Squirrel control › Framlingham
Everything else on this subject is inference. Watching the animal go in is proof, and it takes about twenty minutes.
It is also the only method that gives you the exact opening rather than the general area, which is worth a great deal on the day the work is done.
When to watch
Two windows, and the first is much better than the second.
- First light to about two hours after. This is when a squirrel leaves, and departures are more predictable than arrivals
- The hour before dusk. The return. Less reliable, and the light is going
A still, dry morning is far better than a windy or wet one. In poor weather they leave later and move less, and you will sit there for nothing.
Where to stand
Far enough back to see the whole elevation at once — the bottom of the garden, an upstairs window across the way, a car on the drive. Close in you will be watching one detail and the animal will use another. If the noise has been consistently above one room, start with that elevation.
Squirrels are not much troubled by a person standing still at a distance, but movement close to the wall will change the behaviour, so pick a spot and stay in it.
What you are watching for
- The approach. Along a fence, down a branch, up a downpipe, across a cable — this is worth noting in its own right
- The pause. They nearly always stop just short of the entry, often on the gutter or a verge, for a few seconds
- The entry. Fast, and easy to miss. Keep watching the same point for a moment afterwards to be sure
- Repeat traffic. In and out several times suggests caching rather than resting
Photograph or film the pause, not the entry. The entry is too quick. The moment they stop on the gutter or the verge is several seconds long and it tells you the exact point they are about to use.
What twenty minutes of watching gives you
- The elevation, which halves the survey
- The exact opening rather than the likely one
- The route up, which tells you what can be cut back afterwards
- Whether there is more than one animal, which changes expectations
- Whether it is a squirrel at all
If nothing happens
Try again on a better morning before concluding anything. Activity varies with weather and season, and gaps of several days are ordinary. Two or three blank mornings in fair weather, with noise still being heard, is worth mentioning — it can point to a shared roof space and an entry on a neighbouring property, which is common in the older parts of Framlingham.
Questions
How long should I watch for?
Twenty minutes to half an hour from first light, on a still dry morning. Longer than that has diminishing returns.
Will they see me?
Probably, and a person standing still at a distance is usually tolerated. Movement near the wall is not.
What if I see two?
Worth saying when you call. It changes what is expected in the roof and may mean young.
Squirrel Control Framlingham
Squirrel control in Framlingham is £280 fixed cost. Proofing work, where it is needed afterwards, is £180. Call 01502 630 122 and tell us what you have heard or seen.
For squirrel control in Framlingham, call 01502 630 122, or read the Framlingham squirrel control page.