Squirrels
How a Squirrel Job Runs Beside the Woods
Why squirrels are so at home around Arrandene, Moat Mount and the big garden trees is covered on Pest Control Mill Hill. This page is about getting them out of your roof and keeping them out, and the steps happen in a particular order.
First, be sure it is squirrels
Noise in a roof near woodland could be squirrels, field mice or rats, and each needs a different service. Heavy running at first light and dusk, and chewed wood at the eaves, point to squirrels. Light scratching in the evening suggests mice. What squirrels sound like in a roof helps you tell.
Trapping
The £280 service is for trapping the grey squirrels using your roof. You will be told beforehand what it involves and what is needed from you, such as keeping the loft hatch closed and leaving anything set up undisturbed. How long it takes depends on the roof and how many are using it, as how long squirrel control takes explains.
Keeping the way in open until they have gone
Do not let a roofer seal the hole while squirrels are still inside. A shut-in squirrel chews its way out, often into the house, and between late winter and summer there may be young that cannot leave on their own.
The repair
Once the roof is quiet, the entry point needs a proper repair. On older houses that is often rotten fascia or soffit timber, a gap at a bay roof or a loose tile by a chimney, which is work for a roofer or carpenter. Book them early so the repair follows straight on. Stopping squirrels getting back in describes what lasts.
Trees You Do Not Own
Cutting back the branch that squirrels use is one of the most useful things you can do, but around Mill Hill that branch often belongs to someone else. If it overhangs from a neighbour's garden, talk to them first. If it stands on public open space, contact the council as the landowner rather than cutting it yourself.
The conservation area
Mill Hill village and the area around The Ridgeway form a conservation area, where trees are protected. You generally need to give Barnet Council notice before pruning or felling a tree there, and some trees anywhere may carry a tree preservation order. Check before booking a tree surgeon, and ask whether roof repairs need matching materials.
What to Tell Us When You Book
When you book squirrel control, say what kind of house it is and how many separate roof spaces it has: a main loft, a roof over a garage or extension, the space above a bay. Tell us which trees come close to the roof and whose land they are on, when you hear the noise, and whether you have seen a squirrel going in at a particular spot. If a roofer has already looked at the house, pass on what they found. Keep the loft hatch shut and pets away from the roof space until the visit.
When in the Year to Act
Grey squirrels can move into a roof at any time, but late winter into spring and again in summer are when females look for somewhere to raise young. In autumn, with acorns and other food falling in the woods, they are busy, and a roof used earlier in the year can draw them back if the gap is still open. Why squirrels return to the same loft explains that pull.
Grey Squirrels and the Law
Grey squirrels are an invasive non-native species. It is an offence to release one into the wild once it has been caught, so taking it to the woods and letting it go is not allowed. The legal position on release is set out in our guide, and Squirrel Control Barnet has the borough-wide picture.
