the reason that there are now ticks where there were NEVER ticks in the past is that
the deer population has exploded. So has the rabbit and squirrel population. And
the coyote, fox and wolf population is following as expected.

I left the squirrels alone until they began eating into our house. I battled them
for 4 years paying people to replace the chewed wood, reinforce with aluminum
flashing. This spring I realized they had once again found a way in so I set the
trap and got 2 adults and 3 out of the 4 young ones. Squirrels are smart and would
remember "the good old days" of eating their way thru the metal flashing to get into
the house. I had to get rid of all with any memory of eating into the house. I
inherited the "house dwellers" from the house next door which stood empty for 5 years
or so and they had been in there. When the house was bought and being fixed up the
squirrels were evicted and just moved over to my house.

There are a couple ways to deal with baby vermin (yes, they do carry disease so
handle carefully). Put them out in the open and let nature take its course. I
prefer to drop them into a bucket of ice cold water. They sink and die quickly, the
cold water numbs them. I had to drown the squirrels I caught in the cage. I didnt
like doing this, but it was fast. The laws forbid "relocation" of wild animals like
this in Wisconsin.

Ingrid