Squirrel Facts

10 Key Facts About Urban Grey Squirrrels:

• The Grey Squirrel is an introduced species that is not indigenous to the United Kingdom.
• The Grey squirrel population has increased exponentially and is threatening the extinction of the native red squirrel (sciurus vulgaris) in many parts of the United Kingdom.
• Grey squirrels can become a nuisance in an urban environment. Where they gain access to buildings, the chewing of materials, including electrical wiring , can cause damage and pose a fire hazard.
• Grey squirrels normally nest in the wild but can make their nests in roof spaces, building their nests from loft insulation or other building materials.
• Key points of access into buildings for grey squirrels include eaves, chimneypots, holes in the roof or facade, broken windows and other damaged areas of building fabric.
• Grey squirrells usually have two litters each year, hence their huge population growth rate; the first in February to March and a second in June to July. The litter size is normally three to four. Do the maths, the growth rate is frightening! A grey squirrel can replicate itself up to four times in 12-months!
• The grey squirrels main food source of acorns and beech mast vary in abundance from year to year, hence grey squirrels have adapted to urban food sources and often scavenge human food scraps / litter.
• The grey squirrel may act as a carrier for a viral disease (parapox) to which red squirrels are extremely susceptible. Extinction of the red squirrel in England and Wales is, sadly, a likelihood in the foreseeable future, although it is more secure in Scotland. The decline of the native red squirrel is the most serious conservation damage caused by the spread of grey squirrels.
• Responsibility for dealing with problems caused by grey squirrels in the UK normally rests with the occupier of the land concerned. Neither Defra or local government provide a 'pest' control service for grey squirrel conytrol. This is a matter for individuals & private pest control companies address within the constraints of the law.
• Grey squirrels may be controlled humanely by private individuals, other occupiers or a pest control contractor without the need for a licence from Natural England. However, grey squirrels are protected from inhumane treatment of suffering under the auspices of the Wildlife & Countryside Act 1981 and the Wild Mammals (protection) Act 1996.

Please make sure that you understand the law governing the conttrol of grey squirrels and how it applies to you prior to commencing your planned control method. If you are unsure we can provide you with free technical. Call us on +44(0)1903 538 488, Monday - Friday 09:00 - 18:00.