squirrels in the attic - Page 3 - DIY Chatroom

gma2rjc · 09-06-2009, 01:07 AM

If you still have a problem with the cat in your house plants, buy a package of wooden skewers. You can find them in the kitchen utensil dept. at the store. Stick a lot of them an inch or two apart down into the soil in each pot. It won't hurt the cat, but it should keep him out.

Of course, this wouldn't be a good idea if you have small children around.

This also works well if you have a problem with birds wanting to make a nest in your hanging flower baskets. Put the skewers in the baskets at the same time you plant the flowers.

sbaer27 · 10-14-2009, 04:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bill Earl

Hello jkrodger,
Check out this web site: www.evictorproducts.com The Squirrel Evictor was developed to solve the very worst squirrel problems out there. The terra cotta house in the NBC Channel 10 News Video on the home page HAD squirrels in the attic for 37 years. I just visited the house yesterday and ever since a Strobe Light installation 4 years ago, the homeowner is still "squirrel free". The Free booklet on the home page "How To Evict Squirrels the Safe and Harmless Way" might also be of interest. But.....the Testimonials by Professionals are the reason we now sell in 37 states and 5 foreign countries. Please call if you have any questions......Bill Earl ( Co-Inventor of the Squirrel Evictor )

Hi Bill, I am very interested in the Evictor given all the reviews I've read. However, I do have a few questions about effectiveness. I have a walk up attic that is crammed with stuff. The squirrels are nesting under the eaves and have torn up the insulation on one side of the house.
My first question is - will the strobe light work with all the attic junk in the way (I have no where else to put it)?
Secondly, I've located the entry hole...will the strobe work if I can place the light near the entry? Or do I have to consistently cover the entire attic to inhibit them from just moving to another section?
Thanks!

Red Squirrel · 10-14-2009, 06:42 PM

Covering points of entry is #1. Not only are you getting squirrels, rats, possums etc but think of all the bugs getting into the attic as well.

I've found this to be the case with my basement spider problem. I did lot of work to block points of entry and as I kill them, I'm finding less and less as there are next to none actually entering.

sdsester · 10-14-2009, 09:39 PM

I recently lived on top of the main campus of the University of Illinois. Over one hundred years ago a brilliant UofI professor imported a box of gray squirrels to beautify the campus. Today, without any real predators, they number in the millions. People in other towns and cities have personal trainers. CU people have personal trappers.

The cute little devils pass learned behaviors from generation to generation. The house I lived in in Urbana had them in the attic. Near Parkland College their favorite trick was to rip apart auto wiring harnesses and on any given day they could take out 4-5 in the Spring when nesting.

You cannot shoot them where I lived so the way most were removed was to trap them and move them out into the country. Parkland College hired an animal behavior specialist that decided the way to keep them away from cars was to build them habitats. They built them these structures with stocked mini bars, pre-rolled, cigarettes for after sex, and food delivery menus---or something (I never actually saw one of them). Their populations increased and my trapper did a whopping extra business for the next couple of years. As many or more cars fell victim.

There came a time when the squirrels had to be out of my attic within days in order for the sale of the place to close. Trapping wasn't working fast enough so I hired this exterminator who really did look like one! He had just been to some convention and sprayed the attic with some sort of "Essence of Fox" that I couldn't smell.

I never saw anything like it. I kid you not, every last squirrel came flying out of the attic in seconds! I patched all the ingress and egress points again and the place closed on time. I have no idea how long it kept them away but you might see if you can get your hands on some of the stuff somehow. Clients used the same guy and technique to get them out of their antique buildings downtown. They got back in eventually but it worked for awhile.

As suggested, it is important to keep their holes blocked as much as possible to keep other critters and insects out. The same year as the closing we had an over population of starlings in the area and they were getting into the attic and the exterminator had to poison them.

**Scuba_Dave** · 10-14-2009, 10:12 PM

Rats with tails, I kill them if they get to be a problem
My last house I didn't have to, both neighbors would shoot them dead every chance they had
Same with nuisance birds

ARI001 · 10-15-2009, 03:54 PM

Squirrel pot pie anyone?

**Scuba_Dave** · 10-15-2009, 04:08 PM

My best friends in Md were from Louisiana....we had gumbo all the time at their house
Never ask what the meat was...could be dove, quail, squirrel...any kind of fish

asassyvic · 11-02-2009, 09:42 PM

I researched this topic about 3 years ago. I use to think they were cute little critters. Now I see them as furry tailed rodents. I bought a house and they moved into the attic about the time I moved in.
What I learned:
They can chew through anything. Tin, metal, cement. All the things everyone mentioned on this post. You have to use galvanized steel mesh. It must be galvanized. I bought a roll from Home Depot, or maybe it was Lowe's. Cost about $8 or $9. Covered there entry with it. Problem solved..... For awhile. 3 years later new crop of squirrels found a entry into the attic behind a water drain. Up goes the galvanized mesh. Problem solved.
The other thing to do is to look on Amazon for electronic zappers. They make a big cage thing that you bait for a few times so they think it's ok to go into it. Then set it to trap them when they feel secure to enter. It will electrocute them. You can buy a tail for it that hangs from your attic entry and when it's caught something a light flashes on it.
I bought a very small one for mice and it works great. Clean, fast, accurate. Mouse crawls in to the smell of food (peanut butter) passes by the metal things and zap, electrocuted. Works every time.

fireguy · 11-03-2009, 06:50 AM

[quote=sdsester;340848]

There came a time when the squirrels had to be out of my attic within days in order for the sale of the place to close. Trapping wasn't working fast enough so I hired this exterminator who really did look like one! He had just been to some convention and sprayed the attic with some sort of "Essence of Fox" that I couldn't smell.
quote]

The name of the trapper is? I cannot find Essence of Fox online.

Thanking you in advance.