Squirrel Pest Control | Squirrel Control | Pest Control For Squirrels

Where are anti squirrel spikes best used?

Squirrel spikes are 100% effective wherever they are applied.

Squirrel barriers like bird spikes eliminate birds ability to perch, roost, or nest. For optimum results, it is receommended to check periodically to ensure no leaves, trash, or other mess clogs the spikes.

Plastic Deterrent Pest Control Spikes Board is an easy DIY  with an adhesive bond, nails, screws or ties. Made of durable plastic material, these commercial quality anti-squirrel (anti bird) spikes require zero maintenance and can last a lifetime.

• 100% effective, safe, permanent physical bird barrier
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What Are SquirrelSpikes?

Squirrels might be the cutest pest of all that can invade a home. They’re acrobatic. They can actually keep other pests away. They’ll even ingeniously rob your bird feeder. When they get up into your attic, however, you’ll need to know how to get rid of squirrels. Here’s how you’re going to do it.

Squirrel Facts

Unless you live in Australia or Antarctica, you’re pretty familiar with the neighborhood squirrel. There are more than 200 species of this mammal and they can all become household pests. The largest squirrel, the Indian Giant, can reach three feet long and that doesn’t include the tail. Imagine having one of those in your attic!

The problem that homeowners face with squirrels is that their four teeth never stop growing. This means that the squirrel is never going to stop gnawing on something. They’ll chew the wood in the attic, wood shingles on a roof, and anything else that is made from a cellulose material. Squirrels will also nest in attic insulation, which creates a unique set of problems.

Because squirrels are relatively easy prey as a mammal, many of their species have developed a communication routine that lets other squirrels know when trouble is lurking about. This is why exterminating them from a home can become such a difficult chore. They’ll hear you coming, tell all of the other squirrels that you’re coming, and then scamper into hiding. If you hear squirrels whistling at each other, then they’re onto you.

Squirrels can be generally classified into two different types: those who live above ground and those who live underground. The burrowing squirrels aren’t usually much of a problem for the average homeowner. It’s the squirrels that love living high up in the trees and have decided that an attic would make a good home that are the issue. Once a squirrel moves in, it isn’t going to want to move out.

It’s important to note that rat or mouse poison is not going to work on squirrels, despite what many websites and exterminators may claim. Squirrels don’t usually even eat the poison. If they do, it rarely harms them. In the meantime, the homeowner who thinks they’ve solved their squirrel problem winds up with more squirrels in the attic.

You also can’t trap a squirrel very well. There are the occasional few that can be fooled, but when you’re prey for virtually any animal that is bigger than you, some smarts evolve into your species. Squirrel traps in the attic might work 1% of the time. The other 99% of the time, you’ll have the rest of them laughing since they’ve just outsmarted you.

Squirrels in an attic have to go in and out to get food. That’s your ticket to excluding them from your attic. These are daytime creatures, so if you have some living in your attic, you’ll see them going in and out. They’re going to create a nest in there, so the time to get rid of them is right now.

Squirrel Pest Control: A Complete Guide to Squirrel Control and Effective Pest Control for Squirrels

There is a moment in every squirrel problem when it stops being amusing and starts being expensive. Maybe it is the morning you find chewed electrical cables in the attic. Maybe it is the third time this month you have refilled the bird feeder only to watch a squirrel empty it before lunchtime. Maybe it is the scratching in the ceiling at three in the morning that will not stop no matter how hard you bang on the wall. Whatever the tipping point, once you reach it, you need a plan. Not a single product and not a hopeful remedy from the internet, but a genuine squirrel pest control strategy that identifies why the squirrels are there, what damage they are causing, and what combination of methods will resolve the problem for good.

Squirrel control is not difficult when you understand the animal you are dealing with and apply the right methods in the right sequence. Squirrels are intelligent, athletic, and persistent, but they are also predictable. They follow established routes, return to reliable food sources, and seek the same types of shelter in the same types of locations. This predictability is your advantage, because once you understand their patterns, you can disrupt every one of them systematically until your property is no longer worth the effort. This guide walks you through the complete process of pest control for squirrels, from initial assessment through to long-term prevention, so you can take control of the situation with confidence.

Assessing Your Squirrel Problem

Effective squirrel control begins with an honest assessment of what is actually happening on your property. The scale of the problem, the type of damage being caused, and the access points being used all influence which control methods will be most effective and where they should be applied.

Identifying the Type of Squirrel Activity

Not every squirrel on your property represents a pest control problem. A squirrel passing through your garden on its way to a tree is normal wildlife activity that requires no intervention. A squirrel that has taken up residence in your roof, established a feeding routine at your bird feeder, or begun gnawing on your building fabric is a pest control issue that will escalate if left unaddressed. Distinguish between transient squirrel activity and established, damaging behaviour before investing in control measures, so your efforts are proportionate to the actual problem.

