When you think of dangerous rodent infestations that you can get in your Fairfax home, you probably think of rats and mice rather than squirrels. However, like all rodents, squirrels can pose a whole host of issues for homeowners – from doing property damage to introducing secondary infestations to threatening health. Squirrels can be especially troublesome during the fall and winter when they prepare to bed down and wait out the cold. Even so, you have to be vigilant against infestations all year long.
How To Tell If You Have Squirrels In Your Fairfax House
Squirrels are not exactly shy rodents, so if you have a gaggle of them living on your property, it’s a good bet you’ll see them. Squirrels are active during the day, so you’ll probably see them scurrying around your yard, picking up fallen acorns, or running along the roofline. Other signs squirrels are living in your house include:
- Ripped up exterior furniture or torn attic insulation.
- Scurrying sounds in the ceiling or on the roof.
- Piles of acorns in sheds, walls, or attics.
- Squirrel nests in tight, sheltered spots.
Problems Squirrels Bring To Your Fairfax Home
There are three main threats squirrels pose- property destruction, secondary infestations, and disease. Like all rodents, squirrels have sharp teeth that they use to tear up whatever gets in their way and whatever they think they can use to build nests. For instance, squirrels love to rip up plush lawn furniture to use the stuffing as nesting material. They’ll also rip the insulation right out of your attic to stuff in their nests. If they can, they’ll tear up your home’s siding or wooden planks covering ventilation holes to gain access to your home. They might also nest in stationary cars or boats and do significant damage inside.
Squirrels also carry parasites like fleas and ticks. It’s very easy for even non-pet owners to get an infestation of one or both of these external parasites if they have a squirrel infestation. Fleas are especially likely to infest your home in the winter, as it provides warmth and shelter for them to nest and breed. The parasites that squirrels bring onto your property carry and spread dangerous diseases. Ticks especially carry debilitating and sometimes deadly diseases like Lyme disease and Rocky Mountain spotted fever. This is why it’s so important to keep all types of rodents – including squirrels – away from your home.
Effective Squirrel Prevention Tips For Fairfax Properties
The good thing about squirrels is that many of the residential pest control methods you’re using to protect yourself from other types of rodents will also work against them. Something you do for rats and mice, such as sealing off potential entry points in your home and keeping all garbage covered, will also help to deter squirrels.
However, there are additional measures you can take to prevent squirrels in particular:
- Clean up fallen nuts, berries, and other food sources in your yard.
- Use fake owls or pinwheels to scare them away.
- Try motion detector noisemakers that bark or hoot.
- Keep tree branches trimmed back away from your house.
The Safest Way To Keep Squirrels Away From Your Fairfax Property
If even your strictest prevention measures don’t seem to be doing the trick, you may need professional commercial or residential pest control. Here at SPRK Pest Solutions, we deliver customer-focused, safe, and effective solutions to protect your home from destructive and annoying squirrels. We tailor our solutions to fit your specific needs to ensure all your pest problems are solved for good. So give us a call or visit our contact page to get started today!
