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How to repel squirrels

Squirrels are adorable creatures that generate sympathy among people. However, these little animals show their less friendly side when they sneak into our homes, attics, lofts, and garages… Or when they gather in such high numbers that they become a squirrel infestation that damages crops, vineyards, and harvests in our fields. In this article, you will learn how to repel squirrels in houses and get rid of squirrels that attack vineyards, fruit trees, and other crops.

More info about Squirrels

Squirrels are rodents belonging to the family Sciuridae. This family of animals also includes marmots and prairie dogs. There are over 250 species of squirrels worldwide. In Spain, the two native squirrel species are the red squirrel and the Eurasian red squirrel.

The red squirrel is originally from Northwest Africa. Over 30 years ago, it was introduced from Africa to the Canary Islands, specifically on the island of Fuerteventura. Due to the island’s habitat, which includes low rainfall, a warm climate, and a scarcity of squirrel predators, the population of red squirrels in Fuerteventura has multiplied by 5 in just 20 years, reaching levels of overpopulation.

Can Squirrels Enter Houses?

We all believe that squirrels live in trees. However, the reality is that squirrels prefer to live in covered areas, such as the interior of houses, whenever they can. This is especially true during the colder months of autumn and winter.

Squirrels look for small holes or cracks in the facade to enter houses. As we can see in the video, their preferred places to live and raise their young are attics, lofts, and garages… These places offer them a cozy environment, less cold, and above all, safer, away from the lurking predators. That’s why we sometimes encounter true squirrel infestations inside houses.

How Do I Know If I Have Squirrels in the Attic?

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If you have squirrels in your house, the first thing you will notice is the noise they make when gnawing on objects and jumping around. They are easily detected because they are quite noisy.

If you discover the presence of squirrels inside your house, you should take it seriously and act quickly before they damage the house further and more squirrels settle in the area and reproduce. Install a squirrel repellent system as soon as possible.

What Problems Do Squirrels Cause in Houses?

Squirrels are very noisy in houses. They leave strong odors and damage the structure of the house by scratching and gnawing on insulation material, electrical cables, etc.

When attempting to remove a squirrel from the house, precautions must be taken. If they feel threatened or think we are going to attack their young, they may bite us. In that case, they could transmit harmful bacteria and amoebas to our health.

Do Sounds and Ultrasonic Devices Work Against Squirrels?

Sound and ultrasonic repellent devices work very well against squirrels. This is because squirrels primarily communicate through sound signals and are highly sensitive to ultrasonic frequencies.

Squirrels use various methods to communicate with each other. They primarily use vocal transmissions, but also visual signals based on their tail position, and scent signals – similar to dogs.

Vocal signals are the most important method of squirrel communication. They use four fundamental types of vocal signals:

  • Nesting: Baby squirrels use small chirping sounds to call their mothers.
  • Mating: During the mating season, male squirrels use calls that sound like sneezing to attract females.
  • Aggressive behavior: A threatened squirrel displays aggression by emitting high-pitched screams.
  • Alarm calls: Squirrels use sounds to warn others of danger or intrusion into their territory.

Sound and ultrasonic squirrel repellent devices are effective in repelling squirrels because they interfere with their communication system. These squirrel repellent devices create a hostile and unpleasant environment for squirrels, which forces them to move away from the area.

BirdGard Iberia recommends two squirrel repellent devices that work effectively, naturally, and respectfully:

Recommendations for Deterring Squirrels Indoors

If you need to get rid of squirrels inside your houses, warehouses, attics, or lofts, we recommend following these steps:

  • Trim the branches near the roof and chimney to prevent squirrels from jumping from there.
  • Remove stacked firewood from the facade of the house.
  • Use a squirrel repellent device that emits sounds and ultrasonic waves to drive them away.
  • You can complement sound repellents with odor-based squirrel repellents, such as mothballs that produce an unpleasant smell. However, we do not recommend relying solely on odor-based squirrel repellents, as they would need to be used in large quantities to be effective, which could cause allergies and intoxication in humans.
  • Once you have successfully repelled the squirrels, remember that they entered through cracks and small holes in the facade. The holes don’t have to be large; squirrels can squeeze through gaps as small as 5 cm. Identify these points of entry and seal the cracks and holes to prevent squirrels from re-entering.
  • Even after the squirrels have disappeared, as a maintenance measure, keep the sound and ultrasonic squirrel repellent device in the affected area for some time to prevent their return.
  • Avoid leaving food in your attic or loft. Remove food sources such as bird seed feeders. Or consider getting a squirrel-specific feeder.

Squirrel Repellent – WK0600 – Transonic Pro

The squirrel repellent device WK0600, Transonic Pro emits sonic (audible) and ultrasonic (inaudible to most people) waves that effectively repel squirrels.

ahuyentador-ardillas-wk0600

Squirrels leave the area because they cannot adapt to the constantly changing ultrasonic signals emitted by the repellent. The area becomes hostile to them, and they are forced to leave.

Squirrel Repellent WK0600 – Easy Operation:

  • ahuyentador_ratas_ratones_ardillas_wk0600As you can see in the image, select the sound mode in the “C” position for squirrel repelling.
  • Next, select the “Loud” volume setting for emitting ultrasonic waves, medium-level sounds, and loud sounds with a coverage of up to 325m2.
  • Place the squirrel repellent device about 60 cm above the ground.

Squirrel Repellents for Vineyards, Fields, Orchards, and Other Crops

As mentioned earlier, in some areas of Spain, particularly in the Canary Islands and specifically in Fuerteventura, the Barbary ground squirrel population has reached levels that pose a problem for local farmers. In these areas, there are squirrel infestations.

These squirrels attack vineyards, orchards, olive trees, and other crops. However, it is not permitted to poison them as the poison could also harm other animals and damage the ecosystem. Therefore, an ecological squirrel repellent is necessary to protect the crops without causing harm to the squirrels.

For these cases, BirdGard Iberia recommends the Squirrel Repellent through Sounds – BirdGard Super Pro PA4.

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The BirdGard Super Pro PA4 squirrel repellent consists of a central unit that can be connected to one to four external speakers.

  • The central unit contains all the intelligence of the device. It is where the specific sound chip for repelling squirrels is inserted, which can also be used to repel other animals like rabbits. This repellent allows for the use of other sound chips to repel different types of animals that damage crops, such as deer, roe deer, deer, or wild boars.
  • The speakers emit a combination of sounds from squirrel predators like wild cats, owls, wolves, along with other electronic harassment sounds.
  • The coverage area of a single device is very large. A single squirrel repellent can cover from 0.6 to 2.4 hectares, depending on the number of connected speakers.

Squirrels, due to their small size, are constantly on guard to avoid becoming prey for their predators. When they hear the sounds of these predators, squirrels fear for their lives and flee the area. Since the squirrel repellent emits these sounds in a completely unpredictable and different pattern each time, there is no risk of squirrels getting accustomed to these sounds.

The BirdGard Super Pro PA4 squirrel repellent comes with a 30-day money-back guarantee if you are not completely satisfied with the results of repelling squirrels.

Next Steps to Get Rid of Squirrels

If you need to get rid of squirrels, remember our recommendations:

You can also use a squirrel trap cage. If you are interested in this method, we recommend reading the article: “Best Animal Trap Cages. Comparison and Recommendations”

If you have any additional questions about getting rid of squirrels, feel free to contact us. One of our experts will advise you on the most suitable squirrel control solution for your case.

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