Security Squirrel Control & Squirrel Removal Services
Squirrel Control
& Removal
Licensed squirrel control and removal serving Eastern Massachusetts since 1993. We are State Licensed Problem Animal Control agents, and we specialise in removing problem squirrels from hard-to-reach places — inaccessible attics, eaves, cathedral ceilings and crawlspaces.
Massachusetts Squirrel Specialists
Expert Squirrel Control & Wildlife Removal
We specialize in removing all types of problem squirrels from your residence. We regularly perform squirrel removal in difficult-to-access areas such as inaccessible attics, eaves, cathedral ceilings and crawlspaces.
Squirrel removal from the attic or eaves is the most common squirrel removal we do. Attics are ideal places for mother squirrels to make their nests; they will also nest in the cavities in your home’s walls, accessed through the top of the wall openings in your attic. Squirrels will enter your home through existing holes or chew their way in through vents, soffits, gables or other wood-damaged areas. The main problem with squirrels living in your house is the damage they cause.
- We’re State Licensed Problem Animal Control Agents
- PAC Certified Squirrel Removal
- Squirrel exclusion work is covered by our service agreement
The Problem
Signs of Grey Squirrels in Your Home
Grey squirrels are the most common squirrels we see outside in our yards. They come out early in the morning and are active throughout the day. The most common symptoms of a grey squirrel infestation are loud chewing and scratching sounds in walls and ceilings just before dark and again in the early morning hours.
Since they weigh up to a couple of pounds, their chewing and scratching will be much louder than a small rodent could make — when you hear one running across an overhead ceiling, you will know it is a larger animal. Grey squirrels are very destructive. They can chew large holes through wood and often chew through electrical wiring insulation.
Common Signs of Squirrel Activity in Your Home
Chewed wiring
In the attic and in wall voids.
Vent damage
Chewed vent louvers and torn vent screening.
Bad odour
From feces and urine-soaked insulation.
Soffit, gable & roof damage
Where squirrels have chewed their way in.
Ceiling stains
Brown staining from squirrel urine.
Feces and urine deposits
Large raisin-sized droppings left all over.
How It Works
How We Get Rid of Squirrels
01
Inspection & Entry Point Detection
We locate every entry and exit hole the squirrels are using, including the chewed vents, soffits, gables and wood-damaged areas that are easy to miss from the ground.
02
Seal, Then One-Way Doors
Openings they are not currently using are sealed first so there is only one way out, then temporary one-way doors go on the active holes — faster than trapping and cheaper for you. We live trap only where doors will not work.
03
Final Seal & Property Warranty
Once the squirrels are out we return, take the doors off and finish the sealing, then warranty the whole property against future grey squirrel problems.
Wildlife Information
Squirrel Facts
A squirrel has a brain about the size of a walnut
Squirrels communicate with each other through different chirps
Squirrels can run up to about twenty miles per hour
They eat up to 2 pounds of food each week
Squirrels scent mark their food before hiding it for winter
Double-jointed hind legs let them run up and down trees quickly
A squirrel can fall up to 70 feet without injury
4 toes on the front feet, with very sharp nails for climbing
5 toes on the back feet
The Eastern Grey Squirrel is also found out West and in the UK
A male can smell a female in heat a mile away
Squirrels can jump a distance of approximately 19 feet
Eyes on the sides of the head let them see behind themselves
The average grey squirrel lives for 3–5 years
Squirrels in the Attic
Attics are ideal places for mother squirrels to make their nests, and they will also nest in the cavities in your home’s walls, which they reach through the top of the wall openings in your attic. Grey squirrels love to live in attics: they are warmer, drier and safer from predators than outside tree nests.
Since squirrels are incontinent they will urinate and defecate all over the attic and wall voids, leaving large raisin-sized droppings everywhere along with urine-stained, ripped or matted-down insulation that smells of urine.
Flying Squirrels in Your Attic
Flying squirrels look a lot like baby grey squirrels. The most noticeable differences are the webbing between their legs and body, and the fur on the tail, which is more flattened instead of round and fluffy like the much larger grey squirrel’s.
Unlike grey squirrels, flying squirrels sleep during the day and are active at night. They can get into very small roof openings and tend to travel in groups. Like grey squirrels they like to chew on many items. They may sound like mice in your walls, or you may hear them moving around at night above your bedroom ceilings, and they can reach your roof by jumping off tall trees. Our pest control technicians are very experienced at removal of flying squirrels from attics.
Grey Squirrels are Excellent Jumpers
Grey squirrels can easily jump from tree branches to our homes. They have been known to jump more than 6 feet across, and can cover more distance still if they are jumping down to a lower object. They are great climbers — they can run up a drain pipe from the ground to the roofline in just a couple of seconds.
Squirrel Habits and Info
A squirrel is in the family Sciuridae, which also includes ground squirrels, flying squirrels, chipmunks and woodchucks. The average grey squirrel lives for 3-5 years. Squirrels are clever and persistent animals, notorious for eating out of bird feeders and digging up flower beds to pull out bulbs. They have a keen sense of smell which they use to locate buried nuts, and can dig extensive holes throughout their area. Crows watch for squirrels burying nuts so they can dig them up as soon as the squirrel leaves. A squirrel’s diet consists of nuts, acorns, birdseed, bird eggs, mushrooms, corn, wheat, insects, garbage and berries.
