Squirrel Removal from Home and Damage Repair in Bradley Beach, NJ
Challenge
A regular client of Cowleys from Bradley Beach called us because the tenant of his rental home had complained of hearing noises in the attic. I arrived on the scene to meet with the homeowner to get a better understanding of the situation such as the types of noises, and the time and frequency of the noises. From all indications, and from knowing the typical nuisance wildlife in the Bradley Beach area, squirrels were the prime suspect.
It was time to get started with my inspection. I first went up into the attic and found fresh squirrel droppings and urine spots. Squirrel droppings have a somewhat barrel-like shape slightly bulging in the center, about 3/8 inch long, with rounded tips. Fresh ones are dark brown, but they get lighter with age. Squirrels, with their high metabolism eat a lot, and one squirrel can leave behind a good 20 droppings daily. They also urinate quite a bit, often contaminating insulation once they are in the attic. Squirrels pose potential health risks to a home’s occupants.Their urine and droppings not only smell bad, but the carry disease-causing pathogens. Squirrels can also transport disease-carrying ticks inside a home.
The next issue was to figure out how the squirrels were gaining access inside the attic. As I continued my inspection, I observed many large gaps underneath the shingles and above the gutters. Squirrels are experts at exploiting any gaps that they come across. If the gaps are too small, they will do their own “construction work” and expanding them by chewing around the edges until they form a usable entry point. Squirrels are gnawing rodents with razor sharp teeth that can grind through most construction materials. With this Bradley Beach home, I immediately saw the entry point. There was a massive pipe that led straight into the attic with scratch marks from the squirrels all over it.
Solution
After I gathered all my evidence of the type of infestation and how they were gaining access to the attic, I knew exactly what to do. I went to my truck and grabbed three humane box traps that would allow me to safely remove and relocate the squirrels. I also installed a wildlife exclusion that is the equivalent of a one-way valve. It allows all the squirrels in the attic to be able to exit, but it’s a one-way trip. They are unable to reenter the attic. I set three box traps to safely and humanely capture the animals. Once captured, I remove and relocate the animals away from human populations so both the squirrels and people can live in peace away from one another.
Finally, I met with the homeowner to review my findings and what steps I took to resolve the infestation. He was extremely pleased to know that his problem was taken care of and his tenant would feel safe again. I also spoke with the homeowner about having the toxic droppings removed. I told him that when droppings dry out, they release dangerous toxic spores into the air that can cause people to develop serious lung infections. Also, I talked to the homeowner about having his urine- and dropping-saturated insulation replaced with our TAP Pest Control Insulation that not only has superior thermal and acoustical properties, but also has pest control properties for insects. He was thankful that we could also resolve these issues. He was anxious to have his rental property restored to where it was before the infestation, and that his tenant would once again feel safe with no threat to her health.
I performed a follow-up site check. A squirrel was trapped and would be relocated to a safe habitat. Most important, the tenant was no longer hearing any noises from above, so we could go ahead and seal up the job. It was a happy ending for all — the homeowner, the tenant, and the squirrel!
