Flying Squirrel Removal and Control

The Damage

Flying squirrels like to live in colonies. In the winter they will often create a nesting area. And if this happens to be in your attic, they can do extensive damage. They will gnaw on almost anything, including wiring and duct work. They also tear up insulation to burrow in it and build their nests. Insulation will need to be replaced if it’s too damaged and saturated in their urine and feces.

The Health Risks

Vector-borne Illnesses:
Flying squirrels are commonly infested with lice, fleas and ticks. Ticks can transfer diseases like Lyme and Rocky Mountain Fever to your family and pets.

Typhus:
Flyers are hosts to lice and fleas, which are the two main vectors of typhus. When typhus-infected lice or fleas living on flyers spread their feces throughout your attic, you are at risk of inhaling the infected feces or absorbing it through your skin or mucous membranes. Symptoms of typhus include headache, chills, fever, nausea, muscle aches, and a flat, red rash on the trunk of the body and the limbs. In rare, extreme cases, there can be severe complications that include meningitis, encephalitis, renal failure, and gangrene.

Salmonellosis:
Salmonella bacteria found in flying squirrels feces can also cause salmonellosis in humans. Symptoms include diarrhea, abdominal cramps, and fever.

The Modern Solution for Flying Squirrel Removal and Control

A Wildlife Team member from Modern Pest can determine if you’ve got flying squirrels by direct visual contact, feces identification, or tracks. Exclusion techniques are then used. Access points must be discovered and sealed to stop them from coming in. One-way doors are often installed. Once completed, the flyers can be trapped and relocated far from the house. Trapping can take some time because flying squirrels don’t travel alone.  Once the rodents are removed entirely from the attic, remediation is the last step. This involves surface-cleaning, disinfecting, and deodorizing the area. Sometimes damaged insulation will need to be replaced.

Modern’s Wildlife Services may differ based on local regulations. Please call 800-323-7378 for more information.

When you partner with Modern Pest Services, you’ll never have to worry about a pest, rodent or wildlife issue again!

Wildlife Control Methods

Will My Homeowners Insurance Cover Wildlife Damage?

Since every homeowners insurance policy is different, it’s important to talk with your agent and find out exactly what is covered by yours.

Most standard home and mobile home insurance policies will cover damage to your home by a wild animal if the animal is not a rodent. Some common nuisance rodents are mice, rats, chipmunks, flying and ground squirrels, groundhogs, and porcupines. Bats, birds, raccoons, and weasels are not rodents, and are often covered.

Usually, the damage must have occurred in a single, identifiable event. If it occurred over a gradual period and preventable action could have been taken, it might not be covered.

When you’re shopping for a policy, talk with an agent about possible wildlife damage scenarios you could face. They will be able to inform you on whether the policy offers coverage in each scenario.