Squirrels are expert tree climbers but can also survive quite happily in urban areas devoid of trees. They have scent glands in their feet, so as they move around they leave scent trails for other squirrels to follow — their pheromones last up to two years.
Squirrels clean nuts before burying them: the squirrel cracks the nut open, licks it and rubs it on its face, marking it with its own scent to make it easier to find later. Grey squirrels can find a nut even under a foot of snow. They will carry nuts from outside and stash them inside your walls or attic, and peanuts in shells thrown outside get carried in the same way. Squirrels can have parasites and fleas, and if their nest becomes infested they simply move to a new one. Between the fire hazard, the feces and urine-damaged insulation, and food hidden in your walls leading to other pest problems, it is important to get rid of squirrels in the attic.
Squirrel Damage Causing Fires & Power Outages
A lack of squirrel control in the attic means wire damage, house fires and power outages. If you have rodents such as squirrels or mice in your attic, you probably have wire damage too. Squirrels are often the cause of power outages: they readily climb a power pole and crawl across a power line, and if they touch a high voltage conductor and a grounded portion of the device at the same time they are electrocuted and cause a short circuit that shuts down equipment.
Squirrels have brought down the New York stock market twice. City officials of New York City attribute at least one power outage each day to squirrels, and squirrels cause more power outages than lightning in some states — in Georgia in 2006 there were 16,520 power outages caused by squirrels. Not all of those were from chewing: some were contact electrocutions, but many came from contact with the metal wire after the squirrel had chewed through the insulation.
Why Squirrels Chew Wires
Squirrels like to chew on various edible and inedible objects. This maintains sharp teeth and, because their teeth grow continuously (6 inches per year), prevents overgrowth. Squirrels have 22 teeth and will chew on just about anything — grey squirrels even grind their teeth in their sleep. Rodents such as squirrels, rats and mice have to chew and gnaw constantly to keep their teeth in check, otherwise their teeth would grow too long, rendering them unable to eat and starving them.
Repellent Scents & Radios
Squirrel control by means of wolf urine, coyote urine, fox urine or scents? Pest professionals say they do not work, and we have tried most of them. The squirrels either ignored the smell or just moved to another area in the house — and the method left a foul urine smell in the attic for quite a while.
Will playing a radio get rid of squirrels in the attic? This sometimes works for a day or two, but that is about it. They simply get used to it, just like people get used to sleeping with a radio on.
Moth Balls
Squirrel control using moth balls in the attic is illegal and toxic to humans. Moth balls are made from naphthalene, which is derived from coal tar, and because the naphthalene gas is heavier than air it finds its way down into the upper living areas of your house. Moth balls might work for a while, but the amount needed to force grey squirrels out of your attic will make your attic and upper floors smell of moth balls for years. And the squirrels usually just move their nest to another part of the house, such as an isolated wall void or between your floors.
- Headaches, nausea, dizziness
- Cancer — mothballs are possible carcinogens
- Effect on babies — skin rash, anemia, jaundice
- Breathing difficulties — asthma attacks, asthma worsening
Rat Traps Used for Squirrel Control
Rat traps are designed for rats, not for squirrels. If you use a rat trap as a squirrel trap the squirrel will just get wounded and possibly die later somewhere in your house — and if that spot is inaccessible, you now have a bigger problem.
Ultrasonic Repellent Devices
Experts in the field have tried to get the Federal Trade Commission to ban ultrasonic pest control devices for squirrel and rodent control because of poor field results, and the FTC has published a warning to ultrasonic pest repeller manufacturers and retailers. Pests may initially move away from the device, but research shows they return and become habituated: the repelling effect lasts 1-3 days, and 4-8 days later they are used to the noise and carry on living in your home.
Most researchers urge consumers to view ultrasonic pest repellents with skepticism, and the New York State Consumer Protection Board cautions against using them. Note: there is scientific evidence that some of these devices can cause hearing loss in animals, especially dogs.
Common Questions
Squirrel Removal FAQs
Squirrels weigh up to a couple of pounds, so the chewing and scratching in your walls and ceilings is much louder than a small rodent could make — when something runs across an overhead ceiling you can tell it is a larger animal. Grey squirrels are active in daylight, loudest just before dark and again early in the morning, and they leave large raisin-sized droppings.
Exclusion, wherever possible. We find every entry and exit hole, seal the ones they are not using, and fit one-way doors on the ones they are. It is the best way to end an ongoing squirrel problem, it is faster than trapping, and it costs you less. When one-way doors are not possible we live trap the squirrels and then seal the holes.
Chewed wiring is a genuine fire risk, and squirrels are a leading cause of power outages — New York City attributes at least one outage a day to them, and Georgia recorded 16,520 squirrel-caused outages in 2006. On top of that you get vent and soffit damage, urine-soaked insulation, and food stashed in your walls that brings other pests.
