Are Squirrels in the Yard a Problem?
If squirrels are only in your yard, they may not be a problem at all.
In fact, squirrels can serve a vital ecological function. They take seeds and bury them.
Unlike some animals, squirrels aren't quite so adept at remembering where they stored all their treasures. They'll successfully dig some back up and eat them. The rest will be left in the ground, where they'll sprout. Essentially, they're little gardeners.
Some people just enjoy seeing squirrels. They're silly little creatures!
Squirrels don't necessarily overrun a yard. If you're only seeing them there, then there's no need to call us. They can go about their little squirrel lives without intervention.
Squirrels are only a problem when they find their way into your house. Here in Houston this happens most often in the spring and in the fall, when they are searching for places to bear their young.
Once they get into your home they'll chew up your wiring and insulation. In fact, roughly 20% of house fires are caused by squirrels. They do not have to chew all the way through a wire to cause a fatal short and spark.
The earliest sign that a squirrel has gone to work? One of your outdoor lights stops functioning. If this has happened to you, then you should call an electrician pretty soon after you call us.
They cause other damage as well, mostly to the insulation, as well as via their droppings.
We focus on blocking squirrel access to your home. You're never going to get squirrels out of your yard. We could trap them all day long and they'd just show up from other yards around the city. There is absolutely nothing you can do to keep them off your property entirely. They've successfully adapted to every aspect of urban life. We trap the squirrels inside of your home, but only to get them back out again.
You can make your house a little less attractive to them.
Put the bird feeders on the far side of your yard instead of close to your home. Trim trees and bushes that are near your home so you're not providing squirrels with a little superhighway that they can use to get into your attic. Address any wood rot quickly so squirrels aren't tempted to chew their way inside.
Once you've done all that, you can enjoy the antics of your yard squirrels without worry.
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Our goal is to take time to evaluate each customers situation and customize proven results to solve it. If you are looking for a professional solution for your Squirrel Removal needs, please contact us today.
Can You Shoot Squirrels in Houston?
If you're within the city limits, you can't shoot any animal at all. That goes for squirrels, raccoons, and any other critter you might find in your house or yard, even if you're using a .22 or other small caliber firearm.
Yet squirrels are a game animal. They are ubiquitous prey animals, which makes them a very sustainable food source. The environment tends to benefit when these sorts of animals are hunted responsibly. They once did so much damage to crops that at various times in our history bounties have been placed upon the heads of these animals, the better to keep them out of the fields.
There are multiple ways to cook them up and eat them. Once, squirrel recipes were a staple of community cookbooks. The Joy of Cooking contained squirrel recipes until 1996.
Outside of the city limits you will need a hunting permit to shoot squirrels, and you will need to observe hunting season. In Harris County, you may shoot squirrels in safe hunting locations in October through February, as well as in the month of May. Note: you should always check the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department website to get exact hunting season dates. You'll also be able to use that website to find out where you may hunt within the county.
If you wish to hunt squirrels year round, there are certain parts of the state where you may do this.
In either case, you must make sure you are hunting the right species. Gray squirrels and red squirrels are fair game; other varieties are not.
Harris County also maintains a daily bag limit of 10 squirrels and a possession limit of 20 squirrels.
If you're not interested in eating squirrel then it's probably best to keep your gun in the gun safe. You certainly will not be able to control a squirrel problem with a weapon of any kind. There are just too many of them.
At best, you can make your house less attractive to them, trap them to get them out of your home, and block their entry points. The yard? That's probably a lost cause, though you can greatly reduce their presence simply by avoiding bird feeders and bird baths. If you want both, then you can expect squirrels to come in right alongside the birds. Hopefully you enjoy both!
They aren't dangerous in the yard, only in the home. If they're in the home, call us. Otherwise? They're nothing to worry about…even if you've secretly seasoned a few of them in your home kitchen from time to time.
REQUEST A FREE INSPECTION
Our goal is to take time to evaluate each customers situation and customize proven results to solve it. If you are looking for a professional solution for your Squirrel Removal needs, please contact us today.
How Do You Get Squirrels Out of Your House?
Bats are one of the worst infestations you can get in your home or business. They’re gentle, and will never attack you, but they’re still problematic.
Continue readingSigns You Have a Squirrel Problem
Everyone in Katy, TX has squirrels in their yard. As long as they stay in your yard, squirrels are relatively harmless.
Yet when squirrels get into your home you've got a huge problem on your hands! They're just as bad as mice for
chewing just about everything and defecating just about everywhere.
Here's how you know you've got squirrels in your home.
You hear strange noises.
Scratching and skittering sounds in your ceiling are a good sign that you have some kind of infestation. It may not be
squirrels, but they're noisy little critters and very energetic. You'll often hear squirrels before you hear just about any other type of critter.
You find the damage.
You'll usually find damage in the walls or in the attic. You'll see teeth marks and chewed electrical wires. Sometimes the damage shows up around your air vents, too, or around the roofline.
You see tiny footprints.
Think you've got squirrels in your attic? Try slipping a bit of cardboard up there. Cover it in flour.
Leave it up there one day. You're going to end up with a chewed up piece of cardboard that's got tiny squirrel prints all
over it.
You see "water damage."
That yellow-brown stain on your ceiling might not be water leak damage at all.
Yeah. Yikes.
You've detected an unpleasant smell.
Sometimes squirrels fall into the walls and die. Baby squirrels are especially prone to this.
