On Wed, 04 May 2005 14:24:14 +0100, Chris Bacon
wrote:

John Edgar wrote:
You do not need to be humane, but maleficent in the extreme. They are
vermin and will do untold damage in your roof. They may look like
charming rascals, but they are more like monsters.

Put some poison in your roof space. That gets rid of them. You do not
ned the female giving birth up there, because the whole family will
keep coming back and they are extremely persistent. You need to kill
them all quickly. If you do not get rid of them, they will eat through
electric wiring. It all gets very expensive.

It does get expensive. I have recently replaced all the wiring in
a loft in a semi-detached house. It was nibbled bare in many places,
and a flex to a loft light had been gnawed through. The loft
insulation had been tunnelled into, raked about, and was covered in
squirrel excrement and urine. Some joists (2"x4") had been chewed
badly, about 30% of their cross-sectional area having been removed.
The loft hatch had apparently been a favoured spot for urination,
and the white gloss paint had bubbled off along one side. The owner
had previously re-wired and installed new loft insulation after the
same problem.

I've never heard a way to deter them that works. If you can find
out how they're getting in, stop up the way, but you may well find
that disposing of the individual that's found its way in is best
as they are persistent little osds and will try to re-open their
route in.

Try a Fenn trap (Mk IV). Follow the instructions. They're about a
tenner each to buy. You can get them at good fishing/sports shops,
or on the 'Net, eg: http://www.vespestcontrol.co.uk/fenn.html
http://www.euroguns.co.uk/acatalog/Fenn_traps.html Bacon rind tied
around the plate is good bait. Mind your fingers when you set them,
they are a bit vicious (don't put your fingers near a live squirrel,
either!). Make sure you inspect the trap at least twice a day for
humanitarian reasons. Also, make sure you fasten the chain on the
trap down so it can't be dragged away into the eaves. Otherwise, a
"live trap" is useful (use maize for bait) - when you've caught a
squirrel, dunk the trap and contents into a water butt. It's illegal
to release a caught squirrel elsewhere.

You can use poison bait, but you'll only be able to buy rat bait,
and there's so much else for a squirrel to eat in an urban
environment that it's hard to get them to eat it (although they
will eat PVC cable insulation - "go figure").

You could also use an air rifle, and as it's one of the breeding
times for squirrels at the moment, if you see a drey being built,
knock it down with a long pole.

The next-door neighbour in the semi. above bought a "live" trap,
and disposed of one. He also got two with an air rifle, although
they were outside, and may not have been the culprits. I got one
in the loft I re-wired, and the resident there is now much happier
and safer (fire/shock hazard from wires). They were getting in
through a gap in the soffit, climbing straight up the external
corner of the house!

And you could just block the entrance! remind me not to get you to do
any work. Where did you park your horse?

*******. It's easy to deter squirrels as with any other vermin by
getting off your arse and finding where they get in, blocking the
holes and or using cresote soaked rags to stink the loft out.

Jim wrote:
Chris Bacon wrote:
John Edgar wrote:

You do not need to be humane, but maleficent in the extreme. They are
vermin and will do untold damage in your roof. They may look like
charming rascals, but they are more like monsters.

I've never heard a way to deter them that works. If you can find
out how they're getting in, stop up the way, but you may well find
that disposing of the individual that's found its way in is best
as they are persistent little osds and will try to re-open their
route in.

And you could just block the entrance! remind me not to get you to do
any work. Where did you park your horse?

Hi, "Jim", I mentioned blocking the entrance - see above. Please read
more thoroughly.


*******.

Abuse will gather you no friends.


It's easy to deter squirrels as with any other vermin by
getting off your arse and finding where they get in, blocking the
holes and or using cresote soaked rags to stink the loft out.

I do not think that using creosote soaked rags in the loft is a good
idea, because a) it's illegal, b) It's hazardous, c) Most people do
not like the pervasive smell in their houses.

It is often useful to control squirrels. They do damage in the garden,
as well. Beech is vulnerable to bark stripping, as is oak, spanish
chestnut, sycamore and so on. They dig up bulbs. They prey on birds.
They dig holes all over the lawn to bury hazelnuts.

I'm not saying that everyone should immediately engage in systematic
destruction of these animals. Sometimes it is useful, though. HTH.

On Wed, 04 May 2005 17:07:00 +0100, Chris Bacon
wrote:

Jim wrote:
Chris Bacon wrote:
John Edgar wrote:

You do not need to be humane, but maleficent in the extreme. They are
vermin and will do untold damage in your roof. They may look like
charming rascals, but they are more like monsters.

I've never heard a way to deter them that works. If you can find
out how they're getting in, stop up the way, but you may well find
that disposing of the individual that's found its way in is best
as they are persistent little osds and will try to re-open their
route in.