Mapping Access Points and Routes

Walk your property and identify every point where squirrels are gaining access to your structures, travelling across your boundaries, and reaching the areas where they are causing damage. Look for scratch marks on fence tops and downpipes that indicate regular climbing routes. Check fascias, soffits, and roof edges for gnaw marks or holes that indicate entry points into enclosed spaces. Note which trees have branches overhanging your roof or walls, providing aerial bridges that bypass ground-level deterrents. This mapping exercise produces a clear picture of the squirrel highway system running through your property and reveals the specific locations where control measures will have the greatest impact.

Evaluating the Extent of Damage

Understanding what damage the squirrels have already caused helps you prioritise your response and determine whether professional involvement is warranted. Minor garden damage such as dug-up bulbs and raided bird feeders is frustrating but manageable with DIY squirrel control methods. Structural damage including chewed fascias, torn roofing felt, damaged insulation, and gnawed electrical cables is more serious and may require professional repair alongside pest control measures. Electrical damage in particular poses a fire risk that should be assessed by a qualified electrician before any other remediation work begins.

Signs of Squirrels Inside Your Property

Squirrels that have gained access to your attic, wall cavities, or other enclosed spaces leave distinctive signs. Scratching, scurrying, and rolling sounds in the ceiling or walls, particularly in the early morning and late afternoon when squirrels are most active, indicate animals moving around inside the structure. Droppings resembling small, dark pellets found in attic spaces, along roof beams, or near entry points confirm squirrel presence. Shredded insulation, chewed cardboard, and torn fabric indicate nest-building activity. A musty, ammonia-like odour in enclosed spaces suggests established habitation over an extended period. If any of these signs are present, the squirrels have moved beyond passing through your garden and have made your building their home, which requires a more comprehensive squirrel pest control response than exterior deterrents alone can provide.

Squirrel Control Methods: From Prevention to Exclusion

The most effective pest control for squirrels follows a logical sequence that addresses the problem at its roots rather than treating symptoms. This sequence moves from reducing attractants through installing deterrents to excluding squirrels from structures and maintaining the protection over time.

Reducing Food Sources and Attractants

The first and most impactful step in any squirrel control programme is reducing the food and shelter incentives that draw squirrels to your property. Every accessible food source you eliminate weakens the squirrel’s motivation to persist through the deterrents and barriers you subsequently put in place.

Replace standard bird feeders with squirrel-proof models that use weight-sensitive mechanisms to close seed ports when a squirrel’s heavier body triggers the closure. Clear fallen seeds, nuts, and fruit from beneath feeders and trees daily. Secure rubbish bins and compost containers with tight-fitting lids that squirrels cannot prise open. Bring pet food bowls indoors after feeding. Harvest fruit and vegetables promptly rather than leaving them on the plant or tree where squirrels can reach them. Each of these actions removes a reason for squirrels to visit, and collectively they make your property significantly less attractive compared to neighbouring areas where food remains freely available.

Tree and Vegetation Management

Trees are the squirrel’s natural environment, and branches that overhang your fences, walls, and roof provide direct aerial access routes that bypass any ground-level deterrents you install. Trimming branches to maintain a gap of at least two metres between the nearest branch and your roof, fence, or wall forces squirrels to find alternative routes that are easier to block with physical barriers. This trimming is one of the most effective single actions in the entire squirrel control toolkit because it eliminates the high-speed, hard-to-defend aerial pathways that squirrels prefer over ground-level routes.

Dense hedges and climbing plants growing against building walls also provide cover and climbing surfaces that squirrels exploit. Keeping vegetation trimmed away from the building fabric and maintaining a clear gap between plants and walls removes these hidden access routes and makes squirrel movement more visible, which in itself acts as a deterrent because squirrels feel more vulnerable when travelling across open, exposed surfaces.

Installing Physical Barriers and Deterrents

With attractants reduced and aerial routes trimmed, physical barriers on the remaining access points form the core of your squirrel pest control system. Spike strips on fence tops, wall caps, and roof edges block the horizontal pathways squirrels use to traverse your property. Downpipe and drainpipe guards block the vertical climbing routes that give squirrels access to upper walls and rooflines. Mesh screens over soffit vents, gable vents, and any gaps in building fabric seal the entry points that squirrels use to access enclosed spaces.

The key to effective physical barrier installation is completeness. Squirrels will probe every inch of your defences for a gap, a weak point, or an unprotected section that allows them to bypass the barrier. A fence with spikes on 90 percent of its length still has a 10 percent gap that a squirrel will find and use within days. Complete coverage of every identified route and access point is what transforms a collection of individual barriers into a comprehensive squirrel control system that actually works.

