Squirrels
Squirrels on a House With Several Roofs
On a large house the first job is working out which roof the squirrels are using. The main loft, the roof space over a later wing, the void above a garage and the eaves cupboards behind dormer rooms may not connect to each other, and some have no hatch at all. The wider layout of these properties is described on Pest Control Totteridge; this page is about what happens once you book.
Pinning down the right section
Noise travels along timbers, so scratching heard in one bedroom can come from a roof space two rooms away. Before you book, note which rooms you hear it in and at what time of day, and watch the outside of the house in the early morning, when squirrels leave the roof. A squirrel seen going in at one corner of the eaves narrows it down quickly. How squirrels get into a roof lists the usual points.
Checking it is squirrels
Rats also climb into roofs, especially on plots with stables and feed stores. Squirrels are mostly active in daylight and rats at night. Squirrels or rats in the loft helps you tell them apart, and if it is rats, rat control in Totteridge is the right booking.
How the Trapping Service Runs
The £280 service is for trapping the grey squirrels using your roof space. You will be told what it involves and what you need to do, such as keeping hatches shut and leaving anything that has been set up alone. The way in should stay open until the squirrels have gone, because a squirrel shut inside will chew another way out, and in spring and summer there may be young in the nest. How long it takes depends on the roof and how many squirrels are using it, as how long squirrel control takes explains.
Repairing the way in
When the roof space is quiet, the entry point needs a proper repair by a roofer or carpenter. On a house with several roof lines it is worth asking them to check the other eaves and valleys while the scaffold or ladder is up, since a squirrel turned away from one gap will try another. Stopping squirrels getting back into your roof describes what a lasting repair looks like.
Trees, the Conservation Area and the Law
Branches within a couple of metres of the roof give squirrels a bridge, and on large plots with old trees that is often the whole story. Cutting them back after the repair helps. Trees in a conservation area such as Totteridge village are protected: you normally need to give the council six weeks' notice before cutting or felling one, and some trees also have a Tree Preservation Order. A tree surgeon can advise on what is needed.
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 Totteridge Fields and letting it go is not allowed. The law on releasing grey squirrels explains this.
When to Book
Squirrels can move into a roof at any time of year, but late winter to spring and again in summer are when females look for somewhere to have young. Booking as soon as you hear activity gives the best chance of dealing with adults before a litter arrives. A roof that has sheltered squirrels once will draw them back while the gap is open. For the wider Barnet picture, see Squirrel Control Barnet and squirrels in Barnet lofts; houses on the woodland edge in neighbouring Mill Hill face much the same.
