Two routes get overlooked more than any others, because neither looks like a path. Squirrels use both routinely, and both put an animal at the roof edge without touching a tree or a fence.
Overhead cables
Service cables and telephone lines running to a house are used as a matter of course. A squirrel walks a wire comfortably, and the line arrives exactly where it is least helpful — at the eaves or the gable, at roof height, on the elevation with the service entry.
It is easy to confirm. Watch the line at dawn for twenty minutes; if it is in use you will see it. Look also at where the cable meets the wall — a used arrival point often shows rubbing and staining around the bracket.
What can be done is limited. The cable belongs to the service provider and is not something to interfere with, and guards fitted to a line are a matter for the provider rather than the household. In practice a cable route is one of the strongest arguments for closing the openings properly, because the approach is not going anywhere.
Downpipes and soil pipes
A vertical climb of two storeys is well within a squirrel's capability where there is anything to grip. Cast-iron and older plastic pipe with brackets standing off the wall is straightforward; square-section pipe is easier still; and a soil pipe that stands proud of the render is close to a ladder.
- Look for wear on brackets and at the top of the pipe where it meets the gutter
- Look at the top. A downpipe delivers an animal directly into the gutter, which is then a road along the whole eaves
- Check the soil vent pipe as well, which usually terminates above the eaves
Climbing plants, which behave the same way
Ivy, wisteria, climbing roses and established honeysuckle on a wall are a vertical route with cover. Ivy is the worst of them: it grows into soffits and under tiles, holds moisture against the fabric and provides a continuous climb from the ground to the roof edge. It is worth cutting back from the eaves for the building's sake as much as anything.
The common feature of everything on this page: it delivers the animal to the gutter. Once at the gutter it can travel the whole elevation, so the arrival point and the entry point are frequently at opposite ends of the same roof.
What is worth doing
- Cut climbing plants well clear of the eaves and gutter
- Clear the gutter, so that a route along it is at least less comfortable and the fascia behind it is not rotting
- Move anything at the base of a pipe that gives a first step up
- Accept that the cable and the pipework are staying, and close the openings instead
Questions
Can I fit a guard to the cable?
The cable belongs to the service provider, so that is a matter for them rather than something to do yourself.
Are plastic downpipes easier or harder to climb?
Square-section and anything standing off the wall on brackets is easier. A flush round pipe is harder and not impossible.
Should I take the ivy off?
Cutting it back from the eaves and gutter is worth doing for the building as well as the route. It holds moisture against the fabric.
Squirrel Control Mildenhall
Squirrel control in Mildenhall 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 Mildenhall, call 01502 630 122, or read the Mildenhall squirrel control page.