How Do You Keep Squirrels Off Your Roof?
Squirrels are pests that like to eat the fruits and veggies in your garden, but they can be a problem if they get on your roof. To deter them, trim off tree branches near the roofline to create at least a 10-foot gap in between.
Use predator guard on tree trunks, around electric poles, and secure cables and wires. Squirrels are harmless to people but also amiable and lively, yet their presence can lead to various issues in and around the house. How do you keep squirrels off your roof? These are some of the best ways to keep them from entering your property.
Why do Squirrels Love the Roof?
Squirrels love the roof because they need to keep their young ones safe and can access the attic and underlayment. They usually puncture small holes through the woodwork of the roof to gain access to the attic and underlayment.
In residential areas, roofs present a safe place for squirrels to play and stay safe from predatory animals such as foxes, coyotes, and snakes.
What is Squirrel on Roof Sound?
Squirrels are often heard running around on top of roofs, but it’s important to be aware that the noises coming from squirrels under the roof, inside your house, and attic might not be from the roof after all.
Squirrels on a roof are making noises and rolling nuts, and they are food hoarders who live by stashing berries, nuts and grains into holes in the ground or hollow crevices of trees. They also love to chew their way into walls or attics and build their nests in them, which can be dangerous due to the materials they bring in to build their nests, which can cause a fire.
If you hear sounds in your attic during the day, most times it is a squirrel. Squirrels are diurnal, meaning they are most active during daylight hours, and they commonly produce scurrying, scampering, and scratching sounds in the attic. They often roll acorns or nuts and produce gnawing and grinding sounds similar to mice.
What to Know About Squirrels
There are different types of squirrels ranging from ground squirrels and flying squirrels to chipmunks, and all these squirrels vary in fur color, but the most popular are the grey squirrels and the fox squirrel.
Signs that squirrels are on your roof include Banging and rustling in the roof/attic, a sudden foul smell of concentrated urine coming from above, claw marks on shingles that have been chewed, finding nests in the attic that are bigger than that of a rat, and droppings on the roof or attic that belong to a squirrel.
Squirrels are known to live longer and thrive in captivity, and as much as they are cute and fuzzy, squirrels are known to be restless and can chew just about anything, edible or not.
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Damage Squirrels Cause to a Roof
Squirrels are tiny creatures that can cause a lot of damage to roof fascia boards, eavestroughs, shingles, and wood beams. They can chew through wood, insulation, and even siding to enter your attic or build their nest. A destroyed shingle makes your roof susceptible to water and moisture, and a bad roof will let in water which may cause moulds and mildew.
Squirrels are primarily drawn towards human settlements for food and shelter. Still, if they access your attic these chewing animals will chew the wiring in the attic of roofs, destroying the insulation on the wires, which may lead to accidental electric fires.
When squirrels land on your roof, they may begin to chew on the roof decking and soffit, and if they find their way through to the attic, they pose a more considerable danger. Squirrels cause a lot of damage to a property, so it is crucial to get rid of them from the roof.
How Long Can a Squirrel Live Trapped In a Chimney?
How Do You Keep Squirrels Off Your Roof?
Remove Any Low-Hanging Branches
The effectiveness of the method you choose depends on how well it keeps squirrels away. Squirrels are excellent climbers and jumpers, so they can easily take advantage of long tree branches to access the roofs in the yard.
To prevent flying squirrels, cutting overhanging trees and branches is essential by ensuring a minimum distance of about eight feet between the branches and the roofs. This will keep the home safe from even flying squirrels, as the climbing animals will not access the house by jumping from the top of overhanging trees.
Seal Any Squirrel Entry Points to the Roof
Find and seal all the possible holes the squirrels use to get into the roof. Take a day or two to watch how the squirrels get to the house and fill all the holes carefully. Wait for a day or two and then return to observe the holes.
Mark the central entry holes and close the gaps with galvanized steel mesh. Search for additional holes and repeat the process. This method is effective because it prevents squirrels from entering the home and spares you the losses associated with possible squirrel damage to the roof.
Set up Squirrel Guards
Squirrel guards are small devices that prevent squirrels from accessing your home. They are placed near the access point, which may be via poles or overhanging trees. The squirrels can easily climb up the poles and jump onto the roof, where they can start chewing at the shingles and drilling holes.
You can install poles or line guards to keep off these rodents. If you put the guards on electric poles, ensure they are four to five feet from the ground.
These metallic devices effectively stop squirrels and other pets from accessing your home, keeping them away from the chimney, roof, and electric poles. The method will also keep rodents off your house and tree branches near your house in the yard.
Scarecrows can Help
Some birds of prey feed on squirrels, and small animals cannot differentiate between a scarecrow and a real bird of prey. Therefore, it is essential to purchase large life-sized plastic dolls to use as scarecrows. The dolls should be placed near or on the roof, where is the access point of the squirrels.
Once the squirrels detect the scarecrows near the nest, they will likely evacuate their young ones out of danger. The scarecrows can also be placed on electric poles so that the squirrels stay off the roof as long as the scarecrow is visible.
What is the Best Squirrel Repellent?
Squirrels have a sense of fear of predators and can sense their odor, which is why repellants are used to control them. Common predators of squirrels include foxes and coyotes, who are constantly hunting for squirrel nests and can destroy families of squirrels.
