Ground Squirrel Pest Control
Ground squirrels are one of the most damaging pests you can find. Thankfully, they do not invade homes, but then they don’t need to get inside to destroy your home out outbuildings. They will topple it from beneath.
Ground Squirrels Are Burrowers
Ground squirrels live in colonies, and they tunnel and burrow constantly. It is that constant moving of earth that causes most of the damage that ground squirrels create.
Damage to Patios
If you have hardscaping in your yard, ground squirrels will cause damage to it by weakening the earthen supports. In a very short amount of time, the tunnels and burrows created by the ground squirrels will begin to cause weakening and possibly collapse. If your patio is jointed, you will start to notice cracks in the grout, and stones or tiles will start to wiggle when you walk on them. If your patio is one slab, the structural weight of the slab will begin to cause cracks and fissures in the slab where the tunneling removes the slab’s support.
Damage to Foundations
Once tunneling occurs under the home, it can begin to shift the foundation and foundation supports. You may start to feel spongy spots on the floor where the foundation has settled. You may start to see cracks in the cement foundation outer wall or find that doors and windows are more challenging to open and close. The problem is that once the squirrels tunnel and remove the earth on which the foundation rests, the structure’s weight causes damage to the cement. In next to no time, the building will begin to sag. If left unchecked, the squirrel damage will eventually cause the structure to collapse.
Ground Squirrels and Outbuildings
Ground squirrels are highly alert, and they constantly chirp if they suspect danger is nearby. They are more likely to burrow under outbuildings where there is less human activity than a home where people live. Vacant homes are more of a target as there is less human activity. Cats and dogs will deter ground squirrels or hunt and kill them.
Squirrel Tunneling and Water
Where squirrels tunnel under a structure or even a cement slab, and rain occurs, the loss of support increases. The rainwater infiltrates the tunnels and can cause water damage inside the home. If the tunnels connect, they may form a conduit through which rainwater will flow. As it flows, it removes more dirt and the damage increases.
In the wild, the damage caused by ground squirrel burrows is not as noticeable because their holes do not have the added weight of a structure on them.
We recognize the damage that termites and other wood-destroying insects cause. Ground squirrels can potentially cause more destruction than termites and at a much faster rate. Ground squirrels are such pests that in some areas, you cannot relocate them. The only solution is to destroy them.
If ground squirrels pester your property, call us. Even if the squirrels are not on your property but next to it, they will eventually move in with you.
