Squirrel
A common pest problem is when squirrels get into the loft space of a building, as they can cause structural damage particularly to loft insulation, timbers, pipework and any stored items. This in turn can pose a significant fire hazard when insulation on electrical wiring is stripped. Squirrels may be noisy, and are often known to drown in uncovered water storage tanks, which may contaminate the water supply.
Squirrel Prevention & Control
For squirrels, prevention is certainly better than cure, but as they only need a hole the size of the squirrel’s head to gain access to a building, prevention can be challenging. If squirrels have actually been seen entering a property their access points will be clear, but otherwise narrowing down their routes can be difficult. Stuffing a piece of newspaper into a suspected access hole will be easily removed by a squirrel, and this will reveal that the hole is in use.
The RSPCA advice recommend strong wire mesh size no larger than 25mm to block access holes to squirrels, as well as repairing slipped slates, rotten soffits or missing bricks.
