Squirrel control and removal from office in Manasquan
Challenge
A Manasquan commercial client of Cowleys contacted us about a potential nuisance wildlife problem that seemed to be getting worse and more disruptive by the day. There was ongoing scratching noises coming from inside the wall voids making it next to impossible for the office workers to do their job. A number of the workers were afraid that whatever animals were lurking behind the wall would scratch their way out and attack them. I assured them that most nuisance wildlife wants as little to do with people as we want to do with them.
Upon arrival, I met with the business owner to get a better understanding of the problem such as the type and frequency of noises, and their location. I also spent some time trying to hear the noises myself, but the animals must have known I was coming and kept quiet! With any wildlife infestation problem, the inspection is critical to determine where they are gaining access to the inside of the building. I sound found the entry point: a hole in the lower roof. With small animals gaining access through the roof, the usual suspect are squirrels. Squirrel activity is heavy in this area and all of the evidence pointed toward these wily little creatures.
Solution
I took my tools-of-the-trade out of my truck and installed a “one way” device over the entry hole. This allows squirrels to exit the building, but blocks access back in. I also set up three safe and humane box traps. I’m sometimes asked if I’m going to kill any wildlife, and my answer is always an unqualified no. My job is to safely remove and relocate the animals far away from our customers’ buildings. Bringing the wildlife back to the wild is a win-win situation for the customers and the animals.
After readying the roof to exclude and catch the wildlife, I spoke with the owner to review what I did, and the next steps in order to resolve this infestation problem for good. The timing could not have been better. Moments after showing him where the traps were located, a squirrel had exited through the one-way exclusion and right into one of the traps that I had set. The customer was extremely excited to see “in real time” that his wildlife problem was being immediately resolved. I took the captured squirrel with me for safe relocation, and I’ll be returning periodically to check the traps. I told the owner to immediately contact me if he or any of his employees hear any wildlife noises coming from behind the walls. Once all of the animals entering the building have been trapped and relocated, and the workers hear nothing but silence coming from behind the walls, I’ll remove my traps and fix the entry point. My job is done when all of the uninvited squirrels are relocated to a more suitable home, and the human occupants can once again use and enjoy the building for themselves without any interruptions or distractions from wildlife.