And you could just block the entrance! remind me not to get you to do
any work. Where did you park your horse?

Hi, "Jim", I mentioned blocking the entrance - see above. Please read
more thoroughly.


*******.

Abuse will gather you no friends.


It's easy to deter squirrels as with any other vermin by
getting off your arse and finding where they get in, blocking the
holes and or using cresote soaked rags to stink the loft out.

I do not think that using creosote soaked rags in the loft is a good
idea, because a) it's illegal, b) It's hazardous, c) Most people do
not like the pervasive smell in their houses.

It is often useful to control squirrels. They do damage in the garden,
as well. Beech is vulnerable to bark stripping, as is oak, spanish
chestnut, sycamore and so on. They dig up bulbs. They prey on birds.
They dig holes all over the lawn to bury hazelnuts.

I'm not saying that everyone should immediately engage in systematic
destruction of these animals. Sometimes it is useful, though. HTH.

Not if you're a squirrel

In article ,
(Jim) wrote:

Not forgetting to plug the hole pretty quick before he gets too cozy.

Doing that when he's out of course. Mid-morning or mid-afternoon are
good times to try. The blocking material should be more than wood (EG
wire mesh)

You DO want to get him out because he will be gnawing your wood, pipes
and electric cables.

Steve Harris - Cheltenham - Real address steve AT netservs DOT com
A useful bit of gardening software at http://www.netservs.com/garden/

In article ,
(BAC) wrote:

Blocking the access, if
feasible, probably renders killing them off superfluous.

In theory, yes. In practice, if denied access to a home they like, they
will make a new access. I had some get in via a loose tile and when that
was fixed, they chewed a new entry in a fascia board within a month.

I applied wire mesh several feet either side of the new entry, trapped
and killed 3 of them. That was a couple of years ago. So far, so good.

Steve Harris - Cheltenham - Real address steve AT netservs DOT com
A useful bit of gardening software at http://www.netservs.com/garden/

On Wed, 4 May 2005 16:33:02 +0100, Janet Baraclough
wrote:

The message
from Jaques d'Alltrades contains
these words:


Squirrels in the roofspace are a well-known fire hazard for this reason.
In the event of a fire, and your insurance company finds out you haven't
made efforts to bar entry, you might find yourself in financial
difficulties to say the least.

If the insurance assessor notices any of those creosote-soaked rags
another poster suggested putting in the attic, will he even care about
squirrels?

Janet.

OK pepper spray then?

You are vile.

Clare

"John Edgar" wrote in message
oups.com...
You do not need to be humane, but maleficent in the extreme. They are
vermin and will do untold damage in your roof. They may look like
charming rascals, but they are more like monsters.

Put some poison in your roof space. That gets rid of them. You do not
ned the female giving birth up there, because the whole family will
keep coming back and they are extremely persistent. You need to kill
them all quickly. If you do not get rid of them, they will eat through
electric wiring. It all gets very expensive.

John

"Graham Daniels" wrote in message
...
We have a grey squirrel which regulalrly comes to the bird table trying to
get at the fat balls and peanuts, usually unsuccessfully. However, the
litte rascal has now found it's way under our roof tiles in to the attic
and pays a visit at about 4 am every morning. It can be heard scratching
away in the attic - waking us up in the process.

Any suggestions for a (humane) solution?

Get a Rat/Mink trap from Mole Valley Farmers, cover it with plastic, when
the
squirel is trapped, kill it in whatever way you think is 'humane', problem
solved.

--
alan

reply to alan(dot)holmes27(at)virgin(dot)net

"Jim" wrote in message
...
On 4 May 2005 02:51:41 -0700, "John Edgar"
wrote:

You do not need to be humane, but maleficent in the extreme. They are
vermin and will do untold damage in your roof. They may look like
charming rascals, but they are more like monsters.

Brain dead tosser.

Pot calling the kettle black!

The tosser is you.

"BAC" wrote in message
...

"Jaques d'Alltrades" wrote in message
k...
The message .com
from "John Edgar" contains these words:

Put some poison in your roof space. That gets rid of them. You do not
ned the female giving birth up there, because the whole family will
keep coming back and they are extremely persistent. You need to kill
them all quickly. If you do not get rid of them, they will eat through
electric wiring. It all gets very expensive.

Squirrels in the roofspace are a well-known fire hazard for this reason.
In the event of a fire, and your insurance company finds out you haven't
made efforts to bar entry, you might find yourself in financial
difficulties to say the least.

My solution would be a marksman with a decent air rifle.

I can provide an excellent squirrel pie recipe...

The official advice for dealing with squirrels in the roof space is at
www.defra.gov.uk/corporate/ rds/publications/technical/TAN_09.pdf , if it
has wrapped.