Exclusion: Removing Squirrels From Inside Structures

If squirrels have already established themselves inside your attic or wall cavities, exclusion is the process of allowing them to leave the structure and preventing them from re-entering. The standard exclusion method involves identifying every entry point, sealing all but one with heavy-gauge galvanised mesh or sheet metal, and fitting the remaining opening with a one-way exclusion device that allows squirrels to exit but not re-enter. Once all squirrels have departed through the one-way device, typically within a few days, the final opening is permanently sealed.

Exclusion timing matters. Avoid exclusion during the spring breeding season when baby squirrels may be present in the nest inside your structure. Trapping the mother outside while dependent young remain inside creates a welfare issue and can result in the young dying within the walls, causing odour and hygiene problems. The optimal timing for exclusion is late summer after the spring litter is independent, or late autumn before the winter breeding season begins. If you are uncertain whether young are present, a professional pest controller can inspect the space and advise on the appropriate timing.

When to Involve a Professional Pest Controller

While many aspects of squirrel control can be handled by homeowners, certain situations benefit from professional expertise. Squirrels inside the building fabric, particularly in hard-to-access locations like wall cavities and roof voids, are best handled by a pest controller with the tools, experience, and licensing required to manage the exclusion process safely and legally. Significant structural damage may need professional assessment to determine the full extent of the problem before repairs begin. Large-scale infestations involving multiple entry points, extensive nesting, and persistent re-entry despite DIY efforts typically require the systematic, comprehensive approach that a professional pest control service provides.

When selecting a pest controller for squirrel work, look for practitioners who specialise in wildlife management and prioritise humane methods including exclusion and deterrence over lethal control. Ask about their approach to squirrel control and ensure it aligns with your expectations for humane treatment of the animals. The best pest control for squirrels resolves the problem without causing unnecessary harm, and a skilled professional achieves this by understanding squirrel behaviour and using that knowledge to exclude the animals from your property effectively and permanently.

The Real Cost of Ignoring a Squirrel Problem

Many homeowners tolerate squirrel activity for months or years before taking action, assuming the problem is minor or will resolve on its own. In reality, squirrel damage compounds over time in ways that make delayed action significantly more expensive than early intervention.

Structural and Electrical Damage

Squirrels gnaw continuously because their incisor teeth grow throughout their lives and must be worn down through chewing. This biological imperative drives them to chew on building materials including timber fascias, soffit panels, roof sheathing, PVC pipes, and electrical cables. Gnawed electrical wiring is a documented fire hazard that creates a risk far beyond the cost of the cable itself. Chewed roof timbers and fascias allow water ingress that leads to rot, mould, and structural deterioration that spreads well beyond the original damage point. What begins as a small gnaw mark on a fascia board can, over a single season, develop into a compromised roof structure requiring thousands in repair costs.

Insulation and Energy Loss

Squirrels nesting in attic spaces shred insulation to create warm, soft nesting material. A single squirrel family can destroy a substantial area of loft insulation in a few weeks, reducing the thermal performance of the roof and increasing heating costs throughout the winter. The contamination of remaining insulation with droppings, urine, and nesting debris may require complete removal and replacement rather than a simple patch, turning what should have been a minor pest control exercise into a significant remediation project.

Common Squirrel Control Mistakes to Avoid

Well-intentioned squirrel control efforts can fail or create additional problems when common mistakes are made during the planning or execution process. Awareness of these pitfalls helps you avoid them and achieve a more effective result.

Sealing Entry Points While Squirrels Are Still Inside

This is the most consequential mistake in structural squirrel control. If you seal every entry point to your attic or roof space while squirrels are still inside, the trapped animals will gnaw frantically through internal walls, ceilings, and wiring in their desperate attempt to escape. The damage caused by a panicking trapped squirrel far exceeds the damage caused by one that is coming and going freely. Always confirm that all squirrels have left the structure before sealing the final entry point, using a one-way exclusion device to ensure departure is confirmed before the opening is permanently closed.

Relying on a Single Deterrent Method

No single squirrel control method is 100 percent effective against every squirrel in every situation. Scent repellents fade and wash away. Ultrasonic devices are ignored by some squirrels. Predator decoys are recognised as fake within weeks. Even physical spikes can be bypassed if they are installed with gaps or on only some of the available routes. Effective pest control for squirrels uses multiple complementary methods layered together so that the failure or limitation of any single method is compensated by the others. A squirrel that ignores a scent repellent still cannot cross a spiked fence. A squirrel that finds a gap in a spike line still encounters a mesh-sealed soffit vent. Redundancy across multiple deterrent types is what creates a system that squirrels cannot defeat.

