Replies

1. 
   Stan_Foster | Feb 16, 2001 12:59am | #1

   *
   Rick: This is how I handle squirrels around my place.

1. 
   Mike_M. | Feb 16, 2001 03:40am | #2

   *Rick-I've had a couple skirmishes with the residents of the two black walnut trees that border our lot. They had been sneaking into our attic beneath the eave where the dormer meets the roof. 90 year old house, skip sheathing, wide gap where planks on the sidewall and the roof met. Pretty much a welcome mat if you're a squirrel, I suppose. After we evicted them, they moved into our neighbor's attic by chewing through the insect screen on his roof vents. They're resourceful critters. The best approach I've come up with is to staple heavy gauge wire netting (1/4" square)over the openings from the inside. The wider stuff didn't work nearly as well. If you leave any opening to the attic they'll find it. Of course, if reinforcing your defenses fails, you can always fall back, call in artillery, and give Stan's approach a try. Mike

1. 
   allen_schell | Feb 16, 2001 04:47am | #3

   *Stan, Nice shot! Give us the story.

1. 
   Jim_Tredeau | Feb 16, 2001 05:33am | #4

   *Put a piece of flashing under the shingle that is under the soffit so its not seen from down below and bend it up and above your soffit material on your dormer roof to fill the void between the soffit and shingle.

1. 
   Jim_Walters | Feb 16, 2001 12:15pm | #5

   *Rick,I live in an old growth forest, this house actually comes alive at night with critters. Every once in a while I'll try to appease my wife by trying to keep them out, but they always make it back to their playground somehow. I've checked the wiring I can get to and it seems OK, but that's my only fear, they could chew and start a fire.

2. 
   Stan_Foster | Feb 16, 2001 01:13pm | #6

   *Allen: I just happened to have that picture in my computer for a gun site that I go to often. That squirrel was shot with my .40 caliber Glock with an internal laser beam sight. It makes for very accurate shot placement. By the way, I had the squirrel for supper.Excuse me Rick, I read your post and without much thought, posted one solution. Seriously, a squirrel in an attic is a big problem as they love to chew wires right off at the plates.

3. 
   Art_B | Feb 16, 2001 04:07pm | #7

   *Finally put .020" steel plate (vs Aluminum mesh)over area between chimney and house to keep out squirrels. So they plain ate straight thru the wall - siding, 15#felt, 1/2 plywood, and edgewise thru a 2x4 to make a nest in the bedroom closet. In praise of wild cats -- we quit chasing off the cats that periodically get dumped in the area by yokels to lazy to fix theirs or take'm to the pond. The cats (about 5 we can identify, can't get near them) made short work of the entire squirrel population (plus no mice since either) and don't seem to bother anything else except the unwanted birds (see pigeon thread elsewhere. Throw enough table scraps in the back yard to keep the cats around in the winter, cuts down on garbage also.

4. 
   d_j_k | Feb 17, 2001 02:04pm | #8

   *just be glad Bulwinkle is not up there with Rocky

5. 
   junkyard_dog | Feb 20, 2001 05:27am | #9

   *Go to the local feed store and buy some fox urine. Does not smell good but is has the critters fooled. Good luck

2. 
   Rick_Powell | Feb 20, 2001 05:27am | #10

   *
   I'm new to this web site but have subscribed to fine homebuilding for many years. Anyway here's my problem. We have started to occupy the new addition I built to our house. The roof has 3 dormers. The soffit to these dormers comes to within 3/8 of an inch of the main roof shingles. I didn't want up run the soffit right into the shingles for fear of rotting the 1x12. but it seems this 3/8 is enough space for these squirrels(which fly in from trees that are 20 feet away) to get in and party all night long. So my question is, what would be a good material to plug the gap and how to get rid of the damn squirrels. any help would be appreciated, thanks.