A great many Woodbridge lofts contain evidence of squirrels. A much smaller number contain squirrels.
Telling those two apart is worth doing before anybody concludes anything, and it can be done from the hatch.
Dating droppings
- Fresh. Dark brown, almost black. Firm rather than crumbling, with a slight sheen. Sitting on top of clean material
- A few weeks old. Fading towards grey-brown, drier, losing the sheen
- Old. Grey, dry, crumbling when disturbed, and — the decisive part — with a layer of dust settled on top of them
The dust is the most reliable single indicator in a loft. Dust settles continuously and steadily. Anything sitting under a visible layer of it has been there a long time; anything sitting on clean material is recent.
Dating gnaw marks
Fresh gnawing on timber is pale and sharp-edged, standing out clearly against the darker, weathered surface around it, with loose splinters and chips nearby. Old gnawing has greyed over, its edges have softened, dust has settled into it, and the debris has long since gone.
Dating the insulation
- Current. Loose fibres lying on the surface, sharp-edged disturbance, a nest bowl that still looks worked
- Old. Compressed and settled disturbance, dust over the whole surface including the flattened areas, and a nest bowl that has collapsed or become matted
The clean test. Clear a small area — a windowsill under the roof edge, the ground below the eaves — and look again in a week. Anything new is unambiguous. It converts a question about history into a question about now.
Why it matters
Because the two situations need different responses. A live problem needs the activity dealing with first and the roof closing afterwards. A historic one needs only the opening closing — and that is the cheapest and easiest version of this whole subject, because there is no animal to deal with first.
What historic evidence never means is that nothing needs doing. Something got in, and it got in through something that is very probably still there.
When it is ambiguous
It often is. Old droppings and fresh gnawing means a site used before and used again. Fresh droppings with no noise means recent activity that may have moved on. Both are worth reporting exactly as they are — the ambiguity is a finding, not a failure to look properly.
Questions
Old evidence and no noise. Do I still need anything done?
The opening wants closing, which is the straightforward and inexpensive version of this. Otherwise it will be found again.
How quickly does dust settle in a loft?
Steadily and continuously. A visible layer over something means weeks or months rather than days.
Can I date it more precisely?
Not usefully. Fresh, weeks, or long ago is as far as it goes — and it is enough to decide what to do.
Squirrel Control Woodbridge
Squirrel control in Woodbridge 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 Woodbridge, call 01502 630 122, or read the Woodbridge squirrel control page.