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Grey Squirrel – Pest Control
Posted  by debbieandsteve on Apr 9, 2013 in Ants , birds , Boscombe , Bournemouth , Christchurch , Ferndown , fleas , Foxes , mice , moles , pest control , pest prevention , Poole , Rabbits , rat , Rats , Ringwood , Rodents , squirrels , Verwood , Wasps , West Moors , Winton | 0 comments
Grey Squirrels were originally introduced from America during the late nineteenth and early twentieth century and since then have spread widely and today they are a well-known feature of parks, gardens and woodland especially in Poole, Bournemouth and surrounding areas, producing different reactions amongst the general public and while many people enjoy seeing and feeding them, others see them as nothing more than tree rats. They are certainly very entertaining by their very nature of being extremely agile, but they remain a serious pest, not only to forestry but to homes and buildings too, causing considerable damage each year, especially to young trees.
They can become a nuisance very quickly with their bold and inquisitive nature, raiding bird tables and then digging holes to hide the food they have stolen or even digging up bulbs out of planters or borders. A More serious problem is when they find their way into lofts or roof spaces either by climbing a building or leaping across from a nearby tree or foliage, then they can be very destructive, removing or displacing roof tiles, chewing holes in fascias or soffits and even removing air vents and once inside, chewing the timbers and ripping up insulation to use as nest material. They can also strip electric cables which in turn could be a major fire risk. Pipework can fall victim to gnawing causing water damage and they also make a mess very quickly with their droppings and smell. It is not uncommon to find mice living alongside squirrels in a property, taking advantage of food brought in by squirrels.    
The Grey Squirrel is active during daylight hours, especially at dawn and at dusk and due to its size, it can be quite disturbing for any householder to be awoken by intense activity inside their properties at early or late hours of the day!
The diet consists of fruit, nuts, fungi, eggs and even young birds. They will normally breed twice a year, spring and late summer are favourite, when three or four young are produced and these will be able to breed after a year and the nest is called a drey and is usually constructed from twigs or sticks and lined with dry grass, moss, or feathers and can be found either in the hollow of a tree or high up in the top foliage in the forks of branches, sometimes old birds nests can be utilised and several dreys can be constructed by one individual squirrel. It is when a loft space is selected that problems arise.
Being a rodent means that a squirrels teeth, like other rodents (rats and mice), are continually growing so constant gnawing is required to keep this in check. Because of this any holes that are blocked up in a property must be able to withstand an attack from a determine squirrel! Any overhanging trees or branches should be cut back to stop easy access. If you are unable to prevent them entering your property then other means will have to be employed. This can involve culling or live trapping and in the latter case the animal cannot be released, (by law) and would have to be humanely destroyed. All these methods would be governed by local conditions and suitability and if there were any native red squirrels in the area, then further limitations would apply. Any property can be vulnerable, not just those that back onto parks or forests like West Moors, Poole, Ferndown or Ringwood. Even areas that do not boast large numbers of trees are at risk ie. Winton and Boscombe as squirrels are very quick to adapt to the local geography if a food source exists.
As grey squirrels seem to have been able to dominate the red squirrels, many areas now lack the native red but it may well be that by a twist of fate, nature is getting revenge! Black squirrels are gaining a bigger foothold in the UK and already can be seen from Hertfordshire to Cambridgeshire and even small pockets further south and in Wales. The black squirrel may well have the same effect on the grey squirrel, as the grey has had on the red.
Squirrel Facts