Despite sometimes looking cute when you see them scurrying around the local park, it’s a different story when they invade your home. These pesky animals are viewed as pests by many homeowners in Quebec, cheekily making themselves at home in numerous properties.
To keep squirrels out of your house, our Montreal exterminators will give you some tips and tricks that you can put into practice every day.
Are squirrels bad for your home?
Squirrels have many annoying habits that sometimes make it difficult to keep them away from your house. Since they don’t hibernate during the winter, squirrels tend to settle inside hollow trees or often in well-insulated attics and sheds since these places are isolated, can protect them from the cold and are ideal for storing food.
The problem is that squirrels love destroying things. For example, they are known to attack bird feeders in search of seeds and raid gardens to dig up plant bulbs and snack on buds and tomatoes.
In addition, they find joy in rummaging through your trash, leaving behind an unprecedented mess for you to clean up. Be careful with them as squirrels can carry many parasites. We therefore recommend that you avoid petting or going too close to them.
Lastly, being rodents, squirrels can chew through electrical wires, which greatly increases the risk of a fire breaking out from a short circuit.
9 tips to prevent squirrels from settling in your home
Not sure what to do to get squirrels to leave your house? We’ve got 9 easy tricks for you to use to get those pesky squirrels far, far away!
1. Trim tree branches that lead to your house
Given their agility, these urban rodents enjoy climbing trees. Therefore, the first precaution to take to keep squirrels out of your home is to trim down all the tree branches located within 3 meters of your house.
Trimming tree branches avoids giving black and grey squirrels a direct path to your attic or rooftop.
2. Seal your home’s openings
Another way to avoid attracting squirrels to your house is to caulk every opening that they could use to enter. Since squirrels can gnaw through the majority of materials, the most effective solution is to block all entrances using wire mesh screens with a mesh size of less than a centimetre.
However, make sure that there aren’t any squirrels already in your house before proceeding to block these openings! Be careful when blocking the entrances as it’s more difficult than it seems. The only way to ensure that this process will work effectively is to hire a professional to carry out the sealing and caulking for you.
3. Get rid of food sources
Eliminating food sources is a great way to keep squirrels at bay.
These small rodents have a very good sense of smell and are only out to get one thing: food. Close garbage can lids and don’t leave them lying around outside. Keep outdoor dining tables clean and don’t leave anything edible in your yard.
4. Get ultrasonic and water repellents
Like many animals, squirrels hate loud noises and flee as soon as they hear them.
Ultrasonic repellents are a particularly worthwhile investment. They are effective against many pests and will prevent squirrels entering your house, while also repelling mice and rats.
Water repellents are also a great way to keep squirrels away. Once installed in your garden, these deterrents detect movement and blast water jets in all directions if something passes nearby. Squirrels absolutely hate being caught off guard!
Do you have a question? Take advantage of a free consultation with our experts!
5. Use repelling odours
A squirrel’s biggest strength and equally its biggest weakness is its sense of smell.
Many strong odours can be used to keep squirrels away from your house, including the following:
- Pepper
- Garlic
- Strong mustard
- Lemon
You could mix a splash of lemon juice with water in a spray bottle and regularly spray this concoction on the areas where your resident squirrels tend to lurk. This should keep them out of your house!
6. Scare them with CDs and DVDs
Collect your old CDs and DVDs from your attic and use them to keep squirrels away. Put them in your garden amongst your plants and tree branches. Their mirror effect frightens squirrels.
However, make sure you regularly change the CDs and DVDs to keep them shiny and effective.
7. Use your pets’ hair… or your own
If you own a pet, you probably know how annoying pet hair can be. It gets everywhere! However, it can in fact be very useful against squirrels. Gather it all up and put it into a large bag and then scatter it around your garden. This works immediately. It’s a really effective deterrent!
If you haven’t got any pets, there are other options too. For example, you could do this with your own hair or your family’s hair, and you’ll get the same effects.
8. Keep them away from bird feeders
It’s true that bird food attracts squirrels. They love seeds, berries and nuts. Therefore, bird feeders are responsible for many rodent infestations.
Additionally, to limit how high they climb, try to complicate it for them by putting oil on trees. This doesn’t do any harm to birds yet makes it very difficult for squirrels to climb. You could also place bird feeders on free-standing poles about 2 metres off the ground and 4 metres away from your house, trees, and other structures.
9. Contact prevention specialists
If you put our tips and tricks into practice, you shouldn’t have to deal with a squirrel in your home again. However, if you are not comfortable taking action and are still scared that they’ll come into your house, contact a preventive pest control professional. They will do all the necessary work with the best equipment to keep squirrels out of your house.
Worried about squirrels and want to hire a professional?
Although there are lots of different methods for preventing squirrel infestations, you might prefer to hire a professional pest control specialist.
If this is the case, feel free to contact the team at Elite Pest Control. Our specialists always use wildlife-friendly techniques and will be able to keep squirrels out of your house, making sure they never set foot inside again!
