Are Squirrels Considered Pests?

Would you consider squirrels a type of pest? With soft, brown eyes and big, bushy tails, squirrels don’t fit the bill of a pest when compared to other animals and insects on the list. While their appearance is certainly less threatening and they admittedly don’t cause as much harm as other pests, they’re still a creature you should be wary of in certain situations.

In an effort to educate and inform property owners everywhere, this guide will present some reasons why squirrels can in fact be considered pests. There’s no need to break out the pitchforks just yet, but knowing how a squirrel can negatively impact your home and property can help you avoid a potential bad squirrely situation:

Property Damage

While squirrels aren’t likely to take up residence in your home like mice and rats tend to do, they can still cause minor property damage if left unchecked. Since squirrels spend much of their time in trees, they will often jump onto your roof where they can chew up roof lining, wires, and anything else they find up there.

If you have an attic along the tree line, a squirrel or two might find their way in there for shelter. If there’s a lot of human activity they’ll normally steer clear, but your storage spaces might become a nesting ground for a squirrel that appreciates an enclosed space away from predators or the elements. Squirrels don’t clean up after themselves, so they’ll dirty up your attic space quickly and get into anything you have stored there.

Yard and Garden Troubles

Garden owners will be the first to tell you that squirrels are pests. As voracious herbivores, numerous vegetables and fruits are at risk of being picked at by these hungry rodents. If a squirrel gets into your garden with the wrong idea, it can ruin all of the hard work you and your green thumb have put in.

Squirrels can also damage other areas of your yard. By digging around for food, especially right before winter, they can cause damage to your lawn, trees, and bushes. Some damage might be nothing more than an eyesore, but enough scratches can have a significantly negative impact on some of the greenery around your home. 

Pest Spreading

Squirrels certainly aren’t the nastiest pests around, but they can spread some creatures around that are much worse. A perfect example of this is the tick. Ticks are commonly found in wooded areas where squirrels also reside. A single squirrel can carry dozens of small ticks that it can then bring closer to your home and family. 

You can probably handle a squirrel or two in the yard and even think they’re kind of cute. However, nobody thinks that ticks are cute and they can be much more dangerous than any rodent. Ticks can carry all sorts of diseases through their bites and are very uncomfortable and annoying to get rid of. 

If you are having some problems with squirrels, ahumane rodent trap will do the trick. This can easily snag a critter out of your attic or crawl space and allow you to transfer them somewhere more open. After all, squirrels aren’t all that bad, eating some other annoying insects and helping forests ecosystems to thrive.