Repellants are chemicals that mimic the smell of urine from predators and can be sprayed all over the yard around the house, including the main trees near the house or electric poles. Additionally, planting peppermint plants in gardens can keep squirrels away from your garden, off your roof, and far from your home.
How Do You Stop Squirrels From Coming?
To keep away a squirrel infestation around your home, cease feeding them and remove their feeding opportunities. Otherwise, this will send a message that they can depend on you for food and encourage them to build nests near human settlements and have an endless supply of food if they can access it from your house.
Additionally, hanging bird feeders around your compound can attract birds, but this can also attract roaming squirrels who love feeding on seeds. One effective way to keep squirrels off your roof is by removing their access to food and shelter, so make sure they have nothing to eat consistently, and they will soon climb down the roof and disappear from your yard.
How to Keep Squirrels Off the Roof and Out of Soffits
Install attic or outside soffit traps for squirrels. Install traps with one-way doors in your attic or hanging from your soffits on the outside when squirrels invade your roof. Bait the squirrels with orange peelings and make the traps large enough to prevent their tails from being caught in the trap.
Once set up, check the traps, and if they have squirrels inside, collect them and release them far away from the house. Squirrels are intelligent animals; they will find their way back if they get lost near the yard. Take your time and move miles away from your home before releasing them.
Squirrels on Your Roof Call a Wildlife Removal Expert Near
If the above interventions fail, the only remaining option is to call a pest control unit. Hire a wildlife removal expert to remove squirrels from your roof. Once all your tactics have failed, it may be time to get professional advice. A wildlife removal expert can help you get rid of squirrels from your roof. They may detect new access points on a tree nearby and block access to food within your home.
These professionals have mastered the art of safely getting rid of animals regarded as a pest and a nuisance, and they may even help fix your roof if the squirrels cause damage.
Does Drip Edge Prevent Squirrels?
A drip edge is a sheet metal between the shingles and the roof’s fascia. Drip Edge is a way to prevent squirrels, rodents, insects, and other animals from getting into your attic. It is used to channel rainwater into the gutters of the roofs and can effectively keep squirrels off the roof.
Squirrels usually get through access points and burrow holes between the shingles and the fascia and use the holes to get to the house’s attic. To install a drip edge on the roof, a licensed professional will secure the sheet metal with nails or cement, keeping squirrels off the roof completely.
Preventing Squirrels from Ruining Your Roof Home
When moving into a home in an area with squirrels, it is best to arm yourself against these rodents before they come knocking. Safety precautions against squirrel infestation go a long way in saving you unplanned bills regarding roof repair and additional utility bills.
Prevent future damage on shingles and fascia boards by having a contractor install a drip edge on your roof. Ensure that trees around the home are always trimmed just in case squirrels happen to be around. Cut down any tree near the house and have a long-term plan never to plant trees nearby.
Also, always be on the lookout for squirrels in touch with your roof and attic to ensure they have not made a home there without your knowledge. Keeping other pets who will scare squirrels away from your home is also a great idea.
Shielding Your Cables and Wires from Squirrels
Squirrels chew through power cables because they are looking for new food sources and nesting material, particularly in and around trees near power lines. Animal behaviorists believe that squirrels are motivated by their need for new resources.
Covering wires and cables is an effective way to prevent squirrel damage and keep the home safe. Squirrels like chewing on wires and cables, so the best way to keep them away from doing this is by putting something over or around these cords. This can be done by covering all the cables and wires in the attics and other places in the home, using large enough rubber tubing that should be about an inch in width. This will make the squirrel fall as the tube will spin as they walk on it. Another way to prevent squirrel damage is to paint the roof.
Cable ties can be used to secure the one-inch-wide rubber tubing or slim PVC pipes can be used to fasten the rubber tubing around the cables and wires. The effectiveness of this method is that it prevents the animal from chewing the cables and also makes the animal unable to climb on them.
Squirrel-Proofing Your Roof: More Tips
There are some other methods used to deter squirrels from entering your roof. These methods include using a terracotta pot to keep squirrels off your roof. The theory behind these methods is that orange reminds squirrels of predators so that they will avoid areas with orange around them.
Ammonia to keep squirrels off your roof, A spray bottle filled with water and two capfuls of ammonia can also spray the mixture around your roof.
Pepper to keep squirrels off your roof, pepper can be sprinkled on your roof for several days to eliminate all squirrels living there.
These methods are all great ways to keep squirrels off your roof, and if combined, there is no doubt that you will be able to get rid of all the squirrels for good.
Final Thought on How Do You Keep Squirrels Off Your
Roof?
Squirrels are a common problem that homeowners often only realize once their roof begins to leak. If the squirrel is chewing on your home, it can damage the attic insulation and potential re-roofing needs.
The best way to catch squirrels is to seal any holes within the roof and regularly check for any signs of small gaps in the roof, eaves and soffits, which might allow a small animal like a squirrel to access.
To keep squirrels off the roof, homeowners can use squirrel guards or repellants, install a ridge vent, or contact a wildlife removal expert if all methods fail. If a squirrel infestation is too difficult to handle, a wildlife professional in pest control can help chase away squirrels or safely remove them from your compound.
Some squirrels are listed as a game, and others are non-game, so if there is no way of getting rid of them other than killing these cute little ones, it is best to get a special permit.
