or catch squirrels on their own. While they may appear to be cute little animals, they are still wild and can bite and scratch, and when they are afraid, they are more likely to attack. Working with a company that provides squirrel control near you is the safest, most effective, and most efficient option.
Modern Pest Control offers wildlife control in Houston to protect your home and businesses from the many troubles these pests can cause. We understand how stressful it can be to have animals causing problems on your property, and our pest management professionals have the expertise to deal with any pest problem you might have.
Our services start with an inspection of your property to correctly identify what animal is causing problems and whether or not they have found an entryway into the structure. We carefully check all the areas animals can potentially enter, including around the roof and utility access points. Following this inspection, our pros will have a clear idea of the extent of the infestation and will work with you to form a plan of action.
Next, we implement that plan, which typically involves trapping in the case of wild animals or rodents. Traps must be placed strategically within the structure to catch the animals safely and humanely. After we eradicate the pests in the structure, it is time to start working on exclusion.
Exclusion methods ensure that animals cannot enter your house or building again. Any active openings need to be secured so they cannot be used as entry points in the future. We will also cover any possible entryways with heavy gauge screens to prevent pests from chewing through them in the future.
Our pros will discuss factors or conditions on your property that may attract animals. Sometimes it is as simple as creating a better seal on garbage, removing or replacing bird feeders, or dealing with another pest infestation.
Our wildlife control services also come with a guarantee to ensure your property stays safe. If any holes we seal are re-opened by pests within the one-year warranty period, we will return and re-seal them free of charge. Contact us today at Modern Pest Control to learn more about our home pest control services and warranties, or schedule your free inspection to protect your property from troublesome pests and wildlife.