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Serving King and Snohomish Counties
      
 Safeguard Pest Control

 

How to get rid of squirrels
This page is designed to walk you through the process of understanding why you have squirrels, what needs to be done to get rid of your squirrels, and how Safeguard works to keep you squirrel free.
 

Get rid of squirrels

The Cliffnotes Version:

Squirrels not only chew big holes in your roof, gutter, and eaves. Squirrels in the attic are also known to chew on electrical wires causing power outages and house fires see- suicide squirrels .

We get rid of squirrels in three easy - time proven steps: 1, Initial inspection and control set-up (live traps); 2, Trap check and squirrel removal; 3, Exclusion, also known as 'build-out' and final inspection and removal of traps.

Squirrel control is not as easy as just stapling up some screen - if you trap squirrels in the attic - they will chew new holes to get out - through your roof if you are lucky, through your ceiling if you aren't. If you just screen them out, they will chew new holes to get in.

Squirrel control is not as simple as setting out a few traps. Squirrels are smart, they learn quickly. If they have ever been trapped before - you may never trap them again.  If you let them out within 50 miles they will come back. They should never be let out in a park - its causes aggressive squirrel behavior -  where squirrels attack people and pets, and it promotes rabidity. The common Eastern Gray Squirrel, pictured above and to the left, cannot survive in the forest. If you don't squirrel proof your home - new squirrels will move in - often within days.

There is never just one squirrel. Our technicians are highly trained on squirrel control, behavior, and exclusion. YOU MUST HAVE A NUISANCE WILDLIFE PERMIT TO TRAP SQUIRRELS.

 

Get rid of squirrels

Step One - Initial Service

Our professional squirrel control begins with a thorough inspection of your home, especially at the roof and eave level.

We write up a report detailing the access points that the squirrels are using or could potentially use to get inside your home.  We also look for conducive conditions that make your home attractive to squirrels.

Our goal is to get rid of squirrels, the ones you have currently through live trapping, and prevent the potential future squirrels you could have down the road - by squirrel proofing your home.

In the process of our inspection we put out live traps, arranged for the best possible effect, typically on the exterior. Next we discuss squirrel proofing - keeping the squirrels out.

 

Get rid of squirrels

Step Two - Trap check and squirrel removal

The state requires that live traps placed for squirrel control must be checked every 24 hours for activity and that any trapped squirrels should be removed in a timely manner. 

We put out two to three traps at each home on our first visit.  Often it takes two or three follow-up visits to remove all the squirrels in the attic or roof. On rare occasions squirrel removal can take more than two or three follow-ups

We almost always place the traps on the exterior, if possible. It allows us to stop by and get the traps if no one is home. Also, trapped squirrels are noisy and if one gets trapped at night - you will loose sleep.

It is important that the squirrels are not let out of our traps - please see the side bar about the states requirements regarding trapped squirrels.  It is state law and we have to follow it. Unfortunately, we deal with homeowners on a regular basis who let out squirrels that we can no longer catch and it leads to increased costs and damage.

 

No more squirrels in attic

Step Three - Exclusion, final service, and trap removal

The report we made during our inspection on our first visit detailed what needs to be done to squirrel proof your home.  It is vitally important this work gets done and gets done promptly - as soon as we have caught your squirrels.  Please check the link above and to the left for more info on exclusion.

If we are doing the exclusion, and we strongly urge you to have us, the squirrel exclusion experts, do the work, we like to do it as soon as we think all squirrels are trapped.

We may recommend placement of one trap in your attic, just in case a squirrel was trapped inside.
 

Squirrel removal accomplished

That's it.  If we followed all three steps completely, including the exclusion, 99% of all homes will be squirrel free.  No more squirrels in the attic.

We understand that squirrel removal and exclusion is not cheap and that no one wants to spend any more money than they have to, to get rid of squirrels. We pride ourselves on being local, effective, and affordable. However, squirrels cause structural damage to homes and even fires.  You really want to have the work done right.

Safeguard has been getting rid of squirrel problems for over 20 years.  Our goal is to do referral worthy work for all of our customers.

Choose Safeguard - we do really good work at really reasonable prices.

 

Other pest control services

Safeguard Pest Control offers a whole host of other pest control services.  Our most popular service is a quarterly service for ants, spiders, and other pests. This program is available to you at a big discount, if the initial service can be done at the same time as any squirrel follow-up service.

 
Rodent Exclusion
 

Rodent exclusion or 'build-out' is the most important part of the control process.  It may be impossible to control your current squirrel problem without it.

Squirrels will ALWAYS return to a place they have been before unless your structure is altered to keep them out.
 
Why can't I just plug up the holes myself?
 

Many dedicated and well meaning do-it-your-self ers hate the idea of paying for someone else to do something they feel they should be able to tackle themselves.

However, 95% of homeowners who opt to do their own exclusion - never get around to it. Leading to future inspections, additional rodent contamination and damage, and additional future costs.

95% of the work we inspect which has been performed by contractors and handymen does not meet the exacting levels necessary to keep your home free of squirrels.

 
State Laws regarding squirrels.

In additional to requiring a Nuisance Wildlife Permit to trap squirrels - the state requires that anyone altering a home have a contractor's license - we have both.

The state is very specific in what it says we can and cannot do with trapped squirrels.

We cannot let them go in another neighborhood.  Squirrels in one area have specific diseases and specific immunities - releasing squirrels into different areas may spread diseases and kill off large populations of squirrels.

Letting squirrels go in the same neighborhood - even after we squirrel proof your home guarantees that one of your neighbors will get a home damaging, possibly wire chewing squirrel - so we can't do that.

We can't let them go in a park because too many uneducated homeowners already do that and the pressure that puts on squirrel populations to get food and find nests causes aggressive squirrel behaviors and rabidity - and no one wants rabid squirrels.

We cannot let them go in the forest because they have no skills to survive in the wild - they would only starve, sicken, and suffer.