It’s spring which means a whole lot of critters have emerged from the cold hive of winter and are setting their hungry eyes on your business.

In particular, squirrels have finished hibernation, and in doing so, these fluffy furry pests will begin causing quite the nuisance. There are two species of squirrel in the UK grey and reds. Only one of them you need to be worried about.

In this article, we’ll give you the inside scoop about the grey menace.

 

Why Grey Squirrels?

grey squirrel pest

Red squirrels are our native species while grey squirrels were introduced in the 1880s from North America, making them a non-native invasive species. Grey squirrels have very few natural predators, outcompeting the reds for both food and shelter.

They also brought over the squirrel pox virus which, while greys can go around without a care in the world, the transmission towards red squirrels causes skin ulcers, lesions and scabs — ultimately killing them from dehydration in a matter of weeks.

Grey squirrels contribute absolutely nothing to the ecosystem other than damage, decay and destruction. In fact, they’re rated the 85th worst species in the world.

 

From a business sense, a grey squirrel infestation can be troublesome. The invasive pests are capable of chewing through ceilings, contaminating water tanks with urine and droppings and tearing away at electrical wires.

Imagine your business experiencing a blackout all because of these dastardly creatures.

Before you grab your pitchforks in revolt, here’s what the law says about them.

 

What Does The Law Say About Grey Vs Red Squirrels?

squirrel law

Red squirrels are a protected species under the Wildlife & Countryside Act 1981 (WCA) (The Wildlife & Countryside (Northern Ireland) Order 1985). It is a criminal offence to intentionally kill, injure or recklessly damaging any place a red squirrel resides.

On the other hand, grey squirrels have very little legal protection.  Under Schedule 9 of the WCA, it is illegal to release a grey squirrel into the wild or allow one to escape. Any pest controller would have to dispatch any grey squirrel caught alive legally. What this means according to the Animal Welfare Act (2006), it’s a felony to cause “unnecessary suffering” to an animal under your care. A window cleaner from Staffordshire faced a fine of £1,500 for admitting to drowning a squirrel in his back garden.

Unlike trying to solve the problem yourself and getting into a lot of hot bother; professional pest controllers will have the right tools to ensure that the animal at least has a painless, dignified death.

 

Direct365 Year-Round Pest Control

spring pest control

Invasive species cost the economy an estimated £1.7 billion per year.  Besides the common pests, be them rats, slugs, flies and grey squirrels, whatever the pest our vans are stocked and prepared, at least 9/10 times we’ll have the supplies on hand to deal with the problem at first contact.

We believe effective prevention is the best remedy.

 

Our intelligent pest control management means that when we’ve come round to your site, you’ll have the list of work done, pointers and analysis all downloaded to a handy app.

Are you a growing business facing a growing pest infestation?

Our discreet service can handle it.

 

Put a spring in your step this season by signing up to our expert pest control service, get an instant quote today.

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