Ignoring the Seasonal Cycle

Squirrel behaviour shifts across the seasons, and a control strategy that does not account for these shifts may succeed in one season and fail in the next. Spring and summer bring increased garden activity as squirrels forage, cache food, and raise their first litter. Autumn intensifies the drive to hoard food and secure a winter nesting site, making squirrels more persistent in their attempts to access your structures. Winter reduces visible outdoor activity but does not eliminate the problem if squirrels have already established themselves in your roof or walls. The most effective squirrel pest control approach anticipates these seasonal shifts and ensures protections are in place before each season’s peak activity begins rather than reacting after damage has already occurred.

Underestimating Squirrel Persistence and Intelligence

Squirrels are among the most intelligent and adaptable urban wildlife species. They learn from experience, remember the locations of hundreds of food caches, solve complex spatial puzzles, and observe human behaviour to identify opportunities. A squirrel that encounters a barrier today will return tomorrow to test it from a different angle, probe for weak points, and attempt alternative approaches that it did not try on the first visit. Underestimating this persistence leads to incomplete control measures that are defeated by a squirrel that simply refuses to give up until it finds a way through. Respect the animal’s intelligence and design your squirrel control system accordingly, with the assumption that every gap, weakness, and shortcut will eventually be found and exploited.

Long-Term Squirrel Management

Resolving an active squirrel problem is only half the job. Maintaining a squirrel-free property over the long term requires ongoing attention to the conditions that attracted the animals in the first place and regular maintenance of the barriers and deterrents that keep them out.

Routine Property Inspections

Inspect your property’s exterior at least twice a year, in early spring and early autumn, for new gaps, damage, or deterioration that could provide squirrels with fresh access opportunities. Check spike strips and barriers for displacement, damage, or debris accumulation that reduces their effectiveness. Inspect mesh screens over vents and openings for holes, corrosion, or loosened fixings. Verify that tree branches have not grown back into overhanging positions that restore aerial access routes you previously eliminated. These inspections catch developing vulnerabilities before squirrels exploit them and keep your control system operating at full effectiveness year after year.

Maintaining Deterrents and Barriers

Physical deterrents are the lowest-maintenance category of squirrel control, but they are not entirely maintenance-free. Spike strips can accumulate leaf litter and debris that allows squirrels to walk across them. Adhesive-mounted barriers can detach from surfaces after prolonged weathering. Mesh screens can develop holes where squirrels have tested them repeatedly. Addressing these issues promptly during your routine inspections ensures the integrity of your barrier system and prevents the gradual erosion of protection that leads to squirrel re-entry.

Staying Ahead of New Squirrel Activity

Even a well-protected property may attract new squirrel interest if neighbouring properties change in ways that redirect squirrel traffic toward your boundaries. New construction, tree removal, changes in bird feeding practices next door, and shifts in the local squirrel population can all alter the pressure on your property’s defences. Stay alert to changes in squirrel activity around your boundaries, and respond quickly if you observe new routes being tested or new access points being probed. Early intervention when new activity appears prevents the establishment of new patterns that are harder to break once they become habitual.

Teaching the Wider Household

Squirrel control is most effective when everyone in the household understands and supports the strategy. Make sure all family members know not to leave food outdoors, to report any new signs of squirrel activity promptly, and to avoid actions that undermine the deterrent system such as feeding squirrels deliberately or removing barriers for aesthetic reasons. Children in particular may find squirrels entertaining and may unintentionally encourage them with food offerings that counteract the deliberate effort to make the property unattractive. A brief conversation about why the squirrels need to be managed and how everyone can help keeps the entire household aligned behind the control strategy.

Taking Control of the Situation

Squirrel problems do not resolve themselves. Left unchecked, a minor nuisance becomes a significant pest control challenge as the animals establish deeper habits, cause more extensive damage, and recruit additional squirrels into the territory they have claimed on your property. The good news is that squirrel pest control does not require exotic equipment, specialised knowledge, or an ongoing battle with an unbeatable opponent. It requires a clear assessment of the problem, a layered strategy that addresses food, access, and shelter simultaneously, quality products installed completely and correctly, and the ongoing attention needed to maintain your defences as seasons change and conditions evolve.

Start with the biggest attractants and the most obvious access points. Work outward from there, closing routes and sealing entry points until every path a squirrel might use to reach your home has a barrier on it. Layer repellents and active deterrents over the physical barriers for additional discouragement. And inspect your defences regularly to ensure they remain intact through weather, time, and the relentless curiosity of an animal that will always be looking for a way back in. That is effective squirrel control, and it is well within the reach of any homeowner willing to approach the problem with the same persistence the squirrels bring to it.