Keeping the squirrels out
I love animals. Wild and domestic alike, they have provided me with hours and hours of fun, simply watching them be animals.
I have always loved to watch the squirrels frolic and chase each other through the backyard and up and down the trees. They are so cute and seem so harmless.
The problems arise when squirrels decide to make your home theirs. They are, in fact, rodents, much like rats and can destroy wiring, facia boards, and attics. If they get in your attic, they can actually chew through the wood and drop down in your cabinets. They will store food, have babies and generally do what wild animals do, all while living in the comfort of your home.
Several months ago, I found a spot in my overhang where the squirrels had chewed through the screening and were using this as their new home.
I kept thinking I would get some metal grating and fix it when time got away from me and the chore didn't get done.
Last weekend, after watching these bold squirrels run right by Buzz and I, disappear in the eave of the house, I figured the time had come to put a stop to their squatter behavior.
Off to Home Depot I went with gift card in hand to purchase the necessary hardware to seal up the holes.
After cutting the wire grate in strips with the tin snips, I began to staple them to the underside of the eave and finished rather quickly. "Wow, I thought. That took very little time out of my day." I put all the tools away and began working in the yard.
Several hours later, my son arrived and while we were sitting at the outside bar talking, he looked up and said, "Mom, did you know you trapped a squirrel in the eave when you put up that grate?" Sure enough, there was a squirrel, chewing frantically trying to get out of my house.
Out comes the ladder again, with the tools to pull one corner of the metal away so the squirrel could get out. It took him about 10 minutes to figure out there was now a hole, and out he went, up the sea grape tree and off to points unknown.
I stapled the grate back up and have checked it on a daily basis to make sure the squirrels have not been able to get back in.
Success! No holes in the metal and no sign of them in any other part of the house. I guess they found another eave to destroy but no wildlife was harmed in the fixing of mine.
I have always loved to watch the squirrels frolic and chase each other through the backyard and up and down the trees. They are so cute and seem so harmless.
The problems arise when squirrels decide to make your home theirs. They are, in fact, rodents, much like rats and can destroy wiring, facia boards, and attics. If they get in your attic, they can actually chew through the wood and drop down in your cabinets. They will store food, have babies and generally do what wild animals do, all while living in the comfort of your home.
Several months ago, I found a spot in my overhang where the squirrels had chewed through the screening and were using this as their new home.
I kept thinking I would get some metal grating and fix it when time got away from me and the chore didn't get done.
Last weekend, after watching these bold squirrels run right by Buzz and I, disappear in the eave of the house, I figured the time had come to put a stop to their squatter behavior.
Off to Home Depot I went with gift card in hand to purchase the necessary hardware to seal up the holes.
After cutting the wire grate in strips with the tin snips, I began to staple them to the underside of the eave and finished rather quickly. "Wow, I thought. That took very little time out of my day." I put all the tools away and began working in the yard.
Several hours later, my son arrived and while we were sitting at the outside bar talking, he looked up and said, "Mom, did you know you trapped a squirrel in the eave when you put up that grate?" Sure enough, there was a squirrel, chewing frantically trying to get out of my house.
Out comes the ladder again, with the tools to pull one corner of the metal away so the squirrel could get out. It took him about 10 minutes to figure out there was now a hole, and out he went, up the sea grape tree and off to points unknown.
I stapled the grate back up and have checked it on a daily basis to make sure the squirrels have not been able to get back in.
Success! No holes in the metal and no sign of them in any other part of the house. I guess they found another eave to destroy but no wildlife was harmed in the fixing of mine.
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