Squirrel control › Long Melford
Everything about closing an entry point too early applies in every season. In spring there is an additional consideration, and it changes both the practical and the ethical position.
The breeding calendar
Grey squirrels breed twice a year. The first litter is generally born in late winter or early spring, the second in mid to late summer. Young are born blind and hairless, stay in the nest for several weeks, and are dependent on the female for considerably longer than people expect — they are not mobile early.
So activity that starts suddenly in February or March is frequently a female prospecting for a nest site, and activity in April and May in an established site frequently means young are present.
Why sealing then is worse
- The female is shut out and the young are shut in. They cannot leave and cannot feed themselves
- The female works far harder to get back in than any animal simply seeking shelter, which means heavier damage in a shorter time
- The outcome, if she cannot, is several animals dying in an inaccessible space rather than one
- The smell and the clean-up follow from that, in a roof above living space
This is the season to be most careful, not least. The instinct to act quickly is strongest when noise is at its most persistent, which is exactly when young are most likely to be present.
How to tell whether young are there
- Higher-pitched noise alongside the heavy adult movement — chirring, squeaking or a chittering sound
- Noise concentrated in one spot rather than moving about the roof
- A female making repeated trips in and out through the day
- Material being carried in over several days beforehand
- Activity that continues at a steady, unhurried pace rather than coming and going with the weather
Any of those is worth saying plainly when you call. It affects the timing and the approach, and it is far better known in advance than discovered on the day.
Welfare, plainly
Grey squirrels are a non-native invasive species and it is an offence to release one that has been caught, so there is no catch-and-release option available to anybody. What that leaves is an obligation to handle the work humanely and lawfully, and that obligation is at its sharpest where young are involved.
It is one of the clearest reasons this is not a job to improvise with a trap or a tin of foam in April.
The better timing
Autumn, wherever the choice exists. Dealing with activity in September or October closes the roof before winter and before the late-winter breeding season, which is what keeps a property out of the cycle rather than pausing it.
Questions
Should I wait until the young have left?
Do not wait and do nothing — call and say what you are hearing. The timing of the work is a decision to take with the information, not without it.
What does a nest with young sound like?
Higher-pitched chittering or squeaking under the heavier adult movement, concentrated in one part of the roof.
Is it illegal to disturb a squirrel nest?
Grey squirrels are not protected in the way native species are, and welfare obligations apply regardless. Bird nests in the same roof are separately protected.
Squirrel Control Long Melford
Squirrel control in Long Melford 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 Long Melford, call 01502 630 122, or read the Long Melford squirrel control page.