The antics of flying squirrels can be cute to watch — but not if they take place in your attic. The critters’ small size makes it easy for them to get through the tiniest of openings in an attic, roof, or chimney. Then the antics of these unwelcome lodgers can turn into a squirrel control nightmare.

About Flying Squirrels

Flying squirrels are communal animals that like to live in hollow spaces such as the trunks of trees. During the cold, winter months, though, some of these critters seek the shelter and warmth of attics. Depending on the region of the country, an attic community can consist of just a few — perhaps a mother and her children — or of many, many more. Their large numbers makes squirrel removal difficult.

Flying squirrels are also rodents, and like nothing better than to gnaw at things to wear down their teeth. In your attic, these “things” include insulation, wiring, and wood. The animals are nocturnal as well, which means they’re active at night — just the time you want to sleep.

Of course, the best form of squirrel pest control is to seal off any potential openings these critters can use to get inside. Unfortunately, many people don’t think about doing that until the critters are already scampering around in their attics.

How Squirrel Pest Control Professionals Get Rid of Squirrels

Squirrel removal professionals give your unwelcome lodgers the boot using a three-step process — by:

• Inspecting your home to identify the main entry point
• Sealing off the secondary entry points
• Trapping and excluding the unwelcome lodgers

Inspecting Your Home to Identify the Main Entry Point

Before he or she begins to remove squirrels, the specialist inspects your home to identify the openings — or entry points — the critters use to get inside. If the critters are coming in through more than one entry point, there’s usually one opening that gets the most use. That opening is the main entry point. You can identify that entrance because it has a lot more droppings around it than the other ones, which are secondary entry points.

Sealing off the Secondary Openings

After identifying the main entry point, the squirrels control professional seals off all the secondary openings. Closing those entry points forces the critters to use only the main entry point.

Trapping and Excluding the Unwelcome Lodgers

Trapping and excluding are two methods used to unwelcome lodgers. In the trap method, the squirrels control professional places a small, cage-like trap at the main entry point, and puts bait inside the trap. When the critters go outside to forage for food and water or return later from their expedition, they go into the trap to take the bait.

In the exclusion method, the squirrel removal specialist installs a one-way door, which opens outward, in the main entry point. When the animal leaves to forage, it goes out through the door. But when the squirrel returns, it can’t get back inside. That leaves the critter with just one choice: to go back into the woods from whence it came.

After all the squirrels are gone from the attic, the specialist seals off the main entry point.

The Advantages of Using Squirrel Pest Control Specialists

Trying to remove flying squirrels from attics on your own can be frustrating and can lead to further damage to your house as well. So if you’ve tried your own home-grown remedies unsuccessfully, maybe it’s time you considered turning to professionals — such as those at Colonial Pest Control — who know how to get rid of squirrels. The specialists at Colonial Pest Control also take pride in practicing humane removal.

Within the past month, Colonial Pest Control professionals have removed flying squirrels successfully from homes in the following towns in Massachusetts and New Hampshire using trap and bait and exclusion methods:

So why wait? If you’re in the middle of a squirrels control nightmare, put a happy end to it by calling in a professional.