Basically, it's to live trap them and then kill by bashing them over the
head in a sack or shooting them in the trap

Drowning is very quick, it would be dangerous to attempt to get them into a
sack,
as that would require opening the cage, which, if you have ever seen one
close up,
you would not wish to get that close to.

"batgirl" wrote in message
...
You are vile.

What is vile about trying to dispose of vermin?


Clare

"John Edgar" wrote in message
oups.com...
You do not need to be humane, but maleficent in the extreme. They are
vermin and will do untold damage in your roof. They may look like
charming rascals, but they are more like monsters.

Put some poison in your roof space. That gets rid of them. You do not
ned the female giving birth up there, because the whole family will
keep coming back and they are extremely persistent. You need to kill
them all quickly. If you do not get rid of them, they will eat through
electric wiring. It all gets very expensive.

John

Mary Fisher wrote:
"Graham Daniels" wrote in message
...
We have a grey squirrel which regulalrly comes to the bird table
trying to get at the fat balls and peanuts, usually unsuccessfully.
However, the litte rascal has now found it's way under our roof
tiles in to the attic and pays a visit at about 4 am every morning.
It can be heard scratching away in the attic - waking us up in the
process. Any suggestions for a (humane) solution?

Thanks

Graham

Either sleeping pills or get up and enjoy the morning.


.....or stay in bed and enjoy the morning (;-)

pk

"Alan Holmes" wrote in message
...
Drowning is very quick,
how the hell do you figure that out? Drowning is slow and bloody cruel and
possibly illegal as a method of killling the thing.

it would be dangerous to attempt to get them into a
sack,
as that would require opening the cage, which, if you have ever seen one
close up,
you would not wish to get that close to.


Ya big wimp. I have been close up to them, in Canada where I fed them from
my hand every morning, and over here where a rescue sanctuary had one in a
large aviary.

"Chris Bacon" wrote in message
...
John Edgar wrote:
You do not need to be humane, but maleficent in the extreme. They are
vermin and will do untold damage in your roof. They may look like
charming rascals, but they are more like monsters.

Put some poison in your roof space. That gets rid of them. You do not
ned the female giving birth up there, because the whole family will
keep coming back and they are extremely persistent. You need to kill
them all quickly. If you do not get rid of them, they will eat through
electric wiring. It all gets very expensive.

It does get expensive. I have recently replaced all the wiring in
a loft in a semi-detached house. It was nibbled bare in many places,
and a flex to a loft light had been gnawed through. The loft
insulation had been tunnelled into, raked about, and was covered in
squirrel excrement and urine. Some joists (2"x4") had been chewed
badly, about 30% of their cross-sectional area having been removed.
The loft hatch had apparently been a favoured spot for urination,
and the white gloss paint had bubbled off along one side. The owner
had previously re-wired and installed new loft insulation after the
same problem.

I've never heard a way to deter them that works. If you can find
out how they're getting in, stop up the way, but you may well find
that disposing of the individual that's found its way in is best
as they are persistent little osds and will try to re-open their
route in.

Try a Fenn trap (Mk IV). Follow the instructions. They're about a
tenner each to buy. You can get them at good fishing/sports shops,
or on the 'Net, eg: http://www.vespestcontrol.co.uk/fenn.html
http://www.euroguns.co.uk/acatalog/Fenn_traps.html Bacon rind tied
around the plate is good bait. Mind your fingers when you set them,
they are a bit vicious (don't put your fingers near a live squirrel,
either!). Make sure you inspect the trap at least twice a day for
humanitarian reasons. Also, make sure you fasten the chain on the
trap down so it can't be dragged away into the eaves. Otherwise, a
"live trap" is useful (use maize for bait) - when you've caught a
squirrel, dunk the trap and contents into a water butt. It's illegal
to release a caught squirrel elsewhere.

I am sorry but the thought of any creature struggling to breath for several
minutes while underwater turns my stomach. I nearly drowned as a youngster
and it was not pleasant and certainly not fast. The memory has never left me
and I would never advocate using this bloody inhumane method of killing
anything.

The message
from "pammyT" contains these words:

I am sorry but the thought of any creature struggling to breath for several
minutes while underwater turns my stomach. I nearly drowned as a youngster
and it was not pleasant and certainly not fast. The memory has never left me
and I would never advocate using this bloody inhumane method of killing
anything.

Much as I dislike grey squirrels (except in a pie or casserole) I have
to agree with the above. I rescued some sort of fly from rainwater in a
container, yesterday as it struggled to get a grip on the plastic sides.

Any squirrels I kill depart suddenly, with a ·22" hole in the head.

--
Rusty
Open the creaking gate to make a horrid.squeak, then lower the foobar.
http://www.users.zetnet.co.uk/hi-fi/