by MattGrey Squirrels Are Pests
YES. I know that is a red squirrel!
It is such a shame that you no longer see red squirrels in many parts of the UK. I myself have only seen a red squirrel once and that was in the North Yorks Moors National Park. They were feeding from a bird table in the garden of a friend. The sight was one I will never forget and it is why I am happy to control the non native grey squirrel with a clear conscience.
Grey Squirrels Are Grey Imports
Grey squirrels are not native to the UK. Every grey squirrel in the UK is the descendant of around 30 pairs of grey squirrels that were introduced originally in 1876 until around 1930 when it was recognised that we had imported and ecological disaster animal. Grey squirrels have a cute and fluffy exterior with the mental programming of a rat. They can out compete red squirrels for food, they will eat the same diet and more besides. They are particularly partial to song bird eggs and live chicks. You will often here talk of the decline of certain species of birds in the UK, there is a direct correlation between the decline of songbirds and the increase in squirrel numbers. Grey squirrels are often welcomed into garden and people are happy to feed and tolerate them until they start to cause damage to their property. The dark side of them eating birds is seldom seen by the public but make no mistake it does occur!
The Time To Control Grey Squirrels Is Now
As previously mentioned, we tend to welcome grey squirrels into out gardens because they are cute and fluffy, scampering around and eating the nuts and seeds we leave out for the birds. This week in 7 days I have trapped 25 grey squirrels in one garden in a village on the outskirts of Doncaster. Admittedly they had tunnelled with way in through a garage roof and caused hundred of pounds of structural damage! I know that there is little that this level of control will do to help red squirrels as we don’t have any around Scunthorpe or Doncaster but 25 less grey squirrels will have a massive effect on the forthcoming songbird nesting season this spring. New Zealand has the right idea. They gave an incentive to the public to control non native predator species, provided traps etc and as a result there is a massive decrease in predators and a massive increase in their native species such as the Kiwi bird.
Do You Want Briarquest To Take Control?
We understand here at Briarquest Pest Control that no everyone wants to deal with lethal forms of pest management themselves. If you would like to talk about any aspect of pest control including the trapping of grey squirrels then please contact Briarquest Pest Control now. Tel 01724 376330 / 01302 272181