Eventually your house starts smelling like "something's died in here."
You need an extermination company to remove the live squirrels...and to find and get rid of the dead squirrel.
Note, this is why you want to call a company like ours right away. Some people try poison before they try us, and they end up with lots of dead squirrels in their walls. It's awful stuff. Don't make that mistake.
Get help with your squirrel problem from Elite Wildlife Services today!
Did you know that humane squirrel removal and prevention are very affordable services? In fact, we offer one of the
most affordable squirrel removal services in Katy.
Contact us today to get a free estimate. Squirrels belong in trees...not in your house!
September is Squirrel Season, So Stay on the Lookout
August through October and February through May are the seasons in which baby squirrels are born. As of this month there are already some adorable pest babies happily snuggling up to their moms.
That means squirrels are already instinctively on the lookout for clean, dry, warm places to build their nest, and to them your attic looks pretty much perfect.
Got unscreened vents? Loose or rotten soffits, fascia, or trim? You might just start hearing squirrels in your attic. Here's what you'll want to do.
How can you inspect your home for squirrels?
This is a great time to see if there are any points of entry you should be concerned about. If you see holes or exterior wood rot there's a good chance that squirrels are either already in your attic or will be very soon.
You can call us to check, or you can just go ahead and block off these points of entry while watching for other signs that squirrels are present.
Signs of squirrels include scampering sounds in your attic, scratching noises in your attic or walls, and foul odors.
Can I get rid of squirrels by hunting them?
In Texas it is legal to hunt squirrels, but this won't solve your problem.
Squirrel season for hunters starts on October 1st and runs to February 27th. There's a second season all through the month of may, with a daily bag limit of 10 and a possession limit of 20. You can't possibly shoot enough to get rid of them all, and in most neighborhoods firing guns off in your back yard is a bad idea to begin with and may be illegal.
Even if you shot ten squirrels a day and plan on eating a lot of squirrel stew you won't necessarily get rid of the problem, as baby squirrels are not coming out of the attic. They're falling into wall cavities instead, where they can get stuck and die, which means your home could get infested with the smell of a rotting corpse.
We use humane squirrel removal, and don't really recommend shooting them anyway. Be advised that it's only legal to shoot gray squirrels and fox squirrels. There are many other varieties of squirrels here in Houston and any one of them could be infesting your home.
Are there any DIY squirrel removal solutions I can try?
Cayenne pepper? Sprinkler systems? Mint?
Sorry, these won't keep squirrels out of your attic. They'll barely keep squirrels out of your yard. There are no squirrel control baits that work and poisoning them only increases the chances that one of them will die in your home.
Hiring Humane Squirrel Removal Experts
Once they're in your home you'll need a professional to get them all. We find all of their nests and entry points, trap them, ensure they can't get back in your home.
Once that's done we can recommend electricians and cleaning professionals who can help you clean up any damage that's been done.
We help homeowners get rid of squirrels in a humane way throughout the Greater Houston area including The Woodlands, Conroe, Spring, Tomball, Cypress, Houston Heights, the Energy Corridor, Humble, Kingwood, Katy, Sugarland, Pearland, Baytown, and many more.
To learn what our customers have to say about their experience with us, please feel free to take a look at our reviews.
Contact us today for a free consultation. We look forward to speaking with you soon.
The Trouble With Squirrels
Squirrels. They're cute, they're pervasive, and most of us don't think about them very much. They run around yards without causing much trouble.
Yet if they get into your house, they start acting a little like Violet Beauregarde in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. They start "chewing, chewing, all day long."
What do they like to chew on the most? Wires and insulation. It's just so tempting for them! Your insulation looks like a dream nest to them, warm and dry, safe and cozy. They don't know that their behavior could lead straight to a house fire.
Time to get them out of your house and back in the wild where they belong.
We use live traps to capture them. That’s the only way to get them…they’re persistent little creatures. Yet we also take and recommend some steps to keep them from coming back.
For example, a lot of squirrels get in through the fascia. The gutter acts as a highway to get them there. Gutter guards can be extremely helpful in this regard (try Flo Free if you’d like to avoid the headaches gutter guards can add to biannual cleanings).
Next, we recommend trimming tree branches that overhang the roof line, since that’s another way squirrels get tempted to enter your home.
Meanwhile, when we’re done trapping the squirrels we’ll figure out where they’re entering, seal up those access points, and relocate your squirrels over 10 miles away so they won’t try to get back into the cozy spots they remember. You’ll still see them all over your yard…there’s no avoiding it…but the ones you’ll be seeing haven’t tasted your house yet, and won’t be able to get in thanks to our sealing efforts.
There are a lot of myths that say you can get rid of squirrels with bright lights, loud music, or apple cider vinegar. None of these methods work. The only way to get squirrels out of your attic is to call a professional to trap them.
Squirrels have a pretty high tolerance for almost anything if they have found a safe spot to bear and raise young. Your attic is it…no matter how bright or noisy it may be.
The average squirrel removal job costs anywhere from $200 to $3000. Much depends on the size of both your house and of the infestation. Commercial squirrel removal certainly costs the most.
Control costs by calling us as soon as you suspect you have a squirrel problem. If you start hearing unusual noises, smell foul odors, or find squirrel droppings then you probably should make the call right away.
Call today to request an inspection. We’ll tell you exactly what it takes to show those squirrels the door.
