Finding Squirrel Entrance Points

One of the best ways to remove squirrels from a structure is to trap them right at their entry/exit points.

The squirrels try to exit the house and go right into the trap. Or, they try to get in and find the way blocked but find open traps.

Either way, trapping them at these defined narrow points makes squirrel removal efficient.

As you can imagine, knowing where the squirrels enter and exit the structure is key.

Not knowing how the squirrels are getting in or being unable to locate those points makes the job a lot tougher.

Today’s blog post highlights two recent squirrel jobs where the entry points weren’t so obvious.

The spots were found though and removal proceeded as it should. But, these example are a great reminder that persistence pays off when dealing with inspecting for squirrels.

Squirrel Still in Building

In the first example, Ryan was trapping at an apartment building that was being renovated.

He located the entrances and removed squirrels. He honestly thought the job was done. But, when he went to wrap the job up, he saw a squirrel in a window, ON THE INSIDE OF THE HOUSE.

The job was obviously not complete!

So he was challeneged with finding how this squirrel had gotten into the building when he thought he’d already found and sealed the problem points.

Well, he found it. And, it proved to be an odd entry for sure.

The squirrel was gettiing in at the top of an older, taller window. The window slid down somehow and opened a gap at the top. Needless to say, the squirrel found it first. But, it helped us find a gap we had overlooked.

Take a look at this odd squirrel entry.

Basement Squirrels from Rotted Wood

The second example involves a squirrel or squirrels that were getting into a basement.

This is odd from the start because squirrels don’t often get into the basement.

When they do, it is often through the furnace and venting. But, there were no signs that the squirrel was getting in through these heating/cooling elements.

The trouble here turned out to be a water rotted sill that was close to a porch outside.

The position and oddity of this opening made it difficult to find.

But, with the aid of some cold air coming into the basement, Ryan was able to locate the opening.

There was good news and bad news.

The good news is that the squirrels weren’t actually living in the basement. They were just using this area for their own amusement every now and again. So, removing a squirrel living there was not necessary.

The bad news is that there is some pretty significant water damage which led to rot which led to the squirrel being able to get inside. This problem needs fixed permanently for the long term benefit of the house and to keep squirrels out.

Since the squirrels were not inside, Ryan was able to temporarily block them from getting inside. So in the short term, squirrels will not be a problem.

The water and rot problem remain.

Take a look: