Squirrels Excluded in Red Bank, NJ
Challenge
I was sent to a residence in Red Bank, NJ, to deal with a squirrel infestation. As we all know, here in New Jersey, “in like a lion, out like a lamb” spring can have unpredictable weather. However, at some point, spring arrives. Temperatures finally warm up and there is more daylight to enjoy. The seasonal transition from winter to spring has major effects on wildlife, including squirrels. For squirrels, early spring is baby season. Many of the squirrels you see running around this time of year are carrying little ones!
Older female grey squirrels only breed once or twice a year, and they are single-parent households. The males do not participate at all in rearing the young. The mother squirrel has a litter of three or four babies after about 45-days. During this time of year, mother squirrels are looking for a safe place to give birth, searching for a place that will offer protection, warmth, and security. Outdoors, the mothers give birth and care for their young in a drey, a nest made out of twigs that they build in the forks of tall trees or in a cavity nest in a hollow tree. Outdoors, however, the vulnerable young are at the mercy of all sorts of predators and mother squirrels will often try to find more private, safer birthing spots inside homes and other structures. For these aerial rodents, attics are prime real estate. They are dry, quiet, and isolated. Mother squirrels will start probing around your home looking for any vulnerable areas around the soffits and fascia to gain access into your attic. Sure enough, with this home in Middletown, a squirrel successfully gained access.
Solution
To resolve this attic infestation, I first performed an exclusion. This involves placing a one-way door over the main entry point and sealing up any other potential entry points to force the squirrels to go through the one-way. With one-way devices, squirrels or other wildlife can leave, once out, they can’t get back in. With any wildlife infestation, it is critical to ensure that all of the wildlife has been removed before permanently sealing the home. Trapping animals inside is a sure recipe for significant property damage as they will do anything to try to escape. Needless to say, it’s also inhumane, especially when there are babies. After a wildlife infestation, the last thing a homeowner wants to deal with is smelly, rotting animal carcasses.
I thoroughly checked the attic to make sure that there were no babies in there. Fortunately, the mother was only in the preparation stages and had not yet given birth. I placed three live traps side-by-side on a lower roof near the one-way. Once caught, I’ll relocate the squirrel to a safe place. With this job, the one-way and traps were all properly set up to resolve this squirrel infestation. Now, all we need is a little patience to trap the critters. After a waiting period, the entry point can be permanently sealed. Cowleys has a separate contractor division that works in tandem with the wildlife technicians to repair wildlife damage. This crew also has the necessary tools and products to sanitize and deodorize attics or other areas of the home infested by wildlife. After an infestation, the toxic droppings left behind are a health hazard. Also, the residual smells are not only unpleasant for the home’s occupants, but they are also an attractant for other wildlife.