Flying squirrels look like baby grey squirrels but have webbing between their legs and body and a flattened tail. They are nocturnal rather than daytime-active, travel in groups, and fit through very small roof openings. They can sound like mice in the walls or above a bedroom ceiling.
No. Moth balls in an attic are illegal and toxic — naphthalene gas sinks into your living space, and the quantity needed leaves the house smelling for years. Wolf, coyote and fox urine did not work in our experience; the squirrels ignored it or moved to another part of the house. A radio buys a day or two before they get used to it.
No. The FTC has published a warning to ultrasonic pest repeller manufacturers over poor field results. The repelling effect lasts 1-3 days, then the animals habituate and carry on living in your home. There is also evidence some devices cause hearing loss in animals, especially dogs.
Service Area
Towns We Perform Squirrel Removal & Trapping Services In
- Acton, MA
- Arlington, MA
- Ashby, MA
- Ashland, MA
- Auburndale, MA
- Ayer, MA
- Bedford, MA
- Belmont, MA
- Billerica, MA
- Boxborough, MA
- Burlington, MA
- Cambridge, MA
- Carlisle, MA
- Chelmsford, MA
- Chestnut Hill, MA
- Concord, MA
- Dracut, MA
- Dunstable, MA
- Everett, MA
- Framingham, MA
- Groton, MA
- Holliston, MA
- Hopkinton, MA
- Hudson, MA
- Lexington, MA
- Lincoln, MA
- Littleton, MA
- Lowell, MA
- Malden, MA
- Marlborough, MA
- Maynard, MA
- Medford, MA
- Melrose, MA
- Natick, MA
- Newton, MA
- Newton Center, MA
- North Reading, MA
- Pepperell, MA
- Reading, MA
- Sherborn, MA
- Shirley, MA
- Somerville, MA
- Stoneham, MA
- Stow, MA
- Sudbury, MA
- Tewksbury, MA
- Tyngsborough, MA
- Wakefield, MA
- Waltham, MA
- Watertown, MA
- Wayland, MA
- West Cambridge, MA
- Westford, MA
- West Medford, MA
- West Newton, MA
- Weston, MA
- Wilmington, MA
- Winchester, MA
- Woburn, MA
- Amesbury, MA
- Andover, MA
- Beverly, MA
- Boxford, MA
- Bradford, MA
- Byfield, MA
- Danvers, MA
- Essex, MA
- Georgetown, MA
- Gloucester, MA
- Groveland, MA
- Hamilton, MA
- Haverhill, MA
- Ipswich, MA
- Lawrence, MA
- Lynn, MA
- Lynnfield, MA
- Magnolia, MA
- Manchester-by-the-Sea, MA
- Marblehead, MA
- Merrimac, MA
- Methuen, MA
- Middleton, MA
- Nahant, MA
- Newbury, MA
- Newburyport, MA
- North Andover, MA
- Peabody, MA
- Rockport, MA
- Rowley, MA
- Salem, MA
- Salisbury, MA
- Saugus, MA
- Swampscott, MA
- Topsfield, MA
- Wenham, MA
- West Newbury, MA
- Avon, MA
- Bellingham, MA
- Braintree, MA
- Brookline, MA
- Canton, MA
- Cohasset, MA
- Dedham, MA
- Dover, MA
- Foxborough, MA
- Franklin, MA
- Holbrook, MA
- Medfield, MA
- Medway, MA
- Millis, MA
- Milton, MA
- Needham, MA
- Norfolk, MA
- Norwood, MA
- Quincy, MA
- Randolph, MA
- Sharon, MA
- Stoughton, MA
- Walpole, MA
- Wellesley, MA
- Westwood, MA
- Weymouth, MA
- Wrentham, MA
- Abington, MA
- Bridgewater, MA
- Brockton, MA
- Carver, MA
- Duxbury, MA
- East Bridgewater, MA
- Halifax, MA
- Hanover, MA
- Hanson, MA
- Hingham, MA
- Hull, MA
- Kingston, MA
- Marion, MA
- Marshfield, MA
- Middleborough, MA
- Norwell, MA
- Pembroke, MA
- Plymouth, MA
- Plympton, MA
- Rockland, MA
- Scituate, MA
- West Bridgewater, MA
- Whitman, MA
- Ashburnham, MA
- Auburn, MA
- Berlin, MA
- Blackstone, MA
- Bolton, MA
- Boylston, MA
- Charlton, MA
- Clinton, MA
- Douglas, MA
- Dudley, MA
- Fitchburg, MA
- Gardner, MA
- Grafton, MA
- Harvard, MA
- Hopedale, MA
- Hubbardston, MA
- Lancaster, MA
- Leominster, MA
- Lunenburg, MA
- Mendon, MA
- Milford, MA
- Millbury, MA
- Millville, MA
- Northborough, MA
- Northbridge, MA
- Oxford, MA
- Paxton, MA
- Princeton, MA
- Shrewsbury, MA
- Southborough, MA
- Spencer, MA
- Sterling, MA
- Sutton, MA
- Upton, MA
- Uxbridge, MA
- Westborough, MA
- West Boylston, MA
- Westminster, MA
- Worcester, MA
Don’t see your town listed? Please call to see if we service that area.
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