Squirrels Damaging Siding, Trees in Northern New Jersey
Gnawing squirrels have become a serious problem in northern New Jersey communities in Bergen, Passaic, West Essex and Morris counties. Homeowners are complaining of squirrels gnawing on wood siding, chewing holes in cedar shake roofs, chomping the tips off evergreens and deciduous trees, and stripping the bark from the trunks and branches of landscape plants. Not only are pesky squirrels seriously damaging expensive landscape plants, they’re inflicting expensive damage on homes. In some cases, squirrels have eaten holes in roofs or eaves and built nests in attics. When this happens, not only do squirrels foul insulation and possessions stored in attics; but they have been known to gnaw through electrical wires routed through attics and start house fires.
Like other members of the rodent family, squirrels have teeth that grow constantly and rapidly. Their continuous gnawing is necessary to keep their teeth sharp and at the proper length for eating. When squirrels gnaw the bark off trees and shrubs in the spring, called debarking, they are after the soft, sweet-tasting cambium fiber that grows just under the bark.
Squirrels are aggressive, persistent nuisance wildlife pests. They quickly learn to circumvent obstacles placed in their paths, as anyone with a birdfeeder will tell you. They carry fleas, mites and other parasites and can spread these to your home, family and pets if they nest inside your attic. If you have a squirrel problem, don’t put your family at risk; contact the squirrel exclusion experts at Heritage Pest Control.