No one likes being cold. We all want to be somewhere warm and toasty during frigid Long Island winters. Unfortunately, humans are not alone in this desire.
Mice and other rodents are also looking for somewhere warm to stay until the mercury climbs again. These uninvited guests have a bad habit of taking up residence in our homes and businesses. Understanding rodent behavior is key to eliminating them – or preventing them from coming inside in the first place.
It’s commonly believed that cold weather kills off insects and, once temperatures dip below freezing, bugs are no longer a problem. While you may not see many insects on an icy winter day, that doesn’t necessarily mean that they’re gone.
Many outdoor pests die off or hibernate during the winter. But there are others that adapt to cold weather and worse – find their way into your home or business. Once they have settled into a safe, climate-controlled structure… what season it is won’t make much of a difference to these invaders.
Let’s consider some of the common pests we find on Long Island during the winter.
With their bushy tails and the way they seem to dash about playfully (they actually run in erratic patterns to avoid predators), squirrels look adorable. Underneath that playful exterior, could squirrels be hiding territorial or aggressive tendencies? As with most wild creatures, it’s a bit complicated.
Certain species, such as the American red squirrel and the northern flying squirrel, are very territorial. Both types of squirrels keep interlopers away and use their urine to mark their territory.
Also, remember that female squirrels, regardless of their species, can behave territorial or aggressively when protecting their young. That’s also true of most females of any species, squirrel or not.
Squirrel communication is also rather complicated. They can aggressively chitter and wag their tails to send a “stay away” warning signal. Some untrained observers can also mistake their more normal chittering vocalizations as a warning.
Remember when we said, “it’s complicated”? Eastern gray squirrels are the perfect example because someone watching their activities and behavior could easily think they’re territorial, but they actually aren’t. The confusion is because eastern gray squirrels have hierarchies and use dominance to establish and maintain their place in that hierarchy. As such, they’ll chase each other, not to drive a squirrel away from their territory but to exert its dominance over the other one. It can look the same to those who aren’t trained wildlife experts.
Other traits that lead people to think eastern gray squirrels are territorial involve courtship and training. When trying to attract mates in the spring, male eastern gray squirrels will chase females, but in a far less aggressive manner than they do in the dominance games. It’s a courtship ritual they engage in to evaluate each other as mates. Young squirrels, much like puppies and kittens, will chase and playfully “fight” each other as a way of learning how to do it for real.
Generally, no, squirrels aren’t dangerously aggressive to humans. However, a lot of C.W. Postgraduates can tell stories about the squirrels on campus chittering at them with attitude and body language that makes it clear they should keep their distance.
Squirrels can be aggressive to each other under certain circumstances, regardless of the species. For example, wildlife experts have found that male squirrels will kill young squirrels belonging to their rivals and not just in times when food is scarce. They’ll also do it when food is abundant.
Whether a squirrel is a loner depends upon several factors. Certain types of squirrels live in extended groups or colonies called a dray or a scurry. Other types, such as tree squirrels, will live alone or in small family groups. However, even squirrels that are natural loners will come together in extreme weather to huddle together to stay warm and survive.
Squirrels are cute to watch from a distance but difficult to remove if they’ve gotten inside your attic, chimney, or walls. At Twin Forks Pest Control®, we have more than 20 years of experience humanely removing squirrels. If you think squirrels have gotten into your home, give us a call at (631) 287-9020 if you’re in Southampton, (631) 324-9020 if you’re in Easthampton, or (631) 298-0500 if you’re in Southold.
The weather is getting colder here on Long Island; it’ll be months before spring warms us back up again. We do our best to stay warm and limit our time out in the cold, and unfortunately, we’re not the only ones out there doing just that.
If you want to stay out of the cold, you can bet all sorts of pests out there would like to do the same. And if you’re keeping your home warm, they’ll think that’s the perfect place to go. [Read more…]
What’s that rustling noise in your chimney? Could it be…Santa?
We don’t want to be the bearer of bad news at this otherwise joyous time of the year, but unless it’s Christmas Eve and you hear sleigh bells on the roof, chances are it’s not Santa Claus. Any sounds of scrabbling, rustling, clawing, scratching, or flapping indicate a pest problem in your chimney that can cause severe issues for your home and family. [Read more…]
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