Squirrels Using Electric Lines
Squirrels are fantastic climbers. Vinyl siding, brick, stucco -you name it- if a squirrel absolutely wants to get on your house’s roof they will.
Tree branches are the preferred routes.
But, an often used method of travel to and from homes we don’t think about as often is the electric service line.
The electric service line is a common place on a home for squirrels to make entry. Why?
It is common for squirrels to make entry points by the electrical service connection because it is often where they first make contact with a house.
Also, electric service lines make make for good climbing as they provide a lot of surface area and have a higher tension providing stability. Because the electric line is a bundle of wires, it is used much more often than say a solo cable or telephone wire strung to a house.
If there are any weaknesses where the line meets the house, there is a higher probability that squirrels will find it.
Squirrel Entry at Weak Spot
To illustrate the point about electric lines and squirrel entrances, watch this recent video.
Here the combination of the electric line coming to the side of the house and the loose conduit gave the squirrels the ample opportunity to get in.
Ryan carefully set up traps all around this entrance.
As the picture in the video shows, the gray squirrel was caught as it exited the house and went into the trap.
Once all the squirrels were removed, the trap array was removed this conduit needs firmly affixed as it should have been in the first place.
Squirrel Removal: The Same But Different
The goals of every squirrel job are similar; get the squirrels out and keep them out. And, to that effect, a lot of the same trapping and repair methods are used.
That said, each job definitely has its own character.
As the picture and video above showed, this job had some unique characteristics like a shingled wall and an interior service line conduit.
Most electric service lines meet a house and run down the exterior to a meter before entering a house. But since this one has the line entering the house and going down the conduit internally, the hole made for the conduit provided ample opportunity.
After the rubber boot that presumably kept things more snug gave way or was chewed away, the squirrels had the chance to get in. All the squirrels needed to do was make the hole a little bigger and they were set.
Another unique feature of this building was the shingled rather than sided upper wall of this house. It didn’t really change the trapping set-up but sure gives the squirrels something to grip onto.
The point w’re trying to make here is that even if your squirrel job presents some unique characteristics a plan can be made to make your structure squirrel-free again.
Other Electric Line Squirrel Examples
In the video, Ryan noted that this is not the first time he has taken video around electrical lines. Take a look.
Here’s an older example. This picture shows where squirrels were accessing the attic by climbing along the electric service. This is where the line from the pole is attached to the house.
As you see, the electric line ends directly at a wooden gable vent. This point is a weak spot in the roof structure already and the placement of the line here has brought squirrels right to it.
As stated above, squirrels like electric lines because they are a bundle. This makes them good for climbing.
The best way to visualize this bundle is to go outside and look at your electric line (unless yours is underground!). You’ll see two black coated wires and a piece of shiny cable with them. They’ll all be twisted together until they reach the house. The shiny cable is for part support/part neutral. The black coated wires have the electricity.
The squirrels don’t really care about all that though. They just see it as something wide enough, stable enough, and easy enough to climb. No tree branch? –No problem. If it leads to a place on your roof that has attracted their attention, they’ll use it with ease.
Here’s the video that goes with this example.
Another video showed the issue of chewing.
And don’t forget our blog post from early January called BAD LUCK SQUIRRELS.
Squirrel Removal & Trapping | Akron, Canton, Kent OH
It is usually of combination of factors that leads to squirrel problems in homes.
Design elements, easy access, opportunity, and a high population of squirrels usually all come into play in varying doses before a squirrel problem becomes a reality.
But, when the circumstances align and squirrels move into your attic or walls, analyzing how the problem came to be is a big part of finding a solution.
We hope this post has put the electric service drop as a squirrel travel path on your radar screen.
If you live in the Akron, Canton, Kent, OH area and are having problems with squirrels, please contact us.
And if you’d like to learn more about squirrels or our squirrel related services, please check out our:
