Every summer Baltimore natives are forced to deal with different kinds of pests that the warmer weather brings forth. However one of the biggest, problem making, pests are squirrels! While some may not think of a squirrel as an issue, they can be some of the most innovative and difficult pests to get rid of. Squirrels are responsible for multiple types of issues: from getting stuck in your home, chewing through spots on homes, and disrupting bird feeders. Fear not, below are a few tips and tricks on how to prevent squirrel problems this summer.

Prevent squirrels from getting in your house

           Squirrels are often the most happy when living in trees, however due to the fewer trees available to them, they have adapted and will use anything they can to make their lives as happy as possible with what they have to work with. This leads them straight to your home for shelter.

•        Inspect your home to make for any existing entry points, squirrels san use as their way in, that lead through your walls or toward the attic
•        Repair any holes and entryways you discover, after you’ve made sure there are no squirrels currently using that entrance
•        Spray entries with taste-adversive repellent
•        Seal holes with  ½” or ¼” hardware cloth

Prevent Squirrels from Gaining Easy Access to Attics

           In order to help keep your home squirrel free, you can create measures to keep squirrels from being able to climb a tree to get into your attic. Get rid of the possibility of them being able to climb trees to get into your attic, keeps them out of your home.

•        Wrap the tree in sheet metal to prevent the ability to crawl up the tree
•        Keep the metal 4 feet above the ground and at least 3 feet wide to prevent squirrels jumping over the metal

How to Get Squirrels Out of Your Attic

           Squirrels that stay in your attic for an extended period of time are most likely to be a mother and babies, especially in the summer as this is the time of year that they tend to have their litters. If this is the case there are a few things you can do to get the squirrels out and keep them out.

•        Make sure babies are following the mother on daily outings and then install a one way door trap, allowing them all to leave and not regain access
•        Seal the entrance with ½” or ¼” hardware cloth once they are all gone
•        Soak rags in household cleaning products to place in the attic, the smell will encourage them to leave
•        Shine a light on the nest
•        Play loud music in the attic to drive the squirrels away

Get a Loose Squirrel Out Of the House

           With squirrels so active during the summer months, it is possible that they accidently enter your home. Once this happens, the squirrel will frantically search for a way to escape the unfamiliar environment. In order to help get them out of the home follow these tips:

•        Close all other doors leading to the rest of the house to offer a clear path out
•        Turn lights off and cover windows that are not the one you want to leave the squirrel out of, as they will follow the light out after being left alone
•        Provide something for the squirrel to be able to reach their exit space; Think of a chair to climb or knotted sheets to climb down for a higher level exit
•        Set a live trap batted with peanut butter, leave alone for a few hours, set them free outside

Stop Squirrels from Creating Holes in Your House

           Squirrels tend to chew on the trim of houses, this cam cause issues with the look of the exterior to your house. Once they have caused this damaged it can be difficult to fix and match to the rest of the trim. In order to prevent this from happening:

•        Spray the trim of your home with taste-adversive repellent
•        Make sure to spray a patch test to make sure it does not affect your paint before using it on the entire house

Keep Away from Bird Feeders

           Squirrels hunt out any food source they can, one of the easiest things for them to find and use are bird feeders. Once they discover this source of constant food, they are not likely to go anywhere else in search of food. The best way to keep squirrels away from bird feeders is to keep them from accessing bird feeders as a source of food.

•        Keep feeders away from trees and jumping off points which are easily accessible
•        Use “Anti squirrel” feeders designed so they cannot get to the food itself

During the summer while all kinds of pests are out and about, you can use these tips to make sure one pest you won’t have to deal with are squirrels.