# Huge house with tons of 'dead' area in attic



## user1007 (Sep 23, 2009)

You need to call and contract a good, licensed exterminator or, I guess spend much more tenfold on household remedies. 

Your job, once the exterminator is done, and even before, is to identify how all are getting into your home and fix and repair all inbound and outbound access points.


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## PAbugman (Jun 29, 2010)

Sounds like a lot of work to do on the house, especially the outside. The squirrels are creatures of habit and will continue trying to access the house even after repairs. They need to be removed and maybe the tree cut down. Trapping squirrels is hard-they are smart and cautious. If you want to diy carpenter ants then I reccommend using an exterior spray/treatment that has the active ingredient “Fipronil”. Commonly known under the Termidor brand, I am seeing it under other brands now as it must have come off patent.


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## chrisn (Dec 23, 2007)

I would let the damn squirrel have the attic before I would cut ANY tree down.


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## user1007 (Sep 23, 2009)

chrisn said:


> I would let the damn squirrel have the attic before I would cut ANY tree down.


:laughing:Yeah Chris. The guy who did concrete for me in Central Illinois was also a licensed trapper. By law you have to shoot some things here. One visit to his place would convince you he was not trigger happy. Or remains a really bad shot at point blank range. 

None of the critters running around were in his house. 

You can trap, exterminate and all until the cows come home and nest in your attic. If when the exterminator or trapper is done, and you don't patch ingress and egress points? You deserve what you get. 

Never been cornered in a situation I could not get out of yet by an attic squirrel. Once I was living in and restoring an antique home and this paw managed to make it through whatever ceiling material.

Mitzi-Soprano and Cleo-Catra heard the puncture before I did and for days, I swear they thought they were in Disneyland. 24/7. It became them or the squirrel. Cat math was going on in their heads. I just watched them. Until I could not take it anymore. I had the attic sprayed with "essence of fox" or something and as critters leaped from the attic? Friends and I watching knew exactly how they were getting in and out.


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## jorgea (Nov 24, 2011)

*Take Serious Action*

I would take concrete steps of sealing all entry and exit points so no more creatures can get inside or leave. Use food as bait to catch the remaining creatures inside. Then fill in the gaps in the attic.


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## dougp23 (Sep 20, 2011)

Yeah, you def need to patch the holes they are using to get in. I did this once with that sprayable expandable foam....mice eat right through it! I had to use something called Stuff-It, looks like copper steel wool.

I had a small mouse problem recently, and the exterminator came and plugged up holes where the house sits on the foundation. He also put something outside called a "rodent rock". I don't know much about it, except I think it is like an attractant for the pests thinking of going in to your home, so they go to this plastic rock first, and eat the poison in it.

Smetimes a decent exterminator will save you tons of time and money.


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## user1007 (Sep 23, 2009)

dougp23 said:


> Smetimes a decent exterminator will save you tons of time and money.


I totally disagree. A decent exterminator WILL ALWAYS save you tons of time and money. They have access and licenses to use stuff the consumer cannot---thank goodness. Most household pesticides are but marketing gimmicks with limited effectiveness. We spend a chunk on the pretty packaging each year and usually end up calling an exterminator anyhow. Why not just start at the end point in the first place?


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