Squirrels-nutty Little Things

By Author: joven amuen
Total Articles: 113
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No matter where you live, and especially if you live in or near a woodland area (for example, something like Iowa), you come to contact with forest wildlife on a daily basis. Undoubtedly it has happened to you that some kind of pest or rodent has infected your home, nested in your basement, attic or tool shed and is causing you problems and inconveniences. Whether it is the smell, noise, or damage done to your hard-earned and valuable property that’s bothering you, you can’t and you won’t continue to be disturbed by some little persistent bugger. So you decide to take wildlife control into your own hands, and settle the score once and for all.
The first step you should take is the most logical one – identifying your assailant. You observe the infected area for some time and sooner or later the culprit appears. Oh no, Chip and Dale (famous cartoon characters) have illegally occupied your residence. Just kidding, we all know that Chip and Dale would never do that. But, as it happens, that little rascal that is damaging your property is a close relative of theirs – a squirrel. So, job no. 1 is done-you know who ...
... to blame. Now it is time for step no. 2 – getting to know your enemy.
I won’t bore you with Latin names and expressions; I’ll just tell you that the members of the squirrel family are ground squirrels (marmots, chipmunks) flying squirrels, tree squirrels and also prairie dogs. Squirrels are an indigenous species when it comes to Europe, Asia, and both Americas, also Africa, and they have been introduced to Australia. In fact, the only continent where there is no record of them is Antarctica (you kind of see why, huh?). By nature, they are stubborn and inquisitive little creatures, and in residential and urban areas they are somewhat notorious for persisting and overcoming complicated obstacles to search for food and nesting spots. So, now that you generally know what you’re up against, we can move on to step 3 – pest control.
Naturally, the firs idea that comes to mind is squirrel removal. But in order to block it from re-entering your home (and parts of it), you must first wait for it to leave in search of food. Then carefully board-up any crevasses and openings in order to seal your home shut. Another method of humane pest control is to trap pest. Trapping is a technique that requires effective bait, such as peanut butter, fruit, seeds, nuts and you can also try vanilla extract. That should be enough to sucker that little creature into a previously installed one-way trap door.
Generally speaking, getting rid of all the squirrels from your neighborhood is a futile plan, simply because of their persistence and stubbornness. The best option for you is to prevent them from entering areas where they can nest and do real damage. If that doesn’t work, you can always ask Chip and Dale to help you out.

Find more information relating to Iowa, and bat removal here.