There are several sounds no homeowner wants to hear, including:
- The sound of running water, even though no faucets are turned on.
- A hissing sound coming from the walls or gas-powered appliances.
- The sound of scratching, flittering, or knocking coming from the attic.
Unfortunately, we cannot address burst water pipes or leaks in your HVAC system or gas line, but we can speak to the issue of disruptions coming from your attic. If you’re hearing the sound of tiny, quick feet that sound like they are scurrying across your ceiling, you could have squirrels in the attic.
Signs of Squirrels in the Attic
Along with the noises squirrels make as they move throughout your attic space, additional signs of a squirrel problem can include:
- Foul smells of urine and feces coming from your attic.
- Droppings throughout your attic space that are small, long, and dark brown, similar to a raisin.
- Squirrel nests built in the nooks and crannies of your attic.
- Sounds of knocking and scurrying in your walls in addition to the attic.
- Increased squirrel activity in your front or back yard.
Are Squirrels in the Attic or Home Dangerous?
Squirrels in the attic or anywhere inside your home create more than a nuisance. They can pose a severe threat to your home’s structural components, plumbing system, electrical system, and the health of yourself and your family.
Squirrels Can Threaten Your Structural Components
Squirrels are chewers that gnaw on anything they want to. When they make their way into your home, chances are they chewed their way in first, and they will not stop once inside. The problem is that squirrels’ teeth are constantly growing, and the only way to file them down is to chew. Squirrels will gnaw on anything, including your attic walls, structural beams, insulation, and anything else at their disposal.
Additionally, when squirrels chew holes from the outside in (or even the inside out), you risk rainwater getting into your attic and eventually causing costly water damage.
Squirrels Can Threaten Your Plumbing System
If you have exposed water pipes made of PVC in your attic, a squirrel could choose to gnaw on them, eventually causing disastrous leaks or bursts. A leaking or burst pipe is, at minimum, frustrating and, at most, detrimental. From pooling to flooding, pipe damage leads to water that runs along the path of least resistance. If the damage occurs in the attic, the water will find its way down by way of the walls or by seeping through the ceiling and possibly into the floorboards.
Replacing components like pipes, drywall, wood, and other pieces due to water damage is a costly, time-consuming endeavor that no homeowner ever wants to deal with, especially because of a pesky squirrel.
Squirrels Can Threaten Your Electrical System
Again, chewing is a squirrel’s worst yet most constant behavior. When we say they will chew on anything, we mean anything, including electrical wires and cords. If you have live wires in your attic, a squirrel is likely to chew through them, which can lead to either power outages or even electrical fires. Replacing wiring that has been damaged is irritating enough, but no one wants to undergo the extended, exhaustive fire restoration process all because of a squirrel.
Squirrels Can Threaten Your Health
Contrary to popular belief, squirrels do not carry rabies. However, they do carry other diseases that are threatening to our health, such as the plague (yes, that plague), ringworm, typhus, and tularemia (more commonly known as rabbit fever). Plus, they urinate and defecate everywhere, whether they are inside your house or not, releasing these bacteria and viruses with every drop or dropping.
Tips to Safeguard Your Attic From a Squirrel Invasion
To help protect your home and family from a squirrel invasion, follow these easy, practical tips:
Locate and Seal All Possible Openings and Entry Points
Examine your home and locate all the areas where a squirrel could get in. Pay close attention to the attic since a squirrel’s ideal landing spot indoors is one without much human activity and plenty of things to eat.
If you identify any possible openings, seal them up.
Trim Back Your Trees
Overgrown trees that hang over your home are a fast pass to your attic. Squirrels and other rodents can use the branches to quickly reach your roof and find their way into your home. If you have tree branches touching or close to touching your roof, trim them enough so that squirrels will not want to risk leaping from the tree to the roof.
Set Up Bright Lights in the Attic
Squirrels build their nests in dark corners. By eliminating the darkness and keeping your attic brightly lit, you’ll discourage them from wanting to make your attic their new home. With new, cool-burning and efficient LED bulbs, you can keep your attic lit without driving your power bill and cooling costs through the roof.
Try Repellants
There are store-bought repellents that mimic the scents of natural predators like foxes and coyotes. Or, you can make a homemade repellant that produces a strong smell, offensive to a squirrel’s nose. Options include:
- Mixing a tablespoon of hot sauce with a quart of water in a spray bottle
- Laying rags soaked in apple cider vinegar around the attic
- Combining garlic powder, black pepper, peppermint leaves, and cayenne powder together and leaving bowls of the mixture around the attic
What to Do if You Have a Squirrel Invasion
If you have a squirrel or family of squirrels in your attic, call a reliable exterminator to remove these pests safely. Squirrels are, well, squirrely and unpredictable, and removal should be left to the experts for everyone’s safety.
Have squirrels in your attic? Call the pros at Bizzy Bee Exterminators!
Our team is highly trained and experienced at eradicating squirrels and other rodents from homes throughout Central and Northeast Georgia. We provide thorough, careful service to trap and remove squirrels from attics, basements, crawl spaces, and other indoor areas.
Call us to schedule squirrel removal and pest management at your home today: 1-800-273-4958
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