Joe v. Squirrel: The Return

The squirrels are back, so I have finally resorted to opening up the soffits and attacking the squirrels where they live – after all they did it to me first.

Soffit

 

I was amazed at how much crap the squirrels had managed to get up into the soffits. I have basically removed two nests so far. These are made up of fur, leaves and lots of shredded paper and plastic. My current theory is that the squirrels used these nests to insulate themselves from the sound of my ultrasonic transmitters (as well as the cold). I thought if I removed all the crap, then the squirrels would once again be unable to escape the noise.

Here’s what the nest looked like.

 

Nest

 

I got a nasty surprise in one the nests – the corpse of squirrel past almost knocked me off my ladder. Here’s what a mummified squirrel looks like:

 

Mummified squirrel

Joe v. Squirrel

I don’t like squirrels and squirrels, its seems, don’t like me. For the last couple of years we have been locked in a running battle. Unfortunately, our house is an attractive spot for these fluffy tailed rats. Unlike most of the houses on our street, we have aluminum soffits on all four sides of our roof. These essentially make an enclosed triangular space beneath the eaves that runs the entire circumference of the house. 

We’ve been fighting for a long time, but to get you up to speed, I though I’d just post a list of strategies and their decidely mixed results.

Strategy 1: The primitive approach

The first thing I tried – when I was naive – was just banging on the soffits with a broom. I figured if the squirrels didn’t feel safe, they wouldn’t stick around.

Result: No effect on the squirrels, but it drove me crazy running out on the porch with a broom to bang on the underside of the eaves. The neighbours began to suspect I was deranged. They’re wrong I tell you!

Strategy 2: Plug it up!

My next strategy was to try and stuff the holes around the soffits with wire wool (and plywood and spray foam) in order to keep them out.

Results: For a while it seemed like this worked, but the squirrels were back within a few weeks. As it turns out, the holes I was plugging were only the most convenient entrances and the squirrels could actually squeeze between the eves trough and the roof. 

Strategy 3: Psyops

Remember Waco? Apparently they used the sounds of a dentist drill and the slaughtering of rabbits to try and force David Koresh and his followers out of their compound. I thought this might work for me, so in the Fall I bought some ultrasound transmitters designed to discourage pests. These emit a highpitched sound that is barely audible to us, but apparently  really annoys squirrels and other rodents. I read a lot of online comments on these devices that basically said they are bunk – because the sound is directional, it is too easy for the squirrels (or rats) to avoid the noise by hiding behind objects or staying out of range. Although I wasn’t optimistic, I gave it a shot anyway.

Results: Surprisingly, this seemed to work… for a while. My theory was that these emitters worked in the soffits better than other applications because even though they are directional – the soffits are essentially long tubes under the eaves. I set up a transmitter at each corner of the house and given the shape of the space, there was no place for the squirrels to hide from the noise.

Unfortunately, the squirrels have recently returned. Time for a new strategy… stay tuned.