Last night, I received a frantic phone call from a customer with this explanation, “My daughter can’t sleep…so I can’t sleep. She says it sounds like little people are bowling in the attic above her room.” Leprechauns? Aliens? I think not.
I suspected flying squirrels were the culprit. I explained to my customer that when the weather changes, warm-blooded animals come looking for a place to spend the winter. The little critters will even bring in food stores to tide them over until warm weather returns. The “bowling” she heard was likely the squirrels moving their nuts around to the nesting area.
After inspecting the attic, my suspicions were confirmed as shiny, little eyes peered back at me from above the rafters. In this instance, it was necessary to catch the little critters and take them to a better place…
You might ask, what is the harm in allowing the poor guys to live in your attic for the winter? Let me use this as an example of why it is not a good idea to have uninvited house guests in your attic. Last spring, a customer called me with an electrical problem. Why me and not an electrician first? The electrician had already been there and told the poor customer that her problem was a squirrel who had eaten the insulation off of several feet of electrical line above her master bedroom! As a matter of fact, the electrician was amazed the squirrel had not burned the house down yet! He had in fact shorted out several breakers.
Another case was a home with a massive accumulation of droppings, so great in fact that all the insulation had to be removed from the attic and replaced. Expensive little visitors!
So if you’re tempted to ignore those little noises in your attic…hoping they might only be go away…think again.
If you have a problem of the furry variety in your attic, or simply a question, call Canton Termite and Pest Control at 770-479-1598 and ask for me, Tim McWhirter. I want to help you have a SAFE and PEST FREE Home.
Have a great day,
Tim
PS. Be sure to ask about our FREE 58 Point Pest Analysis of YOUR